Mannaword

I pray your day is filled with our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh it is good (and extra) if you have family and friends to remember and to remember you. But when it all boils down to the basic concept – our Father loved you (and me) so much that He made certain we would never celebrate one moment alone. He is always near and always loving you. Stop for a moment just to sense His presence and delight in your shared moments.

May your enjoy that today! Have a blessed one in Him!

I have just completed March (more months as I have time – hopefully to have entire year up before New Year dawns) on the “Daily Bible Reading Schedule” on line at Psalm 19 Ministries. I have needed to pull it all back and put it in another form that transfers well to the web. I thank my husband for suggesting the form I am using. I think it will be helpful to follow.

The discipline (or dance it could be called) of reading the Bible systematically every year is not difficult. In fact, it actually takes only 15 minutes or so by the average reader. I am very average in my reading skills and do not consider myself rapid at all. Yet, this small amount of time has paid mega dividends in my understanding the whole counsel of God.

As I see it, there are basically three disciplines associated with the Word and more or less expected from Scripture toward us who read.

The First is to read. That is simple. This is not study, nor meditation. I often find folk who say they want to do it “right” and study it all out as they go. The only problem with that is that I have yet to discover one of those folk with a good over-all knowledge of the word. The reality is, they never have time to do it “right,” so it never gets done at all.

The Second discipline is to study. Well, this is a different discipline altogether. Here one is not concerned with order, but with digging into a selected text and seeing what it unfolds in its data. It takes much more than 15 minutes and is involving only a small amount of Scripture. This is also commanded. But it is not the same as “reading.”

The Third is the discipline of meditation. The Biblical discipline is the action of mulling a passage over and over in the mind and allowing it to penetrate the depths of the mind and soul. This, too, is commanded and very needful, but can be done at any point with any passage. One needs to combine some method of memorization to be able to do this effectively.

So I guess, we should insert a Fourth discipline – that of Memorization. There are many technics around to help here. Pick one and memorize, or simply use the passage enough in your thought and/or teaching and you will find it comes up memorized.

As one can see, there is much to be done with the Word, our Scriptures. However, I am primarily encouraging us to read. That’s it — just read. When we do that every day in a systematic way, I find study follows, and meditation becomes more or less automatic.

So go to the site, or some other site with a systematic schedule, and begin and have a wonderful year doing so! If you have done this before, by all means, do it again. Fifteen minutes is a small amount of time in anyone’s schedule. Let’s do this!

I am a big advocate of reading through the Bible every year. There is nothing I know of that can amass for the individual the over-all counsel of Almighty God than to read His Word systematically year after year. To this end, I am putting the schedule I wrote several years ago on our Psalm 19 Ministries web site. It is, as always, free to all. The only reason it is copyrighted is to protect the fact that it is not to be sold. If you enjoy it, feel free to print it out and put your own logo on it and distribute it at will. Just please list Psalm 19 Ministries as its copyright holder and then let me know you are using it. That will encourage me.

If you believe the word is “black marks on white paper,” then re-reading the same thing year after year gets old and boring. However, when you believe the word is a living entity and continues to unfold in revelation upon revelation in the heart and spirit, then you will want to avail yourself of its mysteries hidden for such a time as now. I encourage you to do so. May you be blessed as you listen to our Lord Jesus as you read.

It will take a bit of time to get the entire year on site, but hopefully it will be there before this year’s end.

There have been some blogs working on the premise that Christmas really isn’t (wasn’t) about Christ at all. So I thought I would just add a thought or two to the thinking pool.

Now really! Christmas is like any other time of the year – it is about who or what the individual makes it about. For me, Christmas is always about Jesus my Lord, the Christ of God. It as a day, is always celebrated with joy for His coming and all that follows. I know that is just me, but it is really up to the individual as to what any day or season is “about.”

For me, well, every day is about Him and every season. So if I choose to use all the popular Christmas images and music, that is really my choice. And, I do choose – Him – and the celebration of Him – every moment.

Enjoy the season – Merry Christmas over and over again.

And while we are on the subject, let’s not get stretched out of shape over “Happy Holidays.” We are evangelists after all, and one of the first steps is to be inclusive. My greeting never leaves my Lord out. He lives in me, so anytime I greet someone – He greeted them too. If “Happy Holidays” makes them open to listen to His heart through mine – Happy Holidays it will be.

But since this is my blog – MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The following quotation is from James 4:8-9 in a translation I have by an African scholar, Francois Du Toit. (His work is free on his web site: www.mirrorreflection.net). As with any translation, especially of this genre, there are some built in problems, so do not take this as a complete recommendation (I would say the same about The Message, The New Living Bible, etc…). However, in these translations there are some wonderful insights. I want to share this one with you and then some thoughts on one of his phrases.

4:8 Snuggle up to the warm embrace of God, experience His closeness to you, (In Christ He cancelled every definition of distance.) The sinner can come with all stains washed from his hands, the double-minded can come with a purified heart.

4:9 This is not a light-hearted yielding, realize the misery you have brought upon yourself with intense grief and weeping; replace your laughter with sincere sorrow, and your joy with shame. (Your superficial laughter and fake-joy can no longer hide the shame of your sins.)

Notice the translation of “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” “Snuggle up to the warm embrace of God, experiencing His closeness to you (In Christ He cancelled the very definition of distance). This is very good to get the feeling as well as the data across to us.

So often we have taught (and been taught) that our sin separates us from God (and that has some truth in the life of an unbeliever), that we never quite believe or experience what the Holy Spirit wants us to know.

The Lord Jesus Christ, so completely forgave our sins (obliterating them from existence) that nothing can ever separate Him from willingly drawing near (even to the sinner if they will call out to Him).  He leaves “the ball in our court,” so to speak. We are to draw near when we choose. He has chosen – “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  There is no distance between you and Him, if you have received Him. He is there for each of us. Just imagine No Distance – WOW!

So, beloved one of the Lord, just turn your self to Him, and allow His presence to solve all the anxiety and uncertainty in life. He so loved you . . . Do not let that go unanswered. Sometimes we are startled by someone telling us they love us. I know I am when it comes, as it is often very unexpected. Yet, I do respond – never wanting such a statement to fall to the ground without my reception. So it is with the Lord, just draw near, or as this version says “Snuggle up,” and allow Him to do and be all He is for you. He waits just for you. And the really neat thing is – that it doesn’t matter how long it has been since you “snuggled” – He delights in you doing so.

Bless you one and all who choose to hang in here with me. It is my hope to return to blogging shortly. I am beginning to slow up a bit in preaching & teaching for the holiday season, so plan to get back to posting some worthwhile (I think) posts. In the meantime, thanks so much for dropping by and do have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

I am away at our Fall Conference and it is going very well. Pastor Chris Scarinzi is our guest speaker (last night and this morning). It is a powerful time in the Lord with excellent Word presented and the demonstration of His power everywhere. Awesome!

This post is really not about that, however. I have just read some of the blogs I frequent, and am amazed at how we try to prove we are right about something in the Lord. I am not right because someone else is wrong. Undoubtedly we are both wrong in the light of the knowledge of the Holy One. All who name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are made righteous (right? – could it really be?) in Him. Otherwise, we need to understand we are wrong about much. That’s really O.K., and I am always learning in the Word His provision for me, even when I really do not “get it.” However, I believe we need to do more encouraging rather than finding fault and being critical — that too is Biblical.

Just needed to verbalize that. Now, I feel better. Even in saying this — it has a critical edge. Forgive that. Just be encouraged in Him.

This is awesome! Enjoy!

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.            1 John 5:1-5 TNIV

This is a good translation of this passage. It works with being “born of God” so we understand that we are not just attached to Him as in our modern adoptions. The only way into the Kingdom of the Son of His love is by birth. “You must be born again.” Spiritually we must be born of Him by allowing this action in our heart.

I realize Paul uses the “adoption” word a couple of times, but in its context (Ephesians 1:5) it is talking about the Jewish ceremony of a young boy in the family reaching manhood (bar-mitzvah). When he was given the right of authority in the Father’s business, it was know as his “adoption.” The word meant “come to maturity.” Our modern adoption practices (from the Romans originally) would never have been followed in a Jewish household. Following the customs of the eastern peoples, they would never have allowed someone not of their blood line to be a “son.” This is true among many of the eastern people today.

The real understanding of this becomes necessary in the context of blood-line (we are blood of His blood and bone of His bone – our spiritual DNA is that of our Father). Also in the context of pre-destination and authority.

I hope to have several posts along these lines. Those of you who read regularly please forgive my tardiness in posting. It is true it is a very busy season for me, but this really doesn’t take that long — just a bit of concentration. So with your prayers, I will come back soon with more explaining this understanding.

Bless you for reading!

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 tniv

This is one of my favorite verses in scripture. It holds such promise and expectation!

My daughter, Lauren, (who writes here: http://standrewscny.wordpress.com) has paraphrased it in her recent post there. I like what she has done with the verse and thought you might like it as well.

“As we who know the Lord Jesus Christ  gaze intently with purpose into the face of our beloved Savior- we then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, are being metamorphosized [distinctly and deliberately changed] into His image from awesome dimension of His person to awesome dimension of His person.”