Psalm 119:9-16

This Spring I was struck down with the Plague of 2017 - or what others may refer to as "the flu". I can't remember the last time I felt as horrible as I did for over a week. I literally spent four entire days on my couch. And what did I do to pass the time away when I wasn't sleeping? I binged watched Downton Abbey - all six seasons in a matter of one week. It was so good! I loved the characters and their stories and it was sad to see the show come to an end. 

Like reading an excellent series of books, it's easy to get sucked into the story line of characters and their fictitious lives - oftentimes, losing all track of time and responsibilities. 

Has anyone ever lost track of time while reading their Bible? I can't say that I have. Praying, sure. But reading Scripture? Sadly, no. 

So when I read the words of Psalm 119:9-16, I have to ask myself, do I "seek with all of my heart"? Do I "recount all the laws"? Have I ever "rejoice(d) in following (God's) statutes"? 

I can get lost in what is going to happen next with Lady Mary Crawley, but do I get lost in God's written word? Have I ever read and studied Scripture, like I binged watched a favorite show? 

I can memorize, meditate, and make blog posts on Scripture passages but I am challenged by what the Psalmist pens, because there is no way that I can compete with how he loves the Word of God and how I feel about it. 

Maybe I am going about this the wrong way. Maybe this particular part of Psalm 119 shouldn't necessarily be used as a standard to evaluate my faith, but rather I can use it as a prayer to guide my thoughts so that my heart will be transformed. 

Thanks for hanging in there while I figure this out...it's taken me a while to get these words memorized. Now it's time to move them 12 inches from my head to my heart. 

Blessings!

Joshua 1:8

It's near the end of May. Most colleges and universities have finished their graduation ceremonies. Many high schools are preparing to have their commencements in the next few weeks. Even junior highs, middle schools, and Kindergarten classes around the country are preparing to send their students off to the next phase of education. 

It was about this time of year, practically a decade ago, that I felt the need to have a special talk with one of my 8th grade science classes. This group of students was unique - it was my smallest class, only 23, with just four or five boys. Most of the remaining 18-19 were girls were popular among their peers; a few of the other young ladies hadn't yet socially blossomed. 

As what tends to happen every few years or so, I grew particularly fond of this group. And the talk that I decided to have with them came from a place in my heart that desperately desired for them to remember not the science lessons that I had taught them, but the message of staying true to themselves, not getting wrapped up in the peer pressure that would undoubtedly make itself known the first day of 9th grade. I wanted to remind them to be kind to each other; to keep in mind that friendships ebb and flow with changing interests; that they have the inner strength to do the right thing even when it's really tempting to just go along with everyone else. I wanted them to remember that they were smart and independent young people who could think for themselves and that they had a voice to share with those who would listen. 

I think I may have cried talking to these students. 

Thanks to Facebook, I'm "friends" with a few of the girls in that class. A couple of them are now young mothers and it's amazing to see how they are raising their own children. And whether or not the speech I gave them 10 years left an impression on them, they definitely left a mark on my heart. 

As I was memorizing and meditating on Joshua 1:8, this memory was brought to mind. Just like I had desired to give those young people one last encouragement before entering the sometimes scary halls of high school, God was encouraging Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites, to remember all of the things that he had learned by studying the Book of the Law. Joshua was about to enter into some battles and the opportunities to turn back and return to the wilderness would look mighty tempting at times. 

But God promises only what He can promise to Joshua and all 12 tribes - prosperity and success if, and only if, they follow God's lead.

There isn't much difference for you and I. God's promises of prosperity and success are still on the table, if we have a submissive and obedient mindset. 

May we always remain students of Scripture and may those lessons always be something that we recall in our daily living. 

Blessings <3,
-bethany.

2 Timothy 3:16

As a junior high science teacher, there were several misconceptions that students had regarding the air that we breathe in and out. 

One misconception was that air doesn't weigh anything. Even in junior high, students still think that in order for an object or substance to have mass you have to be able to hold it or touch it. So to provide evidence otherwise, I would take a balloon and put it on a scale and we would record the mass. And then I would have a student blow up the balloon, we would put it on the scale again, and we would measure how the mass changed - it increased. And so we would begin the discussion of how since the air inside the balloon had mass and it took up space inside the balloon, it was classified as matter. 

2 Timothy 3:16 states that All Scripture is God-breathed. What does that mean? 

Just like we require breath in order to form our words, the words recorded by the ancient authors were inspired by God himself. And just like air takes up space inside a balloon, these words should take up space in our hearts and our minds. 

The difference I would argue would be that instead of our hearts and minds being vessels that determine the space that these God-breathed words take up, we need to allow to be molded into new vessels by Scripture. 

Just as I would use classroom demonstrations to provide evidence in order to confront common misconceptions with my students, when we read, study, and meditate on Scripture, because of the power within it, Scripture begins to transform our thinking, reshape our attitudes, and our behavior is eventually made to reflect more of Jesus.  

This is why I am working on memorizing 100 Bible verses and then blogging about the verse. To memorize the words, it requires that I think about it them with intention for several days until they are remembered. I keep practicing the verses too. I use an app on my phone that tracks when it's time to review a verse. But it's not until I write about the verse that it really sinks in my heart and begins to transform my thinking. I literally have been asking God, "Ok, what do you want to say to me about this verse?" And usually as I am on a walk through my neighborhood, some meaning begins to develop. But it's not until I actually start typing that what I am supposed to learn for myself is revealed. And it's my prayer, that in some way, shape, or form, that because I opt to make my learning public, that you are encouraged or challenged or inspired too. 

So thanks for making this journey along with me! 

Be blessed today!

P.S. The app I use is called Remember Me (Apple Store - there are other apps available in Apple and the Google Play stores)

Romans 10:9-10

My husband is the only man, that I am not genetically related to, to whom I have ever said, "I love you." 

And because of that, the build up of actually getting the words to come out of my mouth was huge! 

You see, our entire courtship was long distance. We only saw each other once a month, a few days at a time. He knew and expressed his love for me in June. I knew that I loved him too - but I was so nervous about saying those three little words out loud, that I flaked out. And the plane ride home was awful because I knew I'd have to wait a few weeks more to tell him face to face that I loved him. 

And so those weeks s-l-o-w-l-y dragged on and then it was time to fly back to Texas to see him. And then, I had to figure out when and where I was to say those three words. 

We were touring the George Bush (#41) Presidential Library & Museum (romantic, I know) and we found ourselves in this spot.

And I figured it was just as good of place as any to tell the man that I loved, that I loved him. And it felt good to say it to him, because I could finally express what was in my heart. 

I could do and say all the loving things that I could think of, but it wasn't until I said "I love you" that those things were substantiated by a declaration. 

I think that it is why it is so important, that scripture calls us to not just believe in our hearts, but to confess with our mouth. To say to someone, anyone, everyone, that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. That he died on the cross for our sins. That he was raised on the third day. And that some day soon, he'll return.

For when we confess to others what we believe, there's no going back. We are taking a stand, pledging our allegiance, and identifying ourselves with the most sacred and significant relationship that we could ever commit to - and letting others know about it. 

All of our actions, our thoughts, our beliefs, our existence hinges upon our confession, "Jesus is Lord". It makes it real, not just to ourselves, but those who have witnessed that confession. 

So if you haven't said it lately, or even at all, say it to someone. Confirm or reaffirm your faith today, and declare, "Jesus is Lord". 

Romans 5:8

Ugh. Today I have to tell you something that I really don't want to confess. So please be kind and gentle and understanding and forgiving as I share how God is working on me...

Last week I posted this on my Facebook page:

And it occurred to me yesterday on my (almost) daily 2 mile walk that lately, God has been telling me to "pull myself together", after all, I am a child of the Most High God. 

So here's the deal, a few weeks ago, I was reviewing another memory verse, Psalm 139:2-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Now usually, I focus on the "anxious thoughts" because, well, I tend to have anxious thoughts sometimes. But on this special day, my mind wandered over to the "offensive way" portion of the passage. And so I dared to ask God, is there any offensive way in me?

Me: God, is there any offensive way in me?

God: You want to know what I find offensive? I'll tell you what I find offensive - the words that come out of your mouth. 

Me: That?

God: Yeah, that. What about that other verse you've memorized...Ephesians 4:29-32?

Me: Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

God: Go on...

Me: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

God: Go on...

Me: Git rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

God: You want to be my witness? Work on this. You are my child. I love you. 

And so as I work on becoming more conscientious about the words that are coming out of my mouth, I am also processing Romans 5:8. 

Knowing that I am a sinner, knowing that I'd have imperfect issues, habits, behaviors, and thoughts...Christ still died for me. That is mind-blowing. He didn't die for me because I was already righteous or even a good person (Ro 5:7). He died for me precisely because I wasn't those things; because I needed him to die in order to be made right before God. 

God is a good, good Father (title of a great song by Chris Tomlin, by the way...) and there is no end to his mercy - not giving us what we deserve - and grace - giving us what we certainly do not deserve. 

His forgiveness is gentle and healing and draws us in to a deeper relationship with Him. 

His love cannot be measured or matched. And it is because of this love, that he disciplines his children. He instructs us and guides us, so that we can experience as the Psalmist writes, the way everlasting. 

So, if you happen to stumble upon this post and you haven't yet taken God up on his offer of eternal life because you think that you're not good enough, let me tell you that you'll never be good enough, but God definitely is. And that's all that matters. 

Let God love you and forgive you. Accept that you are one of the ones that Christ died for. Yes, even you. 

Romans 6.23

The wages of sin is death. Period. End of story. It's non-negotiable.

but (and I think that this is the best big "but" in the Bible)

the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

God has offered us an alternative to the consequences of sin. But it's only good if we recognize that it cannot be separated from what Jesus did on the cross on our behalf. 

Our eternal destiny is not some unsolved mystery. We know how it'll end - death or eternal life. There is no other option. And it's completely our choice. 

So if we reject death and elect living eternally, there are terms & conditions to which we need to agree:

1 - Accept that it is a gift. It's not something that can be bought. It's not something that is earned.

2 - Recognize that you are undeserving of this gift, that it is completely out of God's love for you that He is even offering to you.

3 - Accept that this gift is made possible because God's one and only Son paid for it with his life. 

Knowing these things, we humbly bow before God and with a contrite attitude we take and treasure this gift. 

In response, we vow to live lives that demonstrate our gratitude and the hope that we now possess. 

Romans 3.23

Continuing on my quest to memorize 100 verses recommended by Robert J. Morgan in his book, 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, I'm now working on what is referred to as the Roman Road, a set of verses that provides a framework for sharing the Good News. 

This simple verse pretty much sums up our need for receiving Jesus as our Savior. There's no getting around the phrase, "for ALL have sinned". No matter how nice and kind and generous and compassionate we are, we are all sinners.

This concept, I don't think, is too difficult to accept. Sure, I easily acknowledge that I will never be perfect like God who is the essence of purity and holiness. And when I have had conversations with others about this, they agree that they're sinners too. After all, it's impossible to be perfect. 

And so many people want to have a comfortable agreement with God that living a "good" life will be "good enough" to spend eternity in the Kingdom. But the cold, hard truth is that it's not good enough.

But verse 24 gives us some much needed hope. It says, "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus". 

Translation: We are marked for good and made legitimate for free, at no cost to us, other than our belief that the debt Jesus paid on the cross was sufficient to set us right before God. 

This is the part that messes with people's heads, I think, because how can just believing this message be what God wants from us? How does that take all the wrongs in my life and make them forgiven? Having faith in Jesus can't be enough, can it?

It is. 

Over and over again in the New Testament we are instructed that faith in Jesus is all that is required to be washed clean of the sin that has accrued in our hearts and minds. 

This is what makes the Good News, so very wonderfully good enough.