Hebrews 4:16

Have you ever met someone and felt an immediate and unexplained kinship with them? The connection between you and your new friend provides the opportunity to relate in unique ways. 

About a decade ago, I was attending a fairly large church and looking for a small group Bible study to become involved with. The church had an online catalog of all the small groups that met and I chose to visit one that coincided with my demographics - single and thirty-something. 

Within minutes of meeting the existing members of the Bible study group, it felt as if we had known each other for years. We talked about ourselves and eventually our conversation turned to where we had grown up and gone to school. We discovered that two of us had attended the same high school - I was just a few years younger. While we didn't know each other back in the day, we realized that we had a few mutual friends. Our instant familiarity now made sense. 

There's something special about the people that you grow up with - even if you don't know them at the time. You share common experiences, mutual friends, and an general understanding of the community that helped shaped you as an individual. 

For my friends and I, we were able to share more deeply, quickly and our friendships are still some of the most important more than 10 years later. 

Hebrews 4:16 starts off with "Let us THEN approach the throne of grace with confidence..." What allows us to do this? What's the THEN there for? We need to back up and read verses 14 and 15 to be clued in. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence, because the one who sits on the throne is able to sympathize with weaknesses because He had been tempted in every way, we are, yet was without sin. 

Jesus is familiar with what it's like to live on this earth with all of it's guts and glory because He's done it Himself. Jesus is not a high priest who is oblivious to our situations. Our confidence comes from the knowing that He can relate to us. The mercy and grace that we are offered is because Jesus first walked in our shoes. He knows what we need, when we need it, how we need it and why it's needed. 

What an incredible gift this is to us! To know that our Savior is approachable because He can relate to our needs is such a comfort. 

So let this be your reminder that there is nothing too big or too small for you to bring before the Son of God. You will find all that you need to sustain you. Have confidence in this Good News.

Hebrews 4:12

By Kelvin Kay [Public domain, GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)
or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)],
via Wikimedia Commons

I have had several occasions to visit the National Archives in Washington D.C. to view the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights documents. If you've been there too, or seen one of my favorite movies, National Treasure, you know the security measures that are in place to protect these documents not just from theft, but from minuscule pollutants in the surrounding atmosphere. 

As Americans we believe that these documents written just over 200 years ago maintain some sort of authority over our lives. They spell out why we exist as a country. They define our freedoms and our rights. And as such, every law that exists in our country, every decision our Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government, whether or not we agree with them, is fundamentally tied to these documents. Men and women fight and die to keep the freedoms and rights these documents provide. In essence, these documents are very much a part of how we live out our lives within the borders of this country.

For the word of God is living and active.

The author of Hebrews reminds us that God's Word is living and active. If we place such high esteem on the Declaration of Independence, how much more should we esteem the Holy Scriptures? 

God's Word does not need security measures placed on it to be protected - by its very nature, it protects itself. It cannot be stolen and held for ransom. It's message will never fade. It's contents will never become irrelevant. 

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

When the Words of God are read and spoken, both our natural world and spiritual realms are changed. Our hearts and minds are transformed. The words of Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 uphold what is written here in Hebrews:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

Testimonies have been given countless times since mankind was created and the Word of God recorded of how powerful and life-changing Scripture is. I realize that I've shared part of what you're about to read just recently in another blog post but I'll go into more detail here.

Several years ago, I was going through a period of great anxiety due to experiencing lots of losses over a two year span. Some losses were greater than others, but one in particular, the death of a friend from cancer, really messed with my mind. My thoughts constantly centered around my own health and I became convinced of my own eventual decline and demise. My physical body even began to be affected with this type of thinking. 

If that weren't bad enough, one Saturday morning I woke to a message that felt like it was whispered into my ear, "You're going to die." When I became fully awake I KNEW that I was under a serious spiritual attack. I KNEW that what I felt like I heard was a big, fat lie. I KNEW that the only way to fight back was with Scripture. And so I read my Bible. Reading it silently was not sufficient. My circumstances demanded that my reading be aloud. My circumstances demanded that I read and read and read for most of the day. Whenever I stopped reading, those nasty, ugly lies started to swirl around in my mind. 

I reached out to several friends to let them know that I was dealing with something huge and to start praying, but it was the power of God's Word that got me through that hideous day. 

While I did seek medical counsel and was diagnosed and treated for the grief I was experiencing, nothing but the penetrating double-edged Sword of the Spirit was able to help me make a break-through with my negative thought patterns and provide me with words of Truth to live by. 

This is why, to me, memorizing Scripture is so important. It's life-giving! Anytime I need God's Word, it's with me so that I can be filled up. 

I know that many who are reading this have your own story to tell about the power of the Word of God. How your life has been changed because what is written in between, "In the beginning..." (Genesis 1:1) and "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen" (Revelation 22:21). 

But if you are reading this and have yet to experience and come to believe for yourself that God's Word is living and active, I ask that you reconsider any doubts or disbeliefs that you may hold and read it for yourself. Ask questions. Open your heart to the possibility of being made a new creation. God longs to meet with you. God's greatest desire is for you to seek Him out. In response, He will answer. He will get to you faster than you can get to Him. 

God and His Word is alive! 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

It happens to me all the time. I'm in the middle of a conversation with someone and I'm trying to recall some factoid, but after 10 seconds or so, I whip out my phone to Google what my memory has failed to instantaneously provide.

I know many educators who think that if you can find the answer with a quick search, then it doesn't need to be memorized. Save the students' thinking power for more rigorous work.

I am not one of those educators. I believe that there is enough evidence to show that when we train our brains to memorize material, it helps build stronger neural connections so that we can apply the learned content to new learning situations. I won't go further into what I've learned about how our brains work, but if you're interested, let me know and I'll pass along a couple of resources. 

But what does memory work have to do with Deuteronomy 6:6-7? When I was meditating and memorizing these verses, it struck me that in order to have God's commandments upon my heart, I have to know them. Not just be able to look them up online or even in my Bible. No. I have to know them for myself in my mind and heart. If God calls me to have conversations with others about His Word, then I better have those Scriptures handy. 

While some may believe that memorizing anything, much less God's Word, is an archaic learning strategy, those of us who practice it can testify otherwise. There are clear benefits to impressing Scripture into our thoughts.

The book from which I am choosing my verses from, 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart by Robert J. Morgan, gives seven benefits to committing Bible verses to memory:

1. It gives us clearer thoughts.
2. It steadies our nerves.
3. It allows us to have healthier emotions.
4. We have purer habits.
5. We have happier homes.
6. We have greater respect.
7. We will gain an eternal optimism.

I can think of additional reasons...

• Even if I don't have my Bible with me (or my phone) I have God's Word with me.
• I learn God's voice.
• I can more easily discern Truth from lies.
• I am more inspired and have greater vision.
• I am able to hold myself more accountable to being obedient to God.

Let's not loose the art of memorizing Scripture because a search engine can recall it for us. Let's continue to be intentional about hiding God's Word in our heart so that our lives are marked different by everyone with whom we come into contact. 

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Paul writes these words to Timothy towards the end of his life. Just a quick read of 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, leaves me with such an appreciation for what it means to have fought the good fight, to have finished the race, and to have kept the faith through it all. 

But the apostle Paul isn't my only example...I have personally known others within my own church family that I could confidently claim that they too will be awarded their crown of righteousness. 

It is my desire that those within my circle of influence would be able to say the same of me as the sun sets on my life. 

There is definitely so much more I could say about this...but today, I feel as though I just need to abide in it. Let my thoughts marinade in this truth. Let the choices I make today and in the next week be filtered through this hope. To be encouraged with this promise.

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 3:14-15

As I meditated and memorized these verses, I began to feel a kinship with Timothy. Both he and I have been taught the gospel since infancy. 

As far back as I can possibly remember, I have been taught about my Heavenly Father and His Son and the sacrifice that was made on my behalf and the hope of an established eternal Kingdom.

I have been taught this Truth by both of my parents and sacrificing adults throughout my childhood. I have been held accountable and encouraged in my personal walk of Faith by my Christ-following peers as an adult. 

I'm sure that I have been prayed for more times than I can conceivably comprehend. 

This life that I live, in the faith, is not one that I have managed on my own. It is because I have been surrounded and held up by trusted fellow believers since the day that I was born. 

When I consider this fact of my life, I am blown away! There aren't enough words to express my gratitude and appreciation to all who have invested in my faith during my 43 years of existence. 

I take to heart Paul's encouragement to Timothy, to continue on in what I have learned. It's as though Paul is also writing to me during this season of my life. 

Maybe I've bee watching too many spy movies lately, but I feel as though I'm awaiting my next mission from God. And while I wait, I am unsure of what to do with myself. So this admonishment to continue in what I have learned provides just enough guidance for me. 

I read, meditate, and memorize Scripture. 

I pray.

I serve.

I abide. 

Doing these things will thoroughly equip me for every good work (v. 17) that is to come in the future. 

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. 

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 2:15

I don't have a captivating story to share. I just have a couple of main points from 2 Timothy chapter 2 that jumped off the page as I completed my homework as part of the Summer 2017 #Entrusted Bible study authored and taught by Beth Moore.

The first big ah-ha comes from page 89 in the workbook:

"You may not be able to give it (your calling) a name until your race is nearly over. Until then, your calling is whatever - whatever He put in front of you right now."

The second ah-ha is from page 91 in the workbook:

"Your faithfulness is the key to somebody else's faith." 

Here is why these two concepts are important right now...I thought I had figured out what my calling was, but more often than not, I wonder. 

I keep serving in various capacities, because things need to be done and I have the capability to do them. But I wonder - is this it??? Because it doesn't feel like I'm working in my "sweet spot". I so often feel awkward and misplaced. 

Yes, I've done spiritual assessments and studied spiritual gifts. I know what those are and can tell you what those kinds of things say about me. But as for a way to exercise those skills...let's just say I feel like I'm plaid in a paisley world. 

So I am encouraged by the second quote. I serve because someone else's faith could be on the line. 

And I have to remember from what I wrote last week, that I do what I can do and then the Holy Spirit will provide a supernatural booster shot to my efforts. 

What does this have to do with this week's verse, 2 Timothy 2:15? I do what I'm asked to do, in order to show my self as one approved, as one who is not ashamed and who can be entrusted to correctly handle the word of truth. 

One day, I will understand how all the pieces of my service fit together. Until, then I humbly serve an Almighty God who takes my small offering and turns it into something worthy. 

Entrusted - 2 Timothy 1:14

You know how you can read Scripture a million times for yourself and nothing really jumps out at you? And then you have a great teacher help you pick it apart and you realize what you've been missing? 

That's how I've felt this week as I've gone through Week 2 of #Entrusted Bible Study by @BethMooreLPM. 

First off, I've never stopped to think and ask "What's the 'good deposit'?" As Beth explains, it's the Gospel PLUS our gifting. That's what has been entrusted to us...to me. 

The Gospel is all about Jesus Christ:

• What He came for
• What He fulfilled
• What He has done for us
• What difference it has made for me

This message is what needs to remain as pure today from my lips as it was delivered from the disciples' lips. 

The gifting is what is unique to each and every believer. And here was another "Ah-ha" moment for me, when Beth used the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 to explain our gifting. God has given me, you, all of us, a special skill set that is expected to be used as we minister. Here's the thing, while we can do good things with our skills, it is only with the administration of the Holy Spirit that we can do supernaturally good things with our skills - our gifting is multiplied, exactly like the talents in the parable. 

It is these two things that have been entrusted to us and it is expected that we guard these things will all of our might. 

In this first chapter of 2 Timothy, Paul writes that we should not be ashamed of the good deposit and that we will likely encounter suffering as we guard it.

So how has this changed my thinking? What does this mean for me moving forward? 

• It has renewed my sense of purpose with the Gospel. I see the connection now between the message within it and my skills to deliver that message.
• I'm encouraged to be more diligent in the areas in which I serve. And it gives me hope for when I am wondering about the effectiveness of my service, I can trust that through God's power my efforts will be multiplied. 
• Finally, I am reminded that I need to brace myself for the times when this 'good deposit' may come under attack. 

I recently watched a clip of Ocean's Eleven where the guys are using the EMP to turn out the lights on the Vegas strip annd all the different cons that they run in order to break into the vault at the Bellagio just to get their hands on $160,000,000. 

We need to have our 'good deposit' held close in our hearts like it was in this kind of vault, knowing that evil will try every trick of the trade to distract us so that we are not paying attention, hoping to rob us blind. 

So guard up my friends! 

-bethany.