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Bible Study Freedom

Freedom: To Speak with Love

In Sunday School last week, the question came up of how to correct or confront someone in the wrong. I was reminded of this verse later on in Galatians.

Galatians 6:1 New International Version (NIV)

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

this could be a friend, a church member, a child, or a family member. Everyone has sinned. There is one way we can help other people to get right. The Bible instructs us to speak in love.

Christians will often think we are right and what we have to say is truthful, we are more than ready to give others a piece of our mind. I mean, how can they stand against the truth? But you’ve probably also learned that just speaking your mind does not encourage others to change, especially if it is spoken in a tone of defensiveness, harshness, and just downright meanness.

How do you successfully correct another by speaking in love? Paul set a great example in Galatians 2:11-21. Paul tells of a time hen he confronted the apostle Peter. Who was one of the most prominent and respected leaders in the Jerusalem Church, Paul confronting him is shows his allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ over trying to make people happy.

While Peter was in a city called Antioch he freely ate and fellow-shipped with non-Jewish Christians. However, once some Jewish Christians joined Peter in Antioch, Peter started to distance himself from the non-Jewish Christians, the Gentiles. He was afraid of what his Jewish-Christian counterparts would think of him associating with others outside of his culture. Why was this wrong? Because Peter was falling away from the truth of the gospel that grants fellowship to all those who place their faith in Christ. Peter was wrong, and Paul was not afraid to confront him on the matter. But it’s how Paul confronts Peter that we can learn a great deal from.

Paul shows Peter the errors in his actions by reminding Peter that both Jew and Gentile are saved by grace through faith. This point was the core fact that Paul wanted to get across to Peter. By falling into the thought that one needed to follow Jewish custom and culture to be saved, Peter was forfeiting the grace of Christ.

Paul was not saying, “na na na na na, I’m right and your wrong.” Which is what we want to do so m any times. He was trying to get Peter back in line with the truth of the gospel. The truth Paul was saying is the gospel of Jesus Christ, that we don’t need to earn our salvation. The love is allowing that truth to be your motive. We need to want to see our sisters not give up sin in their lives and remember the grace of God.

Paul tells us some of what he said to Peter. It reads:

Galatians 2:19-21 New International Version (NIV)

19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Paul reminds Peter of Christ and his Gospel. This should be on our hearts whenever we are in a situation where we are correcting someone about sin. Remember, they have sin and you have sin. Don’t forget the grace of God and don’t forget to love one other.

So whenever we see a sister doing this, like Paul saw Peter, we correct them, not by pointing out their weakness, but by exalting the power of Christ. It’s not just reminding them of the wrong they are now doing, but reminding them of who they are in Christ and all their potential in Him.

So instead of saying, “You are so lazy and complacent, and you will not amount to anything because you just keep making the same mistakes over and over again without learning from them,” we say, “God has given you some awesome gifts, I would love to help you serve God with them. You are free to choose better use of your time. Call me if you need help.”

Instead of saying, “You keep complaining about everything in the church, yet you keep doing the same things over and over, it will never change,” we say, “God loves you so much, He has blessed you with a mind for awesome ideas, You do not need to compromise your ideas, share them with others. God can work miracles if you are willing to trust him.”

Now I know sometimes we just want to have a “Come to Jesus” meeting, but pointing out someone’s weakness is never going to change them. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. It’s not about them agreeing with us; it’s about them agreeing with God. And I’m not saying you just throw a whole bunch of Bible verses at them. Your heart needs to be pure in the matter because people can tell if you just want to be right or if you really want to help them.

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Bible Study Freedom

Freedom: Comparison Leads to Discontent

We are still in Galatians and have started chapter two. Being free from comparison and jealousy is not only a wonderful benefit for a christian, but it is also key in living free. Comparisons are some of the nastiest arrows Satan can throw at us. When we start comparing ourselves to others, our church to other churches or our ministry to other ministries, it only creates seeds of discontentment.

Ponder your specific call on your life. This is unique to you. Others may be similar, but none is exactly like yours. When you start looking at everyone else and comparing yourself to them, you see the differences as faults. God gave you a job if you are watching everyone else, who is focusing on your job.

In Galatians chapter two, Paul continues to defend the gospel to the Galatians. Paul also defends his call to preach that gospel. Paul is reassuring the Galatians that the gospel he shared with them is true, and that this new gospel they have been presented by others is false.

Galatians 2:6-9 which says:

Galatians 2:6-9 New International Version (NIV)

As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Cephas[c and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.

Paul stats that the gospel he is preaching is the same gospel preached by those who were apostles before him. He’s letting them know he didn’t just make this up. The only difference between Paul and the apostles in Jerusalem is who they are sharing the gospel with. Peter was called to share the gospel to his fellow Jewish people while Paul was called to share the gospel with Gentiles, those who were not Jews. What I love about this is that they were OK with that. Neither Paul nor Peter tried to tell the other how to answer God’s call to preach. Paul could have easily thought, “Well, I’m Jewish so I should preach to the Jews like Peter is,” but he didn’t because he understood that although their calls were similar, there were still differences in how they were to accomplish their purposes.

Our struggle with comparison doesn’t only lie in what we are called to do, but also how we are called to do it. The temptation arises to look at someone doing what we want to do and think we are supposed to get there the same way they did. But what this thinking does is prevent us from freely walking in our calling the specific way God has called us.

It is okay to look at what others have done for ideas or suggestions. But what God has called you to do is for you. You have your own path. Don’t think that their yellow brick road is the route for you just because it worked for them. There is a certain peace and satisfaction that comes from doing what God specifically called you to do, and you can’t do that if you’re doing what someone else has been called to do.

So how can we practically stop comparing ourselves to others? Here are three ways:

  1. Seek God. He is the One who has prepared the purpose for your life. To complete your purpose in life you need to seek Him.
  2. Resist Comparison. Fight the temptation to constantly look at others and what they are doing, especially the thought that if they are doing it different then you are doing it wrong. No ma’am.
  3. Keep going. Once you are clear on what you are to do, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep doing it over and over again.
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Bible Study Freedom

Freedom: From your Past

Welcome to our Bible study series on the book of Galatians to discover how the gospel of Jesus grants us freedom. Today we will see how we can experience freedom from our past. Freedom from past hurts, mistakes, and guilt. Recently, I wrote a Bible study that is all about just that called “Battle Scars to Beauty Marks.”

I want to ask you a quick question. Have you ever sinned? Well of course you have. We all have sinned. It says so right there in the Bible.

Romans 3:23 New International Version (NIV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Satan’s favorite way to attack Christians is to remind them that they have a past. A wretched, sin-filled, fleshy part of themselves. Don’t give in to the lies that Satan tells you, that righteous looking looking lady at church that seems to have it all together, she has a past too.

You have one argument and its over. That is who I was, but God has forgiven me. Who I was does not make me who I am. God defines me. (drop the mic)

Paul’s past was pretty sinful. He did some pretty awful things to Christians before he met Jesus. When he is attacked by things from his past, he meets them head on and shows us how we can do the same. His response shows us how we can live free from our pasts, no matter how dark they may be, and freely move forward towards everything God has for us.

Galatians 1:13-24 New International Version (NIV)

13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.

21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me.

Paul who was one of the most amazing missionaries and had a pretty nasty reputation to overcome. Before he accepted Christ into his life, he was a Jewish leader didn’t believe in Jesus Christ and didn’t hesitate to hunt down and punish Christians. On the road to hunt down and kill Christians everything changed. Jesus appeared before him and showing Himself to Paul. That was it Saul was change to Paul, and a new life in Christ began. Paul turned his life around just like we did when we where saved. And just like us there were people being used by Satan to bring up the past and discredit us.

Think about it. This way could God really use someone like Paul? Can God really use someone with a past like mine or yours?

Paul talks about his past but he doesn’t dwell on it. Look at Verse 15 “But when God.” That is it. Period. Full Stop. “But When God.” His past was dark, sinful, and awful, but it didn’t end there. Verse 15 is the point when God stepped in his life and turned his past completely around. Your past does not have the chance to destroy your life when you have a verse 15 that says, “But when God.” Because if Paul was not disqualified because of his past, then neither were the Galatians, and so neither are we. But in verse 15 we see the gospel. We see that because of the saving work of Jesus Christ, our past cannot hold us slaves to the past.

Do you remember your But When God Moment?

Paul addresses his past to the Galatians. He does not try to sugar coat what happened or act like it didn’t happen at all, and we can’t either. We can’t get to verse 15 if we don’t realize the need for it in verses 13 and 14.

If you pretend your past did not happen, if you walk around acting like you’ve always been saved, if you deny what’s been done to you or by you, you are cheapening God’s grace. You are watering down God stepping in and turning that thing around or turning you around. But God will allow your past to become the testimony that propels you to a better future.

Some of us need to honestly face our pasts. We need to cry about it. We need to allow ourselves to process the pain and hurt, to open ourselves up to God’s freedom and healing. If we don’t come to terms with our pasts, we can never really come to terms with our future. If we want the truth to set us free, we have to be honest with ourselves about the good and the bad.

Paul knew his past was dark, but he also knew that God was greater than his past. We usually get this wrong on either two extremes. On one side, we act like we’re perfect, and we just ignore our past like it doesn’t affect us at all. On the other side, we admit that we have this dark past, but forget God has and can redeem us from it; we then become overwhelmed with condemnation and shame. But we need to come to terms with both our past and God’s mercy and grace that is greater. We will never be free from a past that we do not believe God can redeem. 

Many were saved because Paul was freed from his past. Do you understand that Christ wants you free so He can use you to free others? As women of God, we must face our past, face our fear, face our insecurities so they do not enslave us, and even more so we are empowered to set others free. But we will never find freedom from our past if we act like it never happened. Hear me when I say this, sister: God wants you free more than you do. So maybe tonight you need to go to your prayer corner, or closet, or car, and tell God how you really feel. Ask Him the hard questions and say the hard things. He can take it. And then allow God to cover you in His truth, because the truth will set you free. And the truth is that you are not your past; you are God’s daughter.

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Bible Study Freedom

Freedom: You are not Who Others say You are.

I will tell you up front, that I am strange, weird, geeky and nerdy. I am perfectly fine with that now. I say now because for many years my self-worth and esteem was tied to the fact that I didn’t fit in. Other peoples opinions of me were big parts of my decision-making process. Today we are going to discuss finding freedom from the opinions of others. We want to say it doesn’t matter, but be honest. We do care. That’s okay we are human. God wants us to connect with other people, so we do care what others think of us. However, the problem occurs when the opinion of others becomes more valuable to us than the opinion of God. It’s then that we give up the freedom of knowing we are secure in God. We become slaves to the opinions of others.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul addresses this same concern. In the last study, Freedom: This is my Life?, we learned that false leaders came to the Christians in Galatia and started sharing lies. Instead of preaching salvation by grace through faith, they were convincing the Galatians that this was not enough to be saved, and that the Galatians would also need to take on their Jewish customs.

Why would the Galatians believe these teachings? For one, these false leaders not only attacked the gospel Paul preached, they also attacked Paul himself. By discrediting Paul and his authority to preach the gospel. They successfully convinced the Galatians to turn from the true gospel.

They brought up Paul’s sinful past. Don’t you hate when people do that? So in the first part of Galatians chapter one, Paul defends the gospel. He reiterates the true gospel that he left them with that says they are saved by grace through faith. But in verses 11-24 Paul starts to defend himself.

You may think Paul is boasting here. Look closely, Paul is boasting of Christ not himself. In Galatians 1:10-13 he says:

Galatians 1:10-13 New International Version (NIV)

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

Look at what he says again: “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We are either servants of Christ or slaves to the opinions of others. The gospel message he received was not from man, but from Jesus Christ Himself. Paul did not hear a sermon, nor did he receive a gospel track. He got this message straight from God, not man. And because Paul is more concerned with the opinion of God than the opinion of man, he is not fazed by the false teaches trying to ruin his reputation.

Who are you trying to please?

If you’re at work and you’re bitter that your boss doesn’t give you enough credit or pat you on the back enough, who are you trying to please? If you feel you need to constantly defend yourself to other people, who are you trying to please? If you get discouraged because you don’t have as many social media likes, or comments or hearts as someone else, who are you trying to please? There is a difference between serving others because that’s what God called you to do, and working for their approval. Which one are you doing? Your answer to that question is the difference between living free in Christ and living as a slave to the opinions of others.

The opinion of these false teachers did not get Paul off focus. We cannot forget that our purpose and value come from God, not what others think of us. Paul did not need to answer these false teachers when he was called by God. In the same way, we do not need to worry about the opinion of others when it concerns doing what God has called us to do.

This is not saying do what you want and forget about everyone else. Do what God tells you and the people that are trying to tear you down, don’t have an leg to stand on. You are doing, what God has told you to do. I do believe God places those things in our lives to help guide us in our purpose. But when we start listening to others and valuing their option over God’s, that is when we become slaves to the opinions of others.We desperately need this lesson in our lives now more than ever. We live in such a time of comparison and people pleasing, so much so that we have made the thoughts of others an idol. The purpose God has called you to might be challenged like Paul’s, but when you know Who calls you, you have the freedom to boldly and unapologetically be the woman that God is calling you to be.

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Bible Study Freedom Uncategorized

Freedom: This is My Life?

A few months ago, I had cleaned the house, done all the laundry and worked hard all day. My son Jack came home from school, Daniel came home from work, and we ate supper and had a normal evening. I woke up at 3 am unable to sleep. I got up wandered through the house and saw a pile or laundry, dishes to be cleaned and messes all over the house. I was so beat that I went out onto the porch with our dog, Harley. I stood outside and just said, “Really God! This is my life?” This was so not the place I expected to be at 43. As I sat there just wallowing in my own self-pity and felling stuck in my life. God said, “Yes it is, I am getting you ready so prepare yourself.” Have you ever felt trapped or stuck in life? Have you ever felt held back and restrained from experiencing the freedom in Christ we read about in the Bible?

If you felt like I did there is something you need to know; the freedom to love, and hope, and dream, and have joy, and peace, and satisfaction is not a fairy tale. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the key our true freedom. This does not mean that you can go out and act like you don’t have good sense and expect no precautions. That’s not freedom. That’s actually just being a slave to our desires and our wretched fleshy selves. The freedom that I want us to experience and grow in is the ability to enjoy God in the purposeful life that He has planned for us. While searching for this Freedom God lead me to Galatians.

Galatians 5:13-14

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The freedom we are all desperately chasing after is here and is already ours. Jesus has already done the works of setting us free. Now it’s up to us to align ourselves with His truth and boldly claim the freedom. The book of Galatians outlines why true freedom is found in Jesus Christ, and how we can experience that freedom today.

At the first of Galatians we learn that Paul is writing this book, and we learn the context and what things were happening that led Paul to write this letter.

After Paul says hello he quickly gets straight to business. Starting with verse 6 we read:

Galatians 1:6-7

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Has anyone ever called you or caught you out somewhere, and they kinda rushed through the hellos to get to something they needed to tell you about. I can see Paul doing this here. He’s, “Hey guys this is Paul, How are ya’ll doing? Are you crazy! Ya’ll are acting like you don’t have any sense.”

He was a little nicer than that, but you understand. Paul takes no time getting to the message he needs to get to the Galatians. This message is very important, not just for them, but for all of us.

So where did the Galatians go wrong? What needed to be corrected? We clearly read they “are turning to a different gospel.” This is serious matter worthy of Paul’s angry and passion. Paul preached to these people, and they believed and were saved. However, some other people came along preaching false religion. Paul preached that we are saved not by works, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace through faith.

These men had convinced the Galatians that in order to be saved they needed to follow Jewish customs and traditions, including being circumcised We know the Galatians were already accepted by God.

One of the biggest lies that keep us shackled down and restrained it is the thought that you must earn your salvation, that you have to earn God’s love, or that you have to be a cookie cutter christian instead of the woman God made you to be. This is why I was so upset with “My Life”. In my mind I should be living a life like everyone around me. But I’m not. That is not the Story God needs me to tell.

This is one of the major reasons why Paul starts this letter off with the declaration that he is called my God and not man. Because striving to meet the standard of men will enslave you to people pleasing, insecurity, pride, and more. But when we realize we are already accepted and called by God, we are not enslaved by these things. And we then realize we are already free in Christ.

Paul does not need to ascribe to any man-made tradition to be saved and called by God; neither do the Galatians, and neither do we. You do not have to be rich. You do not have to be perfect.

The sad thing is that there are a lot of people preaching this same false gospel today that the Galatians were tempted to believe, leading people to believe they must act a certain way or do certain things in order to really be saved. But this is no gospel at all. This is not the true gospel of Jesus Christ that offers salvation to all.

So the question I want to ask you today is this: have we forgotten the gospel? Have we forgotten that we are saved by grace through faith alone? Because if we have, we have forfeited the freedom Christ offers. But I refuse to believe that the daughters of God will live as slaves.

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Bible Study Run the Race

Run the Race: Finish the Race

In most races, there are 1, 2, and 3 places. Those are the only winners. The Bible says that being a Christian is like running in a race, and in a lot of ways, it is.  But there is one BIG difference. EVERYONE who completes the race wins!  God says that He will give a special crown to ALL who finish the race.  Can you imagine that? A special crown! (I would look fabulous in a crown, FYI)

The important thing is that we finish the race, so we can get our prize.  If we follow God’s commandments like we learned in Get Ready, Get Set, we will be ready and the race will be easier to run.

2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have served the Lord faithfully.

Heaven is the finish line in God’s race. The bible says that in Heaven is where we will get our crowns for finishing the race. Do you know how to get to heaven?  The only way we can get to heaven is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the son of God and He came to earth and died on the cross to pay for our sins. The bible says the wages or payment for sin is death. But because Jesus died for us, we can still go to heaven. To go to heaven you have to believe in God and that Jesus is the son of God, confess your sins and ask God to come live in your heart. This is as easy as ABC.

The ABC’s of being saved

A – Admit


 Admit honestly to God that you have sinned and disobeyed Him.

The Bible says:

  • Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
  • Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death (everlasting punishment).”

B – Believe


 Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. His blood was shed to pay for your sins.

The Bible says:

  • 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
  • Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
  • John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

 Because Jesus loves you so much, He took the punishment for you so that you can be forgiven.

C – Choose


 Choose to trust Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins.

The Bible says:

  • Romans 10:13 “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
  • John 3:18 “He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned.” 

When you trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you, God forgives you! You become His child, and He promises you a home in heaven forever! Put your trust in Jesus as your Savior from sin. Do it today, and begin following Him by obeying His Word, the Bible.

It’s that easy you simply do these things and pray to God and ask Him to save you.

I’ve watched some men and women whose lives were totally sold out to God walk off the track in the middle of the race. They gave up or they became focused on themselves and this world and lost sight of the finish line.

The possibility is real for all of us unless we allow our hearts to be completely gripped by God . The faithfulness of my walk with God in the next year and the next decades depends on my willingness to stay current with God. In a word-to stay in relationship with Him.

I never want to lose the grip of what God’s grace and love has done in my life and the amazing privilege it is to be in relationship with Him and to serve Him. My sister and I used to say that we wanted slide into Heaven, completely worn out and exhausted, having given everything we could for Christ. The last thing I want to do is to show up at the finish line a beat down, derailed Christian. I want to break that tape with arms high and my face to the sun and say with the apostle Paul, “I have finished the course; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

So what can we do now to ensure that finish line victory? We can get back to basics: Honestly answer these seven questions:

Do I hunger after God?
Does God’s Word govern my life?
Do I grieve over sin?
How quickly do I repent when I see my wrong?
Am I sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting me?
Do I obey?
Is my faith growing?

Return to these questions regularly and ask God to help you every morning to run the race.

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Bible Study Run the Race

Run the Race: Train for the Race

We have all tried to do something and failed. Maybe you were trying to to make a wonderful dinner for your family and it burnt or tried to get a new job, but it never happened. Maybe you were trying a game on a tablet or phone and you couldn’t complete a level. Did you give up? Or did you try again harder?

Sometimes when we are running the Christian race, we are not going to do as well as we want or we may even fall down.  If we fall down, what should we do? Should we cry? NO! Should we quit? NO! Then what should we do? We should get UP and start all over again. Losing is not the falling down it is the staying down.

Runners and athletes train daily for the Olympics or a race as Christian we have to train too by pray, bible study and walking a christian walk.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Jesus says that when we run the Christian race, things aren’t always going to go the way we want them to go. Sometimes we are going to have to do things we don’t want to do. Remember, Jesus said if we love Him, keep His commandments.

If we are angry and crying, can we do well running a race?  No! We would need to stop and blow our noses and wipe away our tears. While we are doing that, others will pass us up and we might miss an important turn and never finish the race!!! Let’s always try to keep the right attitude and show Jesus that we love Him when we run the Christian race.

Olympians train everyday to compete in the Olympics. As children of God, we need to train daily for the Christian race. We train by prayer, Bible study and doing what’s right.

We also go to Church so we can learn how to run God’s race, from our teachers and preachers. Coaches teach athletes how to be the best at their sport. That is what teachers and preachers do for us Christians.

Training can be hard sometimes. For athletes, it may be hard because of an injury or because they may not have the time they need to give to training. For Christians, training can be hard because Satan is always trying to keep us from training. So sometimes it can be hard to get up and come to church on Sunday or it may be hard to remember to pray every day. We have to try our hardest not to let these things happen. We have to remember that training will help us win and make the race easier.

I bet some of you already train for God’s race. You are all on your way to being champions.

Start your training now. Decide to designate time each day to train through prayer and Bible study and if you don’t have a coach, find a local church to help you find one.

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Bible Study Run the Race

Run the Race: Let your Light Shine as You Run

The Olympic races are always started with the torch bearer, who runs with the torch and lights the fire so all can see.

Jesus says we shouldn’t hide our light. If we hide our light, will others see? Will they want to be Christians too?

As Christians, we are to be torch bearers for Jesus. One of the things we must do when we run our race is carry our light. In Get Ready, Get Set, We talked about getting ready by knowing and following the rules. Jesus says that it isn’t just important to carry our lights. He says when we run, we are to let our lights shine so others can see.

By letting our lights shine, Jesus doesn’t mean we are to carry actual lamp. He means that we should do good things so other people will want to be Christians too.

A bad attitude can cause your world to be dark and you to lose sight of your goal.

A good attitude helps keep you light bright and can keep you going when times get rough.

We all try to teach our children to be positive and have a good attitude, but how many times do we live that lesson. I had a preacher once that would say, “Your attitude effects your altitude.” Not that your attitude will keep you out of Heaven, but it can effect your closeness to God.

How can you change your attitude to shine your light?

No complaining. In the Bible, God’s people, the Israelites were wondering in the wilderness. No matter how much God did for them, the children of Israel complained constantly. They were focused on what they wanted NOW and not on what they needed for the future. After all that God had done for them, they said they would rather be slaves again in Egypt!! ! Complaining caused them to lose sight of their goal: the Promised Land.

No blaming others. Adam and Eve were told by God to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They chose to follow Satan and eat what God said not to eat. When God questioned them, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. They refused to take responsibility for their own actions, and as a result, they lost their reward: living in the garden with God. Denying responsibility causes us to not fix what is wrong and can keep us from finishing our race and receiving our reward.

No shortcuts. Jehoiakim was one of the later kings of Israel. He tried to take a short cut. He cut part of God’s rules of the scrolls and burned them in the fire. Imagine his surprise when Jeremiah wrote God’s words again! We can’t just ignore the parts of God’s word that we don’t like.

No pouting. Jonah wanted to be the judge over Nineveh. When he disagreed with God’s call, he pouted over Nineveh’s repentance.

No excuses. Moses was a man of many excuses. He didn’t want to start the task God had given to him to do. What Moses was supposed to do? How did God respond to each of Moses’ excuses? He was told God would help him. Does God accept excuses today?

No quitting. Daniel prayed to God and served God everyday even though the king told him not to. He didn’t quit even when he was thrown in the lion’s den. Because he was faithful and did not give up, God was with him in the lion’s den and he wasn’t hurt.

Matthew 5:16

16. You should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

In the Bible, Jesus tells us something very important about ourselves.

Mark 4:21-23

21 Then Jesus said to them, “You don’t take a lamp and hide it under a bowl or a bed, do you? Of course not. You put it on a lamp stand. 22 Everything that is hidden will be made clear. Every secret thing will be made known. 23 You people who hear me, listen! This is God’s Word. He wrote it, so we know everything in it is true.

Stop hiding your light, God made you to shine!

Categories
Bible Study Run the Race

Run the Race: Get Ready, Get Set

The apostle Paul said that the Christian life is like running in a race. Through this study, we will learn what the Christian race is and who is to run in it. We will also discuss how to prepare, how to run, what happens if you fall down, and what happens when you win.

Every game has people who:

Set the rules

Compete in the game

Judge the competition

Give the prize

Who does these in the Christian race? [God does everything but compete and we compete]

You have to know what the rules are and how to play a game or run a race. If you don’t start, how can you win it? You must be prepared for when the race starts.

What would happen if you had a race and no one knew the rules? No one knew where to start or finish or which road to take. What would happen if the rules were in a different language and you did not understand the rules?

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:5 An athlete does not win unless he competes according to the rules.

Life is the race and God has set the rules for us to follow, and we find those rules in the Bible. Not knowing the rules is no excuse. We need to study God’s word to learn His rules for us. 2 Timothy 3:17 says Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.

God’s rules are all through the bible. We can find a few in Matthew.

Matthew 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

The first thing Jesus says is ‘Love the Lord your God.’ Love is interesting because the Greeks have six different words for love while we just have the one. Here Jesus uses agape. Agape is defined as God’s love for man and man’s love for God. This is a sacrificial love that expects nothing in return. This means we willingly and cheerfully sacrifice time, money, talents and anything else for God.

The next bit is even more “with all your heart.” The Greek word is Kardia. This is defined as the organ in the body, but also, the center of one’s physical and spiritual life. The center of our lives. So we are to turn over our loves, our desires, our hopes, our dreams and our passions to God. Woah! That is the whole shebang. Yes, it is.

“With all your soul.” Soul in Greek is Psuche. It means the breath of life or the vital force that animates our bodies. Your soul is the part of you that will live forever. FOREVER! This means that you love God with that piece if you that Jesus saved and will live forever. Loving God with all your soul requires you feed your soul regularly and think of the eternal benefits before the physical.

“With all your mind.” This is the last way that Jesus says to love God. Mind is Greek is Dianoia. This is the faculty of understanding, feeling and thinking. So read this way we need to start Loving God with a sacrificial love in every aspect of our life. We need to love him everywhere at all times with everything inside of us no matter what our situation is.

We are not done yet Jesus is still talking. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ This one is pretty easy to understand, but hard to do. Love here is agape just as before sacrificial love. So we are to sacrificially love everyone as you love yourself. Agape love is not linked to any emotions. It is linked to actions.

Memory Verse

John 14:15

15.If you love me, you will do what I command.

Now we need to get ready for our race. What do you need to do to run in a race? You need to put on your running shoes and line up on the starting line to be ready for the “GO!” signal, don’t you?

Jesus told a story about ten women who were preparing for a special “race”. Each woman needed to have a lamp lit, when the groom showed up to go into the wedding party. They didn’t know when the groom would come.

We don’t know exactly when the “GO!” signal will be given, but we must be ready! In the story, 5 women brought extra oil for their lamp and 5 women did not. Jesus says that five of the women were wise, and five were foolish.

The women who ran out of oil for their lamps, could not turn on their lights. They had to go to the store to buy oil. While they were gone, the groom showed up and they were not there. They were not on the starting line! When they returned, the others had already started the party and the doors were shut. They were not allowed in. How sad they must have been to have waited all that time, but because they weren’t prepared, they didn’t get to go to the party!

For the Christian race, Jesus says we are to put Him on, much like we put our shoes on, to prepare to run. We need to be like the five wise women and be prepared to run Jesus’ special race! You put on Jesus by following his commandments and what He tells you to do.

Categories
Bible Study Tongue

Zip it, Lock it, Put it in Your Pocket

Saying that my son, Jack, is a talker is a huge understatement. He has this overwhelming urge to day everything he thinks of when he thinks it. It doesn’t matter if it offends or hurts feelings. He needs to say it, so it gets said. When he was about 2 or 3, we started telling him to, “zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket.” which meant zip your lips, lock the zipper and stick the key in your pocket. As Christians, There are many times when we need to be reminded to zip it, lock and put it in your pocket.

James 3:3-6

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Zipping it

James describes the tongue as being like a bit in the mouths of horses or the rudder on a boat. Such a small part, but so vital in the directional control of the horse or ship. Such a small organ can completely change your life and the lives of others depending on the direction it is turning.

He also compares it to a spark that creates a forest fire. I have seen this many times in my life. As you have, I am sure. When one person’s negative comments turns a crowd of people against someone. On the other hand, I have seen one person on fire for God incite a revival, when they allowed God to speak through them. Consider Psalm 19:14.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Locking it

When someone asked you to keep something secret, are you trustworthy? I am always slow to trust new people with personal information. Trust is something that is earned and once it is lost, can be hard to get back. God’s word says it best.

Proverbs 11:13

13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
    but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

Proverbs 21:23

23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    keeps himself out of trouble.

Proverbs 20:19

19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets;
    therefore do not associate with a simple babbler

Prove yourself trustworthy and keep the secrets of those who trust you enough to share them with you.

Put it in your pocket (Memorize a few scriptures to keep in your pocket when Satan temps you)

Job 4:4

Your words have supported those who stumbled;
   you have strengthened faltering knees.– Can your friends say this of you.

Proverbs 12:18

18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 15:1

15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 16:24

24
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Ephesians 4:29

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

These are a few to start you off there are so many more. If you have found a verse, you use to help you keep that mouth locked, share it in the comments section.

Challenge Yourself

Change doesn’t happen without God or overnight. Be patient with yourself. Prayerfully depend on God and His grace.

Choose a scripture you would like to see demonstrated in your life. Write it on a card-memorize the verse-pray for it to be manifested in your life.