A former Speech and Language Pathologist for nearly 20 years, I began educating our 3 children full-time in 2015 and have cherished every gifted moment (even the challenges). But what is interwoven into all aspects of daily life (as a wife, via motherhood, teaching, friendship, fitness, etc.) is Christian Apologetics (1 Peter 3:15)… which is why this blog exists.
Have you ever uttered this honest prayer to God? I have. Today, as a matter of fact! It was immediately following that vulnerable plea that God’s Word came to remembrance and prodded my heart to trust…
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight
Proverbs 3:5-6
Sister, whatever is in front of you today…whatever your “this” might be…bear in mind that “difficult” doesn’t necessarily equate with “wrong.” So very often we make the mistake of interpreting rightness and wrongness solely through the lens of emotion. If something feels right than it must be good…Or if it hurts and causes hardship, it is interpreted as wrong. However, trusting God in and through every circumstance does not depend upon your feelings. Nor is it remedied by personality tests and pragmatism (“whatever works”). Instead, trusting God is a step of obedience. Trust is submitting every worry to into His hands (prayer), and finding rest in His Words (the Bible). Dependency upon Jesus is just as necessary in the seemingly mundane moments of the day as it is in the “monumental.” Learning to trust Him in every aspect of life is essential…especially in the trials.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
Friend, being “enough” is not dependent upon you. That’s why Jesus came. That was the purpose of the Cross. The Gospel was God’s rescue plan for you and for me…from sin, shame, and self-reliance. Jesus lovingly bore the source of our brokenness (sin) upon those wooden beams as to free us and to heal us. He made a way to God that only He could make. The Gospel is a gift that provides hope when the “hard” comes our way each day. It’s important that we lean into prayer readily and read His Words (Scripture) often. The wisdom and strength that Jesus promises to provide will guide and sustain you through every situation. Remember, He is both with you, …and is enough for you. So thankful for the Gospel!
In His Love, Mer
Who is Jesus?
6 minutes
12 minutes
What is the Gospel?
7 minutes
Resurrection Evidence
< 60 minutes
Our Need for the Gospel
20 minutes
Trust the Bible
< 60 minutes
11 minutes
Scripture Says
Psalm 109:21-22
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Colossians 4:2 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Romans 8:6 “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Ephesians 6:10-20 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
John 20:28 “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ (Jesus)”
John 15:5 “…apart from Me, you can do nothing.”
Psalm 16:1-2 “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.”
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control;”
Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You.”
Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Philippians 4:19-20 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever.”
Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Psalm 40:4 “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!”
Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”
Psalm 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”
Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
2 Timothy 2:7 “the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
Acts 17:11 “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
Romans 10:9 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”
John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the Truth; your Word is Truth.”
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Inspired by God, Peter wrote this letter sometime between A.D. 60 and 65. The “Purpose of Writing” per (GotQuestions): 1 Peter is a letter from Peter to the believers who had been dispersed throughout the ancient world and were under intense persecution. If anyone understood persecution, it was Peter. He was beaten, threatened, punished, and jailed for preaching the Word of God. He knew what it took to endure without bitterness, without losing hope and in great faith living an obedient, victorious life. This knowledge of living hope in Jesus was the message, and Christ’s example was the one to follow.
“Salvation is not God’s response to man’s desire or man’s request….it was of His own design.”
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
3-4
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,11 inquiring what person or time[a]the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[b] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
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22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;24 for
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
“Morning and Evening Devotional” by Charles Spurgeonwith Psalm 55
Morning – Day 147 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.”
Care, even though exercised upon legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into his place to do for him that which he has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy He will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if he were unable or unwilling to take it for us. Now this disobedience to his plain precept, this unbelief in his Word, this presumption in intruding upon His province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God’s hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the “broken cistern” instead of to the “fountain;” a sin which was laid against Israel of old. Anxiety makes us doubt God’s lovingkindness, and thus our love to him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from him; but if through simple faith in his promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon him, and are “careful for nothing” because He undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to Him, and strengthen us against much temptation. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”
Cast Your Burden on the Lord
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil[a] of David.
55 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! 2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, 3 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. 6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; 7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah 8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city. 10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; 11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. 14 We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng. 15 Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
16 But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. 18 He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. 19 God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah because they do not change and do not fear God.
20 My companion[b]stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. 21 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 11:19
1 Peter 3:15
Our children are growing-up in the midst of a post-postmodern world… Where “Your truth is yours,” and “My truth is mine.” It’s a “You do you” culture in which emotions lead the way, personal preferences define what is relevant, and where “You are enough” is the (Gnostic-like) prescription for every burdened heart. But you and I know the Truth… and it isn’t a preference, an opinion, or an emotion…He is a Person. (John 14:6)
“Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us.”
Elisabeth Elliot
As parents, it’s essential that we acknowledge our need for the Gospel (Gal 2:20). Despite what the culture tells us, we need to remember that we are far from enough. Gals, that’s why Jesus came! (Romans 5:8) He was and is enough FOR us! Yielding to the sufficiency of Jesus is paramount as a mama. Our children don’t ask us to be strong…We put that expectation upon ourselves. What we perceive as loving: “being strong for our children,” could actually hinder them from knowing true strength. What our children desperately need isn’t our perfect performance, but to witness Jesus’s strength instead. We are not their savior…Jesus is. They genuinely need to observe God’s Grace carrying us humbly through the trials of life, day-in and day-out (Eph 4-5)… forgiving, praying, correcting, and repenting.
“Our children need to that ‘God’s got this!’”
Friends, let’s keep shedding that old self-reliance and open His Word daily! Mama’s, Jesus is enough…and our children need to see that! Love, Meridith
What is the Gospel?
< 7 minutes
Scriptures about Parenting and Discipleship
Proverbs 22:26 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
2 Timothy 3:15 “And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Colossians 1:4-9 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks[d] to the Father, who has qualified you[e] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Deuteronomy 6:20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’”
Matthew 4:4 “But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”” John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”
Matthew 22:42 “saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”” Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
James 4:7-10, 14-17 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Deuteronomy 4:9-10 ““Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children— how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’”
Romans 13:1-14 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience…”
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Hebrews 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 5:15-21 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lordreproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”
Psalm 23:1-6 “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows…”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
1 Timothy 5:3-4 “Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”
Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Colossians 3:6 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Colossians 3:5-11 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Colossians 3:12-16 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:18-21 “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
1 Timothy 3:1-5 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Hebrews 12:5 “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him.”
Hebrews 12:7 “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Matthew 19:13-14 “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Ephesians 6:2-3 ““Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
1 Peter 5:5-6 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”
Revelation 1:1-20 “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood …”
1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Colossians 3:20-21 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
Psalm 78:4 “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
Psalm 127:3-5 “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”
1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”
Proverbs 29
He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. 2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. 3 He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. 4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts[a] tears it down. 5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. 6 An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices. 7 A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge. 8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath. 9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet. 10 Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.[b] 11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. 12 If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. 13 The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both. 14 If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever. 15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. 17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. 18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,[c] but blessed is he who keeps the law. 19 By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond. 20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 21 Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir.[d] 22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression. 23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. 24 The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing. 25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. 26 Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lordthat a man gets justice. 27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.
Friends, isn’t it amazing how much God parents us as we attempt to parent our children?! The past several months, my heart has been “downloading” a great deal about how much God teaches me through the words of my children. Do you know what I’m saying, Gals?
One recent example, was noticing how frequently one of my sons would often start a complaint with, “I wish…” And all I could ponder was, “Did I do that too?” Sure enough. Only hours later my ears were hearing the same words exiting my mouth as I drove our car to the grocery. Ladies, I wasn’t aware of how often I too would say, “I wish.”
“I wish I had remembered to___” or,
“I wish I could find my keys,”
“I wish we had a ___ at our home…”
I could go on, but you get the point…
This was eye-opening, as well as convicting! God was lovingly helping me realize my ever-present need for Him, and how my heart was pursuing self-reliance over the Peace and security of the cross. Ladies, for if I truly believed with my whole heart that “every good gift came from above“ (James 1:17) and that God is Sovereign over every detail (Matthew 6) then why would I wish, worry, and complain about anything in my day? Now, to clarify… this isn’t referring to an issue of needed advocacy…like speaking-up for the safety and dignity of another. The complaints for which I am speaking are connected to the circumstances we face moment by moment, in a 24- hour period of time.
Friends, to get to the point and thus put it bluntly, “Wishes truly are a waste of time.” They do nothing but foster an atmosphere of grumbling, and often lead down a path silent despair. They steal time, not to mention poke holes in our buckets of joy.
But Prayer… Prayer is productive! Not in the sense that we treat God as our Genie in a Bottle, but instead that our hearts and perspectives could conform to His. The most beautiful moment is not when we get what we want, but when we truly realize the Giver was enough in the first place.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Gals, rather than wishing upon a penny in the perverbial fountain today, take a needed breath and pray. Take heed to Elisabeth Elliot’s wise plea and, “Leave it all in the Hands that were wounded for you.” Give the cares and concerns of your heart to the one who came to be Enough on your behalf. (Matthew 11:28; Gal 2:20) 🙏🏼 -Mer
God’s Sovereignty
40 minutes w/ Trinity Radio
32 minutes w/ Elisabeth Elliot
10 minutes w/ Alisa Childers and Melissa Dougherty. The Law of Attraction and New Thought
“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Titus 1:9
5 minutes of Richard Rohr, discussing his book, “Universal Christ.”
“The whole Enneagram diagram is called ‘the face of God.’ If you could look out at reality with nine pairs of eyes and honor all of them, you would look at reality through the eyes of God.” 🚩
Richard Rohr, “The Enneagram (part 1)” May 26, 2014; Rohr’s Daily Meditations
Ladies, if you know of someone who is immersed in the Enneagram, there is a strong possibility that he or she has heard of Richard Rohr. Rohr is a popular Enneagram proponent, whose viewpoints regarding both Jesus and the biblical Gospel raise blatant red flags! 🚩 This post is not about Mr. Rohr, but instead brings to light some serious claims he has made…which need to be examined. (Acts 17:11; 1 Jn 4:1)
A self-professed Panentheist, Richard Rohr advocates the following unbiblical viewpoints regarding Jesus and the Biblical Gospel…
Rohr claims that Jesus and the Christ are two different/separate beings.🚩
Rohr advocates that You and I are Christ. Rohr reports that we are actually the Christ. He teaches that sin blinds us to this purposed reality, and that we just need to be conscious of this. Per New Age beliefs, this is dependent upon a works-based path of spiritual maturity; The concepts being taught by Richard Rohr mimic Brahman more than Christianity.🚩
Rohr claims the Christian perspective of God is “pagan.” He accuses Christians of making God into a Zeus-like character…all the while “forcing Jesus up on the throne.” (Source)
Rohr instructs that the “True Self” is the Divine Self or the part of us that has NEVER been separated from God. This lends itself to what the New Age calls Christ Consciousness. Richard Rohr uses the phrases, “The Cosmic Christ” or “The Universal Christ” instead.🚩
Rohr refers to the Trinity as a verb…not a noun. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the concept of consciousness and love lived out in relationships…this happens only in community (here).
“Salvation is a social notion” not for the individual alone. (Source) This is affirms by his other statements that “the Trinity is a verb.”
Love is viewed as consciousness , and sin is described as “unconsciousness.”
The claims above are not only contrary to the biblical Gospel but also present a false view of Jesus’s identity. Jesus was not a created being, born with the purpose of showing us the way to enlightenment. Jesus is the 2nd Person of the Trinity. The Son of God! He is Lord! This is extremely important to understand! To say otherwise is heartbreaking, not to mention incredibly dangerous!
60 minutes…Rohr’s own words
During a 2017 interview conducted by Progressive Pastor Brandon Robertson, Friar Rohr proclaims his view that Jesus is a product of creation. Here is a direct quote:
“We can’t deny that God has already revealed in Franciscan spirituality the first Incarnation is creation…the Big Bang. In fact, that’s the feminine Incarnation…the embodiment. The second Incarnation is two thousand years ago, but all got interested in was the second Incarnation: Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus. You know, I love Jesus, but you’ve got to realize – Jesus came out of creation.”
Richard Rohr, Interview with Brandon Robertson; 2017 (42:12-42:29)
Beginning around the 44:00 minute mark, Rohr literally jokes that “the sin that took place between Tigris and the Euphrates by one man and one woman [which] got God all upset,” is “not a believable enough storyline.” At the 45-minute point in the interview Rohr expands upon this theme of a “storyline” by saying that what the Christian church is not grabbing the “psyche,” and that if what we call Good News really is Good News, that “it’s got to grab the soul.”
Friar Rohr would rather focus upon temperaments, consciousness, and Gurdjieff’s Law of 3 (what began the Enneagram around 1900) rather than following or adhering to God’s Word. Friends, please watch this interview for yourselves and correct me if I am interpreting his message incorrectly. The predominant theme Rohr appears to be sharing in this interview is that the Bible isn’t pertinent unless it moves someone emotionally. And the way to be saved is by being in community, not by submitting our lives to risen Jesus.
What is especially heartbreaking about Mr. Rohr’s influence is that he often quotes scripture in one breath, all the while demeaning Christians for trusting in it (the Bible) in the next. Per Rohr’s statements from 41:00 to 55:00 minutes, when we live our lives according to the Scriptures, we become “heady” people without loving lives. Yes…when we act in our own strength, our actions can be harmful! But by no means do we blame the Bible for our not adhering to its teaching!
53 minutes with Richard Rohr and Brandon Roberston
According to former New Age teacher now Christian, Steven Bancarz, we also need to watch for Fallacies of Equivocation when reading Richard Rohr’s book, “The Universal Christ.” What is a Fallacy of Equivocation? According to Answers in Genesis, these deceptive practices involve shifting “from one meaning of a word to another within an argument.” For example, a Fallacy of Equivocation utilized by Rohr would be defining Christ as the physical light of the world (i.e. found in rocks, etc). This is also termed a “Bait and Switch tactic.” Twisting scripture as to advance a false gospel happens more often than we realize… Which is why we should always be testing what we hear and read alongside God’s Word. (1 John 4:2; 1 Cor 11)
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims *another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a *different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4
To reiterate, this post is not about Richard Rohr as a person…but is instead highlighting his published viewpoints on the Christian Gospel. Viewpoints which need to be tested and challenged Biblically. It’s my prayer that these evidences would promote increased prayer for the Church, not to mention more interest in who might be disciplining many brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible encourages us to test every spirit (1 John 4:1), cling to the True Gospel of Jesus (Galatians 1; Col 2:8), and to demolish every argument that sets itself against the knowledge of Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Friends, let’s pray for Richard Rohr as well as for our churches. Let’s keep digging into God’s Word and walking-out reliance upon Jesus in Gospel-focused community.
His,
Meridith
Notable Resources
5 minutes. Richard Rohr discusses his version of the Trinity.
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [that is, Christ]: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Jesus is Lord. Why then are we often slow to treat Him as such? His Lordship is not going to change. We should (and need to) worship Him for Who He is not for whom we want Him to be. Our culture promotes a god or “a Jesus” of their own making… one that fits their individual desires and perspectives. In this post-postmodern culture, emotions are put upon the throne of human hearts, and “truth” becomes merely a personal preference. Our hope is built upon the arrogant sand of self-betterment, and our rest found in the entertainment of self-affirmation. Believe me… this gal is well-acquainted with the trappings of the “old self.” My own arrogance is a testimony of why Jesus came. My need for the Gospel…Christ and Him crucified, is a daily reality (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“The heart of genuine worship is the working out in every aspect of our lives the confession ‘Jesus is Lord.’”
DA Carson
We are also in an age that twists God’s Words into a false gospel that tickles ears and harms souls (omitting sin and our need for the cross). Friends, the Bible on it’s own doesn’t save us, but it boldly points to the only one who can. We need Him desperately…so why would we look to any other source about Him?
But no matter what…
Jesus is God. He has always been God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) Therefore, let’s follow Him. He does not change to fit someone’s interpretation, so let’s rely upon His Word. Worship Him despite what your emotions say. Worship Him in the midst of a darkened season. Gals, worship Him because He is Worthy.
His,
Meridith
Jesus is Lord according to Scripture
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
John 10:33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (Leviticus 24)
John 1:51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
1 Corinthians 8:6 “yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
Matthew 9:6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
Matthew 26:64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Daniel 7:13-14 saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Matthew 12:32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Luke 12:8 And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,
Matthew 13:37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.”
Matthew 8:2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
Matthew 8:25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
Matthew 15:25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
John 20:28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Acts 2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 10:36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Luke 6:5 And He said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Jude 1:4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Revelation 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
Luke 19:31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
John 13:13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” 👈🏼 1 Peter 2:3 “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
Isaiah 8:13 But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
Acts 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Titus 2:13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Peter 1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,…To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 19:10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The Gospel
20 minutes
10 minutes w/ Alan from STR. Is Jesus the only way to God?
What about those who never hear? 5 minutes
Who is Jesus?
6 minutes
45 minutes
The Trinity
12 minutes w/ Nabeel Qureshi
36m w/ Wes Huff
Dr. James White, author of The Forgotten Trinity, defines the Trinity in this way: “Within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
“Pragmatism, a philosophy developed by Charles Sanders Pierce in 1870, champions the premise that truth is proved by whether or not the idea in question works. Basically, if something works and is found useful to you…then it’s true. It advocates a way to find meaning apart from God’s Word, and relies upon the material world for guidance.
Spurgeon puts it this way, ‘Whatever a man depends upon, whatever rules his mind, whatever governs his affections, whatever is the chief object of his delight, is his god.’ When we place our reliance upon anything or anyone, we give it or them authority! And to what or whom we assign authority, we obey! Simply put, friends, Pragmatism is misplaced trust and authority. And that is certainly a concern for all of us!”
Pragmatism has always been a struggle for humanity. The mission statement of our former life was often a Pragmatic one. Doing “whatever works” frequently advocates the easy road. It’s tangible, seemingly controllable, and most often- immediate. Choosing “whatever works” provides our impatient hearts with the appearance of helpfulness, and the impression of practicality. We make the common mistake of equating “helpful” as “good,” and then our emotions lead the way. In these post-postmodern times, both the admonition to “You do you,” and the attitude that anything goes only amplifies the “broad way” of pragmatism. After all, How could something be wrong if it is helping me? But at the end of the day, doing “whatever works” in the pursuit of truth makes us evermore burdened, and exceedingly weary… All because we chose to do what resembled easy, versus what is best: being devoted to prayer, and reading His Word. (Col 4:2; 3:26)
But when it comes to Truth, it is neither defendant upon an emotion nor guided by human reasoning. Instead, Truth is a Person. (John 14:6). Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. No one gets to the Father except through Him. When Jesus was lovingly describing to His disciples what was to happen to Him, Peter “rebuked” Jesus and pleaded for another way. Peter was examining Jesus’s plan through Peter’s own lens of human understanding, and did not find it immediately helpful (it seems):
“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””
Matthew 16:21-23
How often do we do the same as Peter: setting our minds upon the things of man instead of things of God (reading His Word)? Truth put on human skin, was crucified upon a cross, and then rose again three days later. That plan did not appear pragmatic to Peter beforehand, perhaps (Matthew 16)…but it was the work Jesus came to accomplish. As Spurgeon once encouraged, “When you cannot trace His hand, trust His heart.” The work that Jesus performed on the cross was necessary. It was planned out of His love and is complete in every way. A quote that hits to the heart of spiritual pragmatism is this one by Dr. Michael Rydelnik:
Faith in Christ is not true because it works, rather faith in Christ works because it’s True.
Rydelnik
Gals, we are witnessing Spiritual Pragmatism all around us today…even in our homes as well as within many of our churches. But no matter where you find yourself right now- take a breath and pray. No question is too lofty, no sorrow is too deep, and no past is beyond His Grace. Instead of relying upon “whatever works” and appears helpful, lean into God’s sovereignty and pray. Dig into Scripture daily. And make sure you dive into Gospel-driven community often (Hebrews 10:25). Sister, Jesus is sufficient for every need you have today…and His way is always best. Keep trusting!
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”
John 15:5 “…for apart from Me (Jesus), you can do nothing.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction”
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Matthew 16:23 “But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Matthew 7:13-14 ““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 6:25-33 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Psalm 92:5 “How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!”
Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Psalm 9:16 “The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.”
James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the workof theLord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Colossians 1:10 “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”
Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”
James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Inspired by God, scholars point to the Prophet Samuel as the possible writer. “Penned” between 1011 and 931 B.C., this historical account of Boaz’s and Ruth’s marriage points beautifully to the sovereignty of God and His Redemptive plan (the Gospel).
The Old Testament is incredibly important! It’s in these historical pages that God points to His rescue plan. Stephen (Acts 7), the Bereans (Acts 17), and Paul (1 Corinthians 15) reference the Old Testament Scriptures as evidence for Jesus as the Messiah. Stephen, although doing so with respect… his face “appearing as the face of an angel,” was stoned by members of a synagogue in Jerusalem. This is a heartbreaking reminder that the message of Christ and Him Crucified will not be received by many…No matter how gentle and kind you are in the delivery. In addition to Stephen, the Bereans were a Jewish people who gave us the example of looking to the Scriptures (the Old Testament only at that time) before believing any message readily. They made sure to examine Paul’s preaching against God’s Word first, prior to accepting it. We need to view the entire Bible as God’s Word, testing EVERY sermon and podcast, etc against it…and should dwell in it’s often.
The words you will be reading are “Living and Active…able to divide the soul and the Spirit” (Hebrews 4:12). Let God do a work in your heart and mind as you read the historical account of Ruth and Boaz (King David’s Great-Grandparents). God’s loving intentionality is presented throughout all 4 chapters. His, Mer
Matthew 1:1,5-6 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…And Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,…
5 minutes
55 minutes with Voddie Baucham, Ruth 1
45 minutes Ruth Part 2
Ruth Chapter 1
(Bolded words and/or phrases contain links embedded, connecting to historical information pertaining to those events) 🔗
Naomi Widowed
In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
Naomi and Ruth Return
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?”20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;[a] call me Mara,[b] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
2 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”[a]
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah[b] of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Footnotes
Ruth 2:7 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
Ruth 2:17 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
Chapter 3
Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor
3 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” 5 And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings[a] over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.13 Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her,17 saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” 18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”
Footnotes
Ruth 3:9 Compare 2:12; the word for wings can also mean corners of a garment
Chapter 4
Boaz Redeems Ruth
4 Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you[a] will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5 Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth[b] the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. 8 So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10 Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
Ruth and Boaz Marry
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The Genealogy of David
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab,20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
“And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
After eight years of our family moving for my husband’s job, (North Carolina, Virginia, Minnesota, Kentucky, and southern Indiana) God has recently brought us back to Steve’s childhood home in central Indiana. To say that we are thrilled to be near cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles is truly an understatement! The five of us have been so very tired… packing and unpacking. New churches. New friends. New homes and new doctors. Oh, and I won’t leave out the adventure of obtaining new driver’s id’s with my kiddos in-tow. Whew! It has certainly stretched our hearts and fatigued our wearied bodies… but with God’s plans come His faithful provision. Even though our dinner tables, and the faces around them, have changed often, …God’s Word has been a constant. No matter where He has led us His Word has guided, the Scripture has corrected, and His voice has comforted. God’s Word has genuinely sustained us through the daily trials of life as well through every move we’ve traversed. 🧳
Gals, we are facing a difficult season together as a “big C Church.” We are in a Post-Postmodern time…a period of history that resembles a mulligan stew of Premodernism, Modernism, and Postmodernism. All topped-off with dollop of Emotionalism, and served up via Pragmatism. It’s a self-promoting meal where “your truth is your truth, and my truth is mine.” The messages that inundate us daily… no matter where we go, passionately implore you and I to…
We are thrown breadcrumbs from the pulpit… Snippets of God’s Word, drowned-out by smoke machines and replaced by the power of positive thinking. “If you buy our books you’ll have all you need for a successful walk with God.” “If you take this test, you will fix all of your brokenness and find your ‘way back.’” We are being mentored and discipled by podcasts, New York Best Sellers, and mega church pastors. Often choosing Pragmatism (“whatever works”) over the authority of Scripture,…anything that excites an emotion or pleases the culture. (James 4:4; John 17) The wayward heart within all of us is being targeted by the “ear-tickling” messages of “finding your best life” and “getting all you that can now.” When what we all desperately need most is to remember the Gospel (What is the Gospel? Click here).
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:2
Ladies, Satan is well-versed regarding scripture. This is extremely important to understand! For quoting the Bible doesn’t necessarily equate to correctness, nor to worshipping God. One profound example out of the pages of Biblical history was when Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. After the fast, Jesus was hungry… Satan then approached Him and arrogantly questioned Jesus’s identity as God’s own Son. (?!) Satan continued to tempt Jesus… How?? By quoting scripture. He spoke words you and I would read in the Bible and hear at church. But Satan’s motives were to utilize those verses in ways that would benefit his own agenda (ie “cherry-picking”)… and he perpetuates this scheme still, today.
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
2 Corinthians 11:13-14
The Father of Lies takes what is Biblical and twists it. His irreverence is intentional and his deception, crafty. One of his the most salient schemes is placing the focus upon ourselves, instead of upon God. Satan wants us out of God’s Word, off of our knees, and isolated…out of community and obsessed with “Self.” Nevertheless, despite his continuing efforts to alter our understanding of Truth, He can’t change Truth. God’s one and only Son is Truth. (John 14:6) And God’s Word is Truth. For this reason, we need to test the spirits by measuring every teaching, every podcast, and every programming (i.e. Personality tools) against God’s Word alone. We shouldn’t rely solely upon a teaching we hear from a stage or a podcast, but should get into the Word for ourselves, and pray for God to lead. If a tool is helpful but is unbiblical, then pragmatism will guide you down a hurtful path… But if helpful and Biblical, then you are seeing God’s work in and through you. He gets the glory… not you, not a technique, nor your pastor. Gals, the Gospel does not promote a theology in which Jesus adds to your life, but instead emphasizes the cross…and how He came to be your Life. The Gospel reminds us of our utter depravity (our not enough-ness) and our authentic need for a Savior. (Gal220)
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Pray! We need to pray! Gals, our flesh (old sin nature, not our bodies) will always be at war with the Spirit… Therefore, as Charles Spurgeon once wisely encouraged, “Since you are tempted without ceasing, then pray without ceasing.” We need to prayerfully discern who’s voice is guiding us! The voice of culture? The voice of practicality? The voice of worldly comfort and self-reliance? In a world where there are many voices, we need the help of God’s Word to test every message carefully. God’s Word is a precious gift to us… so we need to be reading it as often as possible. To illustrate the necessity of God’s Word in our lives, the following video resources are provided. Each of these videos display characteristics of today’s society which are genuinely heartbreaking… Shouting to us all (the Church) to wake-up and submit to the authority of Scripture. So let’skeep leaning into His Grace (prayer), digging into His Words, and daily reminding ourselves of the Gospel…in community. Jesus is enough, and His Word is sufficient! Sister… God’s got you! ♥️
16 minutes w/ Melissa. A sobering message delivered via satire regarding how we approach the identity of Jesus today.
>60 minutes – a powerful message shared by Voddie. One worth watching/listening to more than once.
Postmodernism
The Trinity w/ J Warner Wallace – 28 minutes
What is your Gospel? 5 minutes w/ Melissa Dougherty
72 minutes, The Church in Post-Christian Times. Gordon Cromwell
Scripture
Ephesians 4:12-16 “for the equipping of the [a]saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the [b]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature [c]which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 [d]As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness [e]in deceitful scheming; 15 but[f]speaking the truth in love, [g]we are to grow up in all aspectsinto Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together [h]by what every joint supplies, according to the [i]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our (F)common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you (G)to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For (H)certain people (I)have crept in unnoticed (J)who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert (K)the grace of our God into sensuality and (L)deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
2 Timothy 4:3 “he time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,”
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits1 of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Isaiah 5:18-23 “Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes, 19 who say: “Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!” 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! 22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, 23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!”
With a pencil ✏️ or a highlighter, prayerfully read the following chapter in your Bible, marking these words as you go (Spirit, In Christ/Him, etc). And of course feel completely free to choose whatever corresponding colors you prefer. ☺️ Ladies, God lovingly gave us both the Old and New Testaments as to show us His Faithfulness, Wisdom, and Love… Jesus was foretold in the OT and then was revealed in the NT. God’s Sovereignty is all over the pages of His Word to us. Words which the author of Hebrews says are “living and active.” Words that point to Jesus… His Cross, His purposes, and His Work on our behalf.
An important fact to hold close as you read is John 15:5… “For apart from Me (Jesus) we can do nothing.” As the phrase, “in love” comes into view, pause and remember that God is love (agapē) and that this type of love only comes from His Spirit. Therefore, as we grow in His Hands we learn the gifted necessity of Grace-driven humility… That we are not able to walk in agapē love without complete dependency upon the Lordship of Jesus. Sisters, we need be in these Words daily… as emotions (as well as the trap of self-betterment) can lead us astray. Trust and rest in the Truth…God’s got you. His, Meridith
Study/highlighting ✍🏻 suggestions
Ephesians 4
Unity in the Body of Christ
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”[a]
4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 Butgrace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?[b]10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d]12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (agapē – God’s charitable love)
38:00-49:00
The New Life
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—21 assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,[f] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Footnotes
Ephesians 4:8 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (God, through Jesus, supplies all we need for loving others well)
1 John 4:8 “…God is love.”
1 John 3:1-3. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies Himself as He is pure.”
Philippians 2:4 “in humility count others more significant than yourselves. “
1Corinthians 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.”
Philippians 2:1-8 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
1 John 3:18 “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Romans 5:8 “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…”
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
1 John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love (God) is patient and kind; Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
John 15:5 “…apart from Me, you can do nothing…”
Matthew 5:46-47 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”
1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since Love covers a multitude of sins.”
Colossians 3:14 “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Ephesians 4:2 “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,…”
Mark 29:-31 “Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.”
Psalm 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”
Psalm 40:11 “As for you, O Lord, You will not restrain Your mercy from me; Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness will ever preserve me!”
Romans 12:9 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”
Proverbs 17:9 “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
Philippians 2:8 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Romans 13:10 “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore LOVE (Jesus) is the fulfilling of the law.”
1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
Ephesians 5:33 “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:2 “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
1 John 3:18 “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,”
Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”
Ephesians 4:2-3 “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in Love (in Christ), eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Psalm 63:3 “Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.”
1 Peter 1:22 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,”
2 Corinthians 5:14 “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;”
Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”
Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 John 3:16-18 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Psalm 63:3 “Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you”
Jeremiah 31:3 “the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlastinglove; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”
2 John 1:6 “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.”
Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others”
Romans 5:8 “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Philippans 2:2 “Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
1 John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides (John 15:5; Gal 2:20) in us and His love is perfected in us.”
Ephesians 4:2 “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”
James 1:19 “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”
1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
Galatians 6:9-10 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, (John 15:5; Proverbs 3:5-8; Galatians 2:20) for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Hebrews 5:8 “Although he was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.”
Psalm 143:8 “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
Galatians 5:13-14 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Hold Fast Apologetics 