Bible 365: Week 50

Happy Monday!!  Y'all, I am back in business.  I have one laptop back up and running.  No more blogging and trying to answer emails from the Kindle and phone apps.  That was really challenging.  Plus, I have like a ton of stuff to type up and submit to my writing group for my novel.

Anyways, two weeks left until I'm done with my Bible 365 Challenge! Woot, woot!  This mama is so very proud of herself.  After a trying and emotionally draining last few weeks, it seems like God had a special message for me in almost every passage I read from Week 50.  It's amazing how He works and sends us signs.  Here are a few of the verses I jotted down to reflect back on when I feel like I'm back at my breaking point.

~"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1):  Lord knows this whole situation with JJ is requiring me to have faith and stay hopefully like I've never had to do before.  His last two therapy sessions have not gone very well and it's tempting to let my faith waver, but I will not give confidence that God is sending us a breakthrough.  I can't see it now, but I know it's coming.

~"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11):  Going through trials and tribulations are never fun, but the end result in terms of how much stronger our faith will be and how much more righteous will be able to live our lives is worth the suffering.  Joy comes back at some point.  So, you just have to hang in there and trust the process until then.  Also, read James 1:2-3.

~"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:1-2):  This is why it pays to be kind to everyone you meet.  We don't come equipped with special glasses that allow us to distinguish from angels from regular human beings.  And if you just think about the fact that God allows His angels to live among us in our form, it's kind of mind blowing.  Can you imagine that having gave a homeless man a few extra bucks and then finding out he was really angel sent here on a mission?

I thought about not doing the yarn/blanket drive because I'm not sure what the response will be aside from the two volunteer donors I got last week.  However, I prayed on it, I truly feel like God is telling me to move forward with it.  Those blankets are going to touch the lives of young moms and their children who are homeless but working hard to get back up on their feet.  I want to be a blessing a them even though I don't know them mainly because so many strangers have been a blessing to me!

~"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you'." (Hebrews 13:5):  We serve a God of yes!  And when you remember this, you don't have to focus on what you don't have because He knows our needs before we do and will provide them if we just show patience and thankfulness for what we already have!

~"You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone." (James 2:24):  Faith without works is dead.  You can't just walk around saying you have faith.  You have to actually walk in faith and live as though what you're requesting of God is already done.

~"Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves.   Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor." (1 Peter 2:16-17):  Your writes should not infringe on the rights of others.  However, we see this practice being done everyday.  People use their freedom of speech to be just down right rude and that just should not be.

Week 51 Readings

12/16: 2 Peter 1

12/17: 2 Peter 2

12/18: 2 Peter 3

12/19: 1 John 1-2

12/20: 1 John 3-4

12/21: 1 John 5

12/22: 2 John 1-3 John 1

What other freedoms or rights do you think we abuse too much in today's society?

Bible 365: Week 49

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  It was cold and rainy here, but it gave me an excuse to get in the kitchen with the kiddies and do some baking.  Yep, JJ joined us this time around and he had a blast.  His favorite part was stirring the batter for our muffins.  Looking forward to spending more time with him joining Moo and I in the kitchen now.

Well, just three weeks left and I will have officially completed the Bible in a year!  I am so proud if myself and if you followed along, you should be proud  of yourself too.  This week we learn that Paul has been locked up for preaching the gospel in his letters to his church families.  It's crazy seeing how religious freedom was such a foreign thing back then.  I couldn't imagine getting locked up now days for talking about my faith.

I amazed though at how upbeat Paul was in letters even though he was writing them from a jail cell.  Just goes to show you life is all about keeping a positive attitude, especially during our rainy seasons.  Here are a few of my favorite verses from Week 49 below.

"Similarly, encourage the young men to be self controlled.  In everything set them an example by doing what is good" (Titus 2:6-7).  I grew up in a family of mostly males cousins.  My mom has the most girls. And one thing that always got me fired up was how there seemed to be a double standard between us girls and the boys.  It was like everyone expected us to prim and proper all the time but the guys could do whatever they wanted and weren't expected to have self control.

Well, as a mom of a boy and a girl, I for one will be practicing Titus 2:6-7 in my household.  There will be no double standards here.  Whatever I expect of Moo will be expected of JJ.  I don't want them growing up feeling how I felt in my childhood.  I have a brother and at times my mom made it very obvious that he got treated differently because he was a boy.  Part of that came from how she was raised and the other half because it was always her desire to have a boy and I guess after having had three girls, she probably thought having a boy wasn't in the cards for her.

You the saying "three strikes you're out?"  Well, Titus 3:10 says, "Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them."  Fool me once shame on you, try to fool me twice and you won't get a third time.  Some people know right from wrong but remain determined to live the wrong lifestyle.  Those kind of people you have to leave.to themselves.  So, it's two strikes and you're out for me.

I was asked once by a frustrated friend, how could Jesus possibly know the pains we go through in life?  To that I have to say read Hebrews 2:18: "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."  A lot of times, we assume Jesus didn't know what it was like to be human like us because he was sinless and the son of God.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  If anybody knows about suffering and temptation it would be him.  You had the devil and high priests purposefully setting traps to trip him up.  And you don't think after seeing how appreciative the people where that he wasn't tempted to tell God to save him from the cross and just let them perish?  Compared to what he went through, a lot of have it easy.

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25).  Jesus has our backs.  The fact that he is willing to intercede on behalf so that we may have salvation says a lot.   However, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God" (Hebrews 10:26-27).

Some of us thing that we have all the time in the world to get our lives together.  We've fooled ourselves into thinking that we'll have time to get right later but if I have learned anything it's that tomorrow is not promised to us.  Being content to deliberately go against what has been defined as the right way to is a good way to end up on the wrong side of the Pearly Gates!   So always put your best foot forward, be kind to others by loving your neighbor as yourself and stay in prayer.

Do you believe in double standards?

Week 50 Readings

12/9: Hebrews 11-13

12/10: James 1

12/11: James 2-3

12/12: James 4-5

12/13: 1 Peter 1-2

12/14: 1 Peter 3-4

12/15: 1 Peter 5