July 26, 2010 by memullin
Praying Thru the Tabernacle by Jon Courson is a book that I have bought so many copies of that I have lost count. I have given copies to just about everyone that I know who loves the LORD and wants to learn to pray better. Even some who didn’t ask got a copy. It is a little book which, despite its size, packs a punch. The book is based on a teaching that Pastor Jon gives on using the Tabernacle as a guide for prayer. At each “station” of the Tabernacle, the person praying considers where they are and the aspect of prayer related to that piece of furniture or location.
For example, when you are before the bronze altar, you confess your sins. The booklet tells you briefly about the location, what occurred there and reminds you of what to pray about there. When you are before the table of show bread, you pray for your daily “bread”, your daily needs. It can be used as a devotional. You learn about both prayer and the Tabernacle. It is great. It is available from Jon Courson’s ministry, Searchlight.
ISBN: 978-0-97894723-0-0
Posted in Calvary Chapel Pastors, Jon Courson, Prayer, Tabernacle | Tagged "Praying Thru the Tabernacle", Jon Courson, Prayer, Tabernacle |
July 26, 2010 by memullin
As we discussed in the last post, there is much to be learned in the Bible about the tongue, the lips, words, how we speak and related topics. Last time, we looked at Proverbs 12, and in Proverbs 15, we find more wisdom on this subject:
- Gentle words can help diminish another’s anger – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” verse 1
- Wise people use their speech to convey knowledge, but fools speak nonsense – “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.” verse 2 See also verse 7.
- A those who speak health and benefit bring life, but those who speak perversion sap energy and enthusiasm – “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” verse 4
The words that we speak and the way that we speak them can bring life or they can cause death and despair. Shall we speak life or death. It is a choice. If we model our speech after our great God, we will speak life. Consider the following examples:
- Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Gen. 1:3
- Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. Gen. 1:9
- Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. Gen. 1:11
- Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Gen. 1:14-15.
- Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. Gen. 1:24
- Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. John 11:43-44
- Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Matt. 12:13
- He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house. Matt. 9:6-7
Beloved, may we speak as our master spoke, and bring life to our listeners. May God teach us the power of the well-disciplined tongue, fully yielded and bringing forth only pure, sweet water and with that water, life!
Posted in Bible, Books of the Bible, Genesis, God, Old Testament, Proverbs, Tongue | Tagged Bible, Books of the Bible, Genesis 1, Power of Words, Proverbs, Speech, Tongue, Wisdom |
July 22, 2010 by memullin
Having just finished a great study in the book of James, the blessings and problems of the tongue are fresh in my mind. In addition to the verses in James 3 regarding the tongue, many other books of the Bible have something to say on this subject:
In Proverbs 12, I found some interesting wisdom about the tongue:
- Your mouth will get you into trouble – “The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble.” verse 13
- What you say can bring a blessing back to you – – “A man will be satisfied with the good by the fruit of his mouth.” verse 14
- He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit. verse 17
- Some people’s words stab and others bring healing – “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.” verse 18
- Truth lasts (lies fade) – “The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” verse19.
- God hates liars, but delights in the truthful – “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” verse 22
May you bless others with your words. May God bless you through His word.
Posted in Bible, Deceit, lying, Old Testament, Tongue | Tagged Bible, Deceit, Lying, Old Testament, Proverbs, the tongue, Wisdom |
July 13, 2010 by memullin
Attached is the first worksheet for our study of the book of Ruth. Feel free to join us in the virtual Bible study as we go through the Book of Ruth chapter by chapter and verse by verse. The remaining worksheet pages along with study notes from our teaching will be available by password, so contact me to get your password, so you can follow along.
Take time now to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God.
Book of Ruth – Worksheet 1
Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, History, Old Testament, Ruth, Ruth | Tagged Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, History, Old Testament, Ruth |
July 12, 2010 by memullin
Isaiah 41:10 reads as follows: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
- Fear Not – He only says this because He knows I will be filled with fear.
- For I am with you – He understands my frame – that I don’t want to be alone, that when He is with me, I feel less afraid, and I can go a little further.
- Be not dismayed – The definition of dismayed is “to be filled with dread or apprehension, to be anxious or afraid, to lose confidence or courage in the face of trouble or danger.” That pretty well describes me. I am am confident and courageous until the trouble comes.
- For I am your God – When I fully grasp the meaning and implication of this concept – the God of creation, the Almighty God, the One who parted the Red Sea and held back the flooded Jordon, the One who raised Jesus from the dead – He says of me, “I am your God.” What more could I need?
- I will strengthen you – He knows I am left weak from the fear.
- Yes, I will help you – He is reassuring me. He alone is my help and my deliverer.
- I will uphold you with my righteous right hand – In the end, I will stand because He is holding me up. It is His justice, His righteousness that will allow me to stay the course.
Beloved, do not be afraid. Our God will supply all your needs through Christ Jesus. He is with you. He will never leave or forsake you.
Posted in Bible, Devotional, Exhortation, Fear, Isaiah, Old Testament | Tagged Bible, Fear Not, God is with you, Isaiah, Old Testament, Walking with God | 3 Comments »
Do you remember the story of the loaves and the fish in John 6? Although it is a familiar story, it is worth taking a closer look at exactly what was happening.
We are told a boy had 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish. Apparently the boy gave them to the disciples. The disciples gave them to Jesus.
Observations:
- The disciples gave it all (5 loaves and 2 fish) to Jesus.
- Jesus took it all from them.
- Jesus gave thanks for all to the Father.
- The Father blessed it all.
- Jesus gave it all back to the disciples to give out to the 5,000 sitting on the ground.
- The people were filled by what they received – there was no want.
So how does this apply to me, to you? I need to give all that I have (or get from anyone) to Jesus. I need to hold nothing back as a safety net or back up in case of future need. It is in the giving of it all that I show my total trust and surrender to God.
Jesus will take all that I have and God will bless it. The little I had will be multiplied. Jesus will bless it and divide it – break it to make it useful for others. Passing through the hands of the Savior, what little I had will become plenteous and abundant. Giving it back to me after blessing it and breaking it, Jesus wants to help to distribute it. It is not mine any longer because I gave it all to Him.
May He who has done exceeding abundantly above and beyond what you can think or imagine take what you have and cause it to nourish many. May you hold nothing back!
Thank you Father that you love us enough to require everything of us. Thank you that you do not desire us to have any confidence in our own abilities or supplies. Thank you that we are children of the Most High God, so our every need will be met through Your provision. May You multiply what we have for Your glory!
Posted in Bible, Gospels, Jesus, John 6, New Testament, Surrender | Tagged Bible Study, Devotional, Exhortation, Feeding the five thousand, Give it all, hold nothing back, John 6, New Testament |
Do you ever wonder how you could walk more closely with God? Proverbs 4:20-27 gives us some valuable insights on the subject:
- Listen to the Word of God – “give attention to my words; incline your ear to my savings.” v. 20
- Read/Study the Word of God – “Do not let them depart from your eyes.” v. 21a
- Meditate/memorize the Word of God – “Keep them in the midst of your heart.” v. 21b
- Don’t let your emotions/feelings rule you – “keep your heart with all diligence.” v. 23a
- Watch your mouth – “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, put perverse lips far form you.” v. 24
- Don’t let your eyes wander – “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.” v. 25
- Evaluate the way your are going and keep a steady course – “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” v. 26
- Be steadfast and stay on the narrow way that leads to life – “Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.” v. 27
Do not be discouraged beloved, the power to do all of these things and more lies in the Holy Spirit which has been freely given to those who call Jesus “Lord”. We have all things that pertain to life and godliness. Just step out! Ask God to show you how to take the first step towards greater intimacy with Him.
May the LORD bless you and keep you. May He hedge you in and protect you from harm.
Posted in Devotional, Proverbs, Righteousness, Walking with God | Tagged Devotional, Path of Righteousness, Proverb 4, Proverbs, Walking with God |
June 29, 2010 by memullin
If you were brave enough to take the Bible Basics – Quiz 1 yesterday, here is the key:
1. Old Testament & New Testament
2. Law, History, Wisdom & Poetry, Major Prophets, & Minor Prophets
3. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy
4. 66
5. 39
6. It has one coherent message of God’s plan for salvation.
7. Hebrew
8. 2/3
9. Numbers
10. Proverbs
Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Books of the Bible, Old Testament | Tagged Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, Old Testament |
June 28, 2010 by memullin
You probably saw it coming. Teachers have a deep-seated need to give quizzes and tests. Here is your first quiz on Bible basics. You don’t have to send me your score, but try to take the test first without looking at the earlier blog posts just to see how you can do. I will post answers tomorrow, so you can get that reinforcement you need.
1. What are the two major divisions of the Bible?
2. What are the divisions of the Old Testament?
3. What are the books of the Law?
4. How many books are there in the Bible?
5. How many books are in the Old Testament?
6. What is true of the Bible despite its many different books written by different authors at different times?
7. In what language was the Old Testament written?
8. What fractional part of the Bible does the Old Testament make up?
9. What book in the Old Testament talks about the wanderings of the Israelites?
10. What book in the Old Testament is sometimes called the book of wisdom?
Answers will be in tomorrow’s post.
Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Books of the Bible, Old Testament, Uncategorized | Tagged Bible Basics, Bible Quiz, Books of the Bible, Old Testament |
June 26, 2010 by memullin
Well, it is not a book, but I want to recommend a blog: The Nourisher. Summer is a good time to think about taking time to develop and nourish oneself. Sometimes women can be good at taking care of others, but not so good at assessing their own areas of weakness or need. I encourage you to check it out, maybe even become a subscriber.
Posted in The Book Lady's Favorites |
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Rooted and Grounded 