My hand has healed enough that I am once again able to type using both hands rather than just "pecking" with my right one so I need to get going again! God has taught me so much during these past months of "rehab" even though it has lasted much longer than I anticipated.
I have continued to follow the Insight for Living guide to help me read through the New Testament in 2012--I have just started Acts so join me if you haven't been following a daily reading plan this year!
I look forward to sharing with you some other study adventures I have enjoyed during this time and pray that even though I have not been blogging, you have still been pursuing your own inductive Bible study or studying along with one of the many excellent Bible teachers on the radio or through the Internet. Chuck Swindoll has resumed his God's Masterwork series if you need a place to start!
Three weeks to go before I complete reading through the Old Testament. Sometimes it is so difficult to stay committed to my Bible reading & study plan during the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparation. But nothing is more important during this season! That is what keeps me focussed on the the things that will matter throughout all eternity rather than being consumed by my temporary "to do" list. As we look forward to celebrating Christ's first coming, I want to make sure I am always prepared for His second appearance--the Rapture of the Church. It is the next major event on the "prophecy calendar."
The INSIGHT'S BIBLE READING GUIDE for the New Testament is now available. I can't wait to get my copy so I am prepared to start a new Bible reading adventure on January 1, 2012.
I have discovered a major flaw in my subconscious thinking over the past few months as a result of reading through the Old Testament and listening to a number of different Bible teachers. It's not like I didn't know the basic concept before now. It's just that I haven't been living out my life according to the reality of this Truth from the Bible.
Here it is: God does not view my life as a series of problems to be fixed; He views my life as a PROCESS. It is a process that is all about taking me from what I was before I accepted Him as my personal Savior and transforming me in the image of His Son! He renews my mind as I read, study and hear His Word taught (see Romans 12:1 & 2). Then He mixes joys, trials, testings, and the ordinary day-to-day tasks of being a faithful servant of His together so that my actions give those around me an accurate picture of the glory of God. God has chosen to use each of His children in the work He is doing here on earth. Think of the words of the song, Emmanuel: "God with us, revealed in us;" The idea that God chooses to reveal Himself and His work through ordinary human beings continues to astound me. We see it at every turn in the Christmas story.
Seeing life as a process changes the way I look at everything. I no longer demand solutions for the problems that come my way in life. I no longer get frustrated when things don't go according to my plans. This perspective should also cause me to ask different questions--not "why, God?" but "what are you trying to teach me?" or "what is it that needs to change in my life so I will be more like Your Son?"
It is difficult to change from a "problem" mentality to a "process" mentality; but praise God for giving us the power to make that change through the Holy Spirit! The process will not be completed until I see my Savior face to face; but I pray that there will be more and more evidence of change in my life in the days ahead!
Remember to check Amazon's prices as you shop for Christmas. I have listed some of my favorites on my AStore site but you are able to order anything from Amazon's entire site through this link. They are a number of Bible study books, Children's books and CD's, and DVD's that will help us study God's Word in the coming year!
I am so very thankful for God's Word. We are blessed to be able to study it for ourselves and we are privileged to live where we can hear the Bible taught by reliable, godly teachers 24/7.
But when life is busy, I sometimes don't have enough "quiet" time to think deeply about some of the issues raised in the passages I am studying. So I end up with all kinds of thoughts and questions swirling around in my mind. And that makes it difficult to share what I am learning with anyone else.
That's exactly where life has taken me right now.
Dr. David Jeremiah preached a sobering message this morning about our nation's relationship with Israel. Given remarks made by our own President and the leader of France recently, it was such a timely message. We need to ponder the implications of the weakening of U.S. support for Israel and it's relavence to the times we are living in. Every week I hear yet another Bible prophecy scholar talk about the fact that the next major event on the prophetic calendar is the Rapture and the beginning of the 7 years of Tribulation.
I have been thinking a lot about what it is going to be like for those who have heard about Jesus but who have never made a personal decision to accept Jesus Christ as Savior once they realize the Rapture has occurred and they have been left behind--or the people who call themselves "Christians" but who are trusting in something or someone other than Christ to save them from the penalty of sin.
I am praying that God will fill me with a deeper commitment to personal Bible study and boldness to share what God is doing in my life with all those around me as I continue to think through and apply the Truths contained in His Word!
It is amazing how fast the days and weeks fly by when life is extremely busy. If you are a faithful reader of my blog, I hope you haven't given up on me. The days have been busy but my mind has also been busy. Sometimes there get to be so many things the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me that I have trouble thinking things through and connecting all the dots. I thought maybe I would just give you a list of the studies I have been following or doing on my own.
I have just finished Week 43 of my year-long plan of reading through the Old Testament using the Insight's Bible Reading Guide from the Bible-Teaching Ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. I have to admit working my way through the book of Jeremiah has been a challenge because of all the calamity God warns His people about. I can't imagine being Jeremiah and having to deliver that kind of a message!
I have been deeply convicted by Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Today daily e-mail devotionals from the book of Esther. If you click on the Broadcast Library you can read all the ones in the series.
I also receive daily ViewPoint articles. The six articles from the passage in Luke 24 have been fantastic.
I fell behind in my homework for the Precepts For Life on-line study of 1 Corinthians but I am still working away and am thankful I can go back and listen to all the weekly discussion sessions on this New Testament book that is packed full of so much information for us as Christ followers in this day and age.
And finally Dr. David Jeremiah's latest radio and TV broadcast series entitled I Never Thought I'd See the Day! is a series that every person needs to see. You can listen to the radio messages and watch the weekly TV messages on-line in addition to reading his latest book by the same title.
Hopefully I will be able to write posts on some of the things I am finally beginning to get a better grasp on as I continue to study God's Word in the days ahead.
