WORD up!

…”Akeela and the Bee”! What a great movie. Now, I find myself reading books like “Latin for Dummies” and “Teach Yourself Greek”. My family plays more scrabble and we give each other words to spell FOR FUN! We even watched the National spelling bee on TV in May. In honor of this film, I would like to introduce the term “eschatology.” Not only is it a cool-looking and –sounding word. It has a cool meaning, too. It is the study of the end times. When you think of the Second Coming of Christ, does your mind immediately think of the book of Revelation? Or Daniel? Or 1 and 2 Thessalonians? Or do you have a favorite scripture that comes to mind? Do you watch the news and read the papers to see “signs of the times” unfold? Or do you steer clear because no one but God the Father knows the day or hour? I think the most important question is: are you living your life as if the next blink of your eyes could open to look into the face of Christ? If we’re completely honest with ourselves, the answer...

Take a moment to pray before we begin. Ask God to help you absorb His desire to be with you like a thirsty sponge today. Ask to grow in relationship with Him. Ask Him to teach you, today, and to mold and change your heart. A well-known phrase says, “home is where the heart is.” This is not far from the truth. You can always tell what is important to someone by how they assign priorities in their life. What is important to you? Would others who observe your behavior agree with that? Now let’s examine what is important to God. Read Mark 12:28-31. Jesus told the teachers of the law what the most important commandment is. Do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? That’s a lot of loving! Maybe it’s easier to love your neighbor as yourself? I think not. Love isn’t supposed to be easy, it’s a mark of godly character. It is evidence of God’s presence in your life. In fact, love is the first fruit of the Spirit quality named in Galatians 5:22-23. These nine t...

Before we begin, take a moment to pray. Ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon you as you study today. Ask God to clear your heart and mind of anything unworthy of Him and to fill that space with His love and wisdom and discernment. I believe that the Lord led you to this study for a reason. Does the idea of living a blameless life appeal to you? Does this type of life even seem possible? Read Psalm 119:1. I pray that this verse is an encouragement to you and that you’re ready to get started. So, let’s dive right in. First of all, we’ll set the scene. According to The Complete Word Study Old Testament, King David wrote Psalm 15 on the occasion of moving the ark of the covenant to Mount Zion. This story is recorded for us in 2 Samuel 6:12-19. Take a few minutes to read this passage and get a better idea of what King David may have been thinking and feeling when he penned this psalm. Here are a few of my thoughts: Sacrificing the bulls and calves were acts of worship. ...

I have quite a few friends with whom I have shared hours of discussion about the Lord and the Bible who have moved away and joined other study groups. Since I began saying goodbye to these beautiful individuals, my dream has been to create a forum where the miles melt away. This blog is the realization of that dream. Friends, this is intended to be a reunion of sorts, and a place to meet others who share our passion for Jesus and His Instruction Book. I will post ideas and begin discussions that will encourage us to open the Bible and strengthen our prayer lives. We will study the Word and share devotions and grow together while we are apart. Starting in May, we will begin a study I did with my church last summer called “Living the Blameless Life” based on Psalm 15. I will post excerpts from the workbook we used and we will discuss one verse of the Psalm at a time. So, check back next month to be part of this experience. I look forward to many Bible studies taking place right here at...