Take time today to read 2 Samuel 2.
What are some things that stand out to you personally about this passage?
Look closely at verses 1-4.
What about this conversation draws your attention?
I love the fact that David inquired of the Lord...and believed that He would answer him! And God does answer Him directly! How precious is the honor of prayer and talking with the God of the universe!!!
I walk early in the mornings...it is my favorite time of the day. I love being outdoors and I almost burst literally from trying to drink everything of God's creation and world in! I ask Him every day why I can't just bottle it up and enjoy it all day long...ah, the voice of a true addict! And every morning He replies to my request...then you would worship that feeling instead of ME...and He is right.
During these walks each day, I pray for 30-40 minutes talking with God about those things that are on my mind, my agenda,and my heart. Now, you have to understand that though I have been deeply entrenched in God's Word for 6 1/2 years consistently...I have struggled with intercession and prayer.
But, now during these walks I have experienced time with My Father in such a powerful way. I talk to Him and day by day I hear His voice answering. He convicts me, rebukes me, encourages me, and teaches me. He is real in those times of prayer and that changes me each day.
Today, perhaps you are like me and have struggled to pray as if God really hears and answers. Take encouragement from David in this passage and believe Him! He will answer...maybe not in our time or the way we would like! Let's make sure today that we are seeking God's direction in our day. Let's feast on His Word and talk with Him about those questions, hurts, frustrations, and confusing things we are going through today. I love to hear God answer His children and this passage reminds me that He is personally involved in this relationship!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
2 Samuel 1
Hi ladies! It was great to be with you Sunday and enjoy our time together. I pray that you are allowing God's Word to fill your cup daily through His Word each morning. I am enjoying the book of Mark in my personal time with the Lord, but also enjoying a look back at 1&2 Samuel too.
Take time today to read over 2 Samuel 1. We are traveling along with David's life and see now that he finds himself in deep loss in this chapter over his beloved friend Jonathan. But, we also see him mourning over Saul...the man who hated him.
Look specifically at verse 24.
What do you notice here?
I am still amazed at David's heart. Saul wanted to kill David. He sought every way to hunt him down and kill him...yet here David is telling Israel to week over Saul because he was a wonderful provider and protector!
What perspective! I was challenged by that today. I pray that today I will follow Christ's words when He told each of us to love our enemies and to do good to those that desire to hurt us. That takes putting aside our rights, pride, selfishness, and emotional outbursts in order to truly love others the way Christ loved us.
Take time today to look at the way you view those who are not kind to you or treat you unfairly. Do we truly follow Christ in loving those who hate us...and do good to them? David honored Saul during his life and even now in his death. He showed love to Saul even when Saul was plotting his death!
Ask God to change that heart attitude in your life today and allow Him to bring His love to those unkind and hurtful relationships. He will do it!
Take time today to read over 2 Samuel 1. We are traveling along with David's life and see now that he finds himself in deep loss in this chapter over his beloved friend Jonathan. But, we also see him mourning over Saul...the man who hated him.
Look specifically at verse 24.
What do you notice here?
I am still amazed at David's heart. Saul wanted to kill David. He sought every way to hunt him down and kill him...yet here David is telling Israel to week over Saul because he was a wonderful provider and protector!
What perspective! I was challenged by that today. I pray that today I will follow Christ's words when He told each of us to love our enemies and to do good to those that desire to hurt us. That takes putting aside our rights, pride, selfishness, and emotional outbursts in order to truly love others the way Christ loved us.
Take time today to look at the way you view those who are not kind to you or treat you unfairly. Do we truly follow Christ in loving those who hate us...and do good to them? David honored Saul during his life and even now in his death. He showed love to Saul even when Saul was plotting his death!
Ask God to change that heart attitude in your life today and allow Him to bring His love to those unkind and hurtful relationships. He will do it!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Something to share...
I read this devotion this morning from My Utmost for His Highest. It not only challenged me, but also was so encouraging! This was written years ago...and still it resounds in our own class today. Our call is THRIVE each day of our lives, instead of surviving it by the daily power of God's Word in our lives.
There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature.
Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman—an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.
Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he "followed Him at a distance" on dry land ( Mark 14:54 ).
We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.
When I am able to get my SS book back tomorrow, I will be sure to update with some reading for Sunday! I pray you all are having a great week...
Thriving 365,
Frances
There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature.
Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman—an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.
Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he "followed Him at a distance" on dry land ( Mark 14:54 ).
We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.
When I am able to get my SS book back tomorrow, I will be sure to update with some reading for Sunday! I pray you all are having a great week...
Thriving 365,
Frances
Monday, October 20, 2008
Back in Georgia!
Hi girls! I missed you all so very much on Sunday. While you were having so much fun sharing and digging into God's Word...I was in the air somewhere between DFW and Atlanta...I think! This weekend was amazing and it was such an honor to serve those ladies in New Mexico. I was truly blessed by their generous hearts and loving lives. I miss them already!
But, it is great to finally be back in town for more than a week! I am grateful for a break and time to really focus this month (what remains of it) on our class and getting our contacts going. Please keep praying about the part God will have you play in reaching out to those ladies who are not coming often. We want to make sure they know they are loved!
I don't have my book to share with you things to be studying this week, but I will post on that tomorrow! I just wanted to let you know how very much I missed you all and love you dearly. You are on my mind and in my heart daily!
Have a great day...and make sure you start the day in God's Word! Don't forget our cups will be filled with something today...let's make sure it's with God! Then everything else is just icing on your cake today! Love you girls...
Thriving 365!
Frances
But, it is great to finally be back in town for more than a week! I am grateful for a break and time to really focus this month (what remains of it) on our class and getting our contacts going. Please keep praying about the part God will have you play in reaching out to those ladies who are not coming often. We want to make sure they know they are loved!
I don't have my book to share with you things to be studying this week, but I will post on that tomorrow! I just wanted to let you know how very much I missed you all and love you dearly. You are on my mind and in my heart daily!
Have a great day...and make sure you start the day in God's Word! Don't forget our cups will be filled with something today...let's make sure it's with God! Then everything else is just icing on your cake today! Love you girls...
Thriving 365!
Frances
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Oh the conviction!
Tonight, I was at Ladies' Bible study and two of my most favorite ladies informed me that I had not updated this blog in a MONTH!!! I believe it too! Since I left for Poland, my life has been super charged with many projects, speaking engagements, writing, piloting a new Biblical series next week, planning an overseas retreat for missionary wives in South Asia, homeschooling our daughters (one of which has dyslexia) and striving to keep our home and my life focused on God alone...whew!
During that time, I had to release a few things that I knew I could return to in time. This, unfortunately, was one of those things. I'm so sorry for being absent each day as some of you have been so faithful. I pray that you will know my heart never for a moment was absent from you and this class.
Tomorrow, I leave for New Mexico to do a ladies' retreat there for the weekend. But, after that I will be in Georgia for 2 months straight!! I am thrilled to have a little bit of a break from the travel. I ask that you pray for me as I travel and this group as we encounter the power of God's Word together this weekend in NM.
We are having a great time in 1 Samuel. We are starting to meet David and learn the lessons from His life. I pray that you are growing and learning each day from God's Word! When I return on Monday, my goal is to begin updating this blog again with daily lessons from 1 & 2 Samuel.
Have a great weekend! Enjoy God and the beauty that is in His creation. Take a few moments to get back into His Word and allow Him alone to fill your cup. Only then can you overflow into the other areas of your life with the power and victory we all desire...and Christ promises us!
I love you all...thanks for hanging in there with me! You're the best!
Thrive!
Frances
During that time, I had to release a few things that I knew I could return to in time. This, unfortunately, was one of those things. I'm so sorry for being absent each day as some of you have been so faithful. I pray that you will know my heart never for a moment was absent from you and this class.
Tomorrow, I leave for New Mexico to do a ladies' retreat there for the weekend. But, after that I will be in Georgia for 2 months straight!! I am thrilled to have a little bit of a break from the travel. I ask that you pray for me as I travel and this group as we encounter the power of God's Word together this weekend in NM.
We are having a great time in 1 Samuel. We are starting to meet David and learn the lessons from His life. I pray that you are growing and learning each day from God's Word! When I return on Monday, my goal is to begin updating this blog again with daily lessons from 1 & 2 Samuel.
Have a great weekend! Enjoy God and the beauty that is in His creation. Take a few moments to get back into His Word and allow Him alone to fill your cup. Only then can you overflow into the other areas of your life with the power and victory we all desire...and Christ promises us!
I love you all...thanks for hanging in there with me! You're the best!
Thrive!
Frances
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