Now we are on to Joshua. All I know thus far is that Joshua led the battle of Jerico, Jerico, Jerico. Joshua led the battle of Jerico and the walls came tumbling down!
Joshua was a very obedient man. He ordered the Israelites to do exactly as God said. If you think about it, the orders did not make too much sense. March around and around the city walls and then shout really loudly? What? It sounds pretty crazy as a plan of attack. However, it worked.
Obedience to God is key to spiritual growth and salvation. It is actually the way that we demonstrate our love to the Heavenly Father. I'm excited to read more about this faithful and obedient man of God.
Joshua 1 (kelly)
S-Scripture-(verse 7-8) " Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave to you. Do not turn away from them and you will be successful in everything you do. Study this book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you suceed."
O-Observation- Joshua has just learnd that he is to take Moses' position and lead 2.5 million people to the Promised Land. He is going to encounter strong opposition on his way to God's promises. However, God is not devsing a plan of military attack for Joshua, Instead, He commands the absolute necessity of faith and obedience. The spiritual state of the new leader is the essential element to his success.
A-Application- No matter what God calls us to do, we ABSOLUTELY must have faith; which translates to strength and courage. It is imperative that we hear and listen to God's word. Not merely to recite or read, but to study and meditate. To think on and apply it to our step by step daily walk. Then we will be able to succeed at what God has called us to do (even if it seems impossible).
P-Prayer- Jesus, I know that I often become discouraged by the things I have to do. The daily challenges seem so hard and I do not always remember the roots and strength of your Word. Please help me to "be of good courage." To remember that you are ALWAYS here for me and to read and study your Word. Give me the understanding and obedience to DAILY apply what I read and learn. Help me to succeed at my calling from you, no matter how hard it seems. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Greetings!!!
Hey Guys! WE finished Philippians!!! YAY! Reading and growing in the Lord is SOOOO WOnderful!!! I love learning about God through his word!!! Praise him for he is worthy!! Well I figure that since we have finished Philippians that I would post it for those who don't have a bible at home...Its the contemporary version, I think this is really easy to read. BUT of course still read King James version so that you can Understand that too! Still post on Philippians though! It's never to late to SOAP 4 Jesus!!!!!
Love you!!!
Love you!!!
Philippians 4
Philippians 4
1Dear friends, I love you and long to see you. Please keep on being faithful to the Lord. You are my pride and joy.
Paul Encourages the Lord's Followers
2Euodia and Syntyche, you belong to the Lord, so I beg you to stop arguing with each other. 3And, my true partner, a]">[a] I ask you to help them. These women have worked together with me and with Clement and with the others in spreading the good news. Their names are now written in the book of life. b]">[b] 4Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. 5Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. 6Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.8Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.
Paul Gives Thanks for the Gifts He Was Given
10The Lord has made me very grateful that at last you have thought about me once again. Actually, you were thinking about me all along, but you didn't have any chance to show it. 11I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with c]">[c] whatever I have. 12I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13Christ gives me the strength to face anything. 14It was good of you to help me when I was having such a hard time. 15My friends at Philippi, you remember what it was like when I started preaching the good news in Macedonia. d]">[d] After I left there, you were the only church that became my partner by giving blessings and by receiving them in return. 16Even when I was in Thessalonica, you helped me more than once. 17I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving. 18I have been paid back everything, and with interest. I am completely satisfied with the gifts that you had Epaphroditus bring me. They are like a sweet-smelling offering or like the right kind of sacrifice that pleases God. 19I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus! 20May God our Father be praised forever and ever. Amen.Philippians 3
Philippians 3
Being Acceptable to God
1Finally, my dear friends, be glad that you belong to the Lord. It doesn't bother me to write the same things to you that I have written before. In fact, it is for your own good.2Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you. 3But we are the ones who are truly circumcised, because we worship by the power of God's Spirit a]">[a] and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don't brag about what we have done, 4although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else. 5I was circumcised when I was eight days old, b]">[b] and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses. 6And I was so eager that I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God. 7But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. 8Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ 9and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. 10All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, 11so that somehow I also may be raised to life.
Running toward the Goal
12I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. 13My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. 14I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. 15All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you. 16But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.17My friends, I want you to follow my example and learn from others who closely follow the example we set for you. 18I often warned you that many people are living as enemies of the cross of Christ. And now with tears in my eyes, I warn you again 19that they are headed for hell! They worship their stomachs and brag about the disgusting things they do. All they can think about are the things of this world.
20But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ 21has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.
Philippians 2
Philippians 2
True Humility
1Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. 2Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. 3Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. 4Care about them as much as you care about yourselves 5and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: [a] 6Christ was truly God.
But he did not try to remain [b] equal with God.
7Instead he gave up everything [c] and became a slave,
when he became
like one of us.
8Christ was humble.
He obeyed God
and even died
on a cross.
9Then God gave Christ
the highest place
and honored his name
above all others.
10So at the name of Jesus
everyone will bow down,
those in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth.
11And to the glory
of God the Father
everyone will openly agree,
"Jesus Christ is Lord!"
Lights in the World
12My dear friends, you always obeyed when I was with you. Now that I am away, you should obey even more. So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved. 13God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.
14Do everything without grumbling or arguing. 15Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, 16as you hold firmly to [d] the message that gives life. Then on the day when Christ returns, I can take pride in you. I can also know that my work and efforts were not useless. 17Your faith in the Lord and your service are like a sacrifice offered to him. And my own blood may have to be poured out with the sacrifice. [e] If this happens, I will be glad and rejoice with you. 18In the same way, you should be glad and rejoice with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19I want to be encouraged by news about you. So I hope the Lord Jesus will soon let me send Timothy to you. 20I don't have anyone else who cares about you as much as he does. 21The others think only about what interests them and not about what concerns Christ Jesus. 22But you know what kind of person Timothy is. He has worked with me like a son in spreading the good news. 23I hope to send him to you, as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me. 24And I feel sure that the Lord will also let me come soon.
25I think I ought to send my dear friend Epaphroditus back to you. He is a follower and a worker and a soldier of the Lord, just as I am. You sent him to look after me, 26but now he is eager to see you. He is worried, because you heard he was sick. 27In fact, he was very sick and almost died. But God was kind to him, and also to me, and he kept me from being burdened down with sorrow.
28Now I am more eager than ever to send Epaphroditus back again. You will be glad to see him, and I won't have to worry any longer. 29Be sure to give him a cheerful welcome, just as people who serve the Lord deserve. 30He almost died working for Christ, and he risked his own life to do for me what you could not.
True Humility
1Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. 2Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. 3Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. 4Care about them as much as you care about yourselves 5and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: [a] 6Christ was truly God.
But he did not try to remain [b] equal with God.
7Instead he gave up everything [c] and became a slave,
when he became
like one of us.
8Christ was humble.
He obeyed God
and even died
on a cross.
9Then God gave Christ
the highest place
and honored his name
above all others.
10So at the name of Jesus
everyone will bow down,
those in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth.
11And to the glory
of God the Father
everyone will openly agree,
"Jesus Christ is Lord!"
Lights in the World
12My dear friends, you always obeyed when I was with you. Now that I am away, you should obey even more. So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved. 13God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.
14Do everything without grumbling or arguing. 15Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, 16as you hold firmly to [d] the message that gives life. Then on the day when Christ returns, I can take pride in you. I can also know that my work and efforts were not useless. 17Your faith in the Lord and your service are like a sacrifice offered to him. And my own blood may have to be poured out with the sacrifice. [e] If this happens, I will be glad and rejoice with you. 18In the same way, you should be glad and rejoice with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19I want to be encouraged by news about you. So I hope the Lord Jesus will soon let me send Timothy to you. 20I don't have anyone else who cares about you as much as he does. 21The others think only about what interests them and not about what concerns Christ Jesus. 22But you know what kind of person Timothy is. He has worked with me like a son in spreading the good news. 23I hope to send him to you, as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me. 24And I feel sure that the Lord will also let me come soon.
25I think I ought to send my dear friend Epaphroditus back to you. He is a follower and a worker and a soldier of the Lord, just as I am. You sent him to look after me, 26but now he is eager to see you. He is worried, because you heard he was sick. 27In fact, he was very sick and almost died. But God was kind to him, and also to me, and he kept me from being burdened down with sorrow.
28Now I am more eager than ever to send Epaphroditus back again. You will be glad to see him, and I won't have to worry any longer. 29Be sure to give him a cheerful welcome, just as people who serve the Lord deserve. 30He almost died working for Christ, and he risked his own life to do for me what you could not.
Philippians 1
Philippians 1
1From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.To all of God's people who belong to Christ Jesus at Philippi and to all of your church officials and officers. a]">[a] 2I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Paul's Prayer for the Church in Philippi
3Every time I think of you, I thank my God. 4And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. 5This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. 6God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.7You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work that God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail. 8God himself knows how much I want to see you. He knows that I care for you in the same way that Christ Jesus does.
9I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand 10how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, 11Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.
What Life Means to Paul
12My dear friends, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the good news. 13The Roman guards and all the others know that I am here in jail because I serve Christ. 14Now most of the Lord's followers have become brave and are fearlessly telling the message. b]">[b] 15Some are preaching about Christ because they are jealous and envious of us. Others are preaching because they want to help. 16They love Christ and know that I am here to defend the good news about him. 17But the ones who are jealous of us are not sincere. They just want to cause trouble for me while I am in jail. 18But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that people are telling about Christ, whether they are sincere or not. That is what makes me glad.I will keep on being glad, 19because I know that your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Christ Jesus will keep me safe. 20I honestly expect and hope that I will never do anything to be ashamed of. Whether I live or die, I always want to be as brave as I am now and bring honor to Christ.
21If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more. 22I don't know what to choose. I could keep on living and doing something useful. 23It is a hard choice to make. I want to die and be with Christ, because that would be much better. 24-25But I know that all of you still need me. That's why I am sure I will stay on to help you grow and be happy in your faith. 26Then, when I visit you again, you will have good reason to take great pride in Christ Jesus because of me. c]">[c] 27Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.
28Be brave when you face your enemies. Your courage will show them that they are going to be destroyed, and it will show you that you will be saved. God will make all of this happen, 29and he has blessed you. Not only do you have faith in Christ, but you suffer for him. 30You saw me suffer, and you still hear about my troubles. Now you must suffer in the same way.
Philippians 4:6-7 (Debra)
Give it to God through Prayer
S- 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7
O- God wants us to lean and depend on him for EVERYTHING!!! He doesn't want us to worry but yo pray instead. And Because We belong to Christ, we won't have to worry, he will give us peace that no one could understand. This peace will help you not worry and get through your day.
A- Whenever I am going through something I need to stop and talk to God. Sometimes I may go through things that hurt me so much! BUT with God on my side he gives me this calm overwhelming peace in my heart that made me feel GREAT. Obviously the hurt was still there a little but God was in my heart and by my side every step of the way because of the communication(prayer) that I had with him. I made it through each day Happy and find. The devil wants us to feel depressed and sad when we go through things, but when we leave it to God he takes care of it. One thing that I have learned is that God would never put anything on us that we can't bare...and I believe that. Prayer is so very powerful and it is how we build a closer relationship with God! I know that I want that peace that God has for me through the good and the bad, so i will pray...not just a quick get it done prayer, but a Prayer that is so real and so true to my God so I know that he's hearing me and listening to me.
P- Dear God, Thank you for being such a loving and merciful God that you always are there for me when I need you. Thank you for the peace that you give me when times are hard. I know that I can trust you when I can't trust anyone else. In the name of Jesus Amen
S- 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7
O- God wants us to lean and depend on him for EVERYTHING!!! He doesn't want us to worry but yo pray instead. And Because We belong to Christ, we won't have to worry, he will give us peace that no one could understand. This peace will help you not worry and get through your day.
A- Whenever I am going through something I need to stop and talk to God. Sometimes I may go through things that hurt me so much! BUT with God on my side he gives me this calm overwhelming peace in my heart that made me feel GREAT. Obviously the hurt was still there a little but God was in my heart and by my side every step of the way because of the communication(prayer) that I had with him. I made it through each day Happy and find. The devil wants us to feel depressed and sad when we go through things, but when we leave it to God he takes care of it. One thing that I have learned is that God would never put anything on us that we can't bare...and I believe that. Prayer is so very powerful and it is how we build a closer relationship with God! I know that I want that peace that God has for me through the good and the bad, so i will pray...not just a quick get it done prayer, but a Prayer that is so real and so true to my God so I know that he's hearing me and listening to me.
P- Dear God, Thank you for being such a loving and merciful God that you always are there for me when I need you. Thank you for the peace that you give me when times are hard. I know that I can trust you when I can't trust anyone else. In the name of Jesus Amen
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