Moving Right Along

Those of you who subscribe to this blog know that I certainly don’t inundate you with too many blog posts! LOL! My last post was more than 6 months ago. I always keep meaning to post something – but contrary to John Denver’s words of “Life on the farm is kinda laid-back…” here on our farm, life is non-stop! With full time writing and teaching of Bible studies, for three groups per week, plus a Sunday morning lesson, plus grandchildren and farm-life – well – this blog often got left behind.

Like everyone else, however, life changed in March. Our Women’s Bible Study group halted, as did church (for about 6 weeks – we’re back at it now!) But since my husband retired at the end of 2019, our farm life actually got busier. But, I think I am beginning to get a handle on things (at least until the garden starts coming in, that is). But, there is a reason that I wanted to make this blog post now.

Since our Women’s Bible study group halted, many of the women were missing a Bible study like we were doing – which is a “verse-by-verse” type of study through Books of the Bible. I kept trying to figure out a way to continue doing that online – but just didn’t have the equipment or strength of internet connection to do it. So – what I decided to do was share a daily (M-F) devotional/Bible study in various formats. I post these on our East Knox Women’s Bible Study Connection group on Facebook, as well as on my own twitter feed. I am also sending these via e-mail. If you would be interested in receiving them, please e-mail me at bnprayerlogue(at)cs(dot)com. (This is written this way to avoid bots.)

I began sending these to the women on our Bible study e-mail list, and many of them have requested that I add friends or relatives of theirs to the list. I’d love to have you join us. These are called “Your Morning 30”. They are around 30 minutes long (+/-). Since I am not an early riser (any longer) I usually send these out and post them late the night before. We have gone through the Books of James and Ruth already, but if you would like to hear those lessons, they are posted on separate pages on this blog.

 

I hope you are weathering the pandemic well. There is only One in Whom we have Hope. I pray that you listen often for His voice.

betty

 

Major Update to the Blog!

I  am in the process of doing a major update to this blog. (Goodness knows it has needed it for a long time!) This will be a long drawn out process as I have been writing and teaching, pretty much full time, for more a couple of years now and have a ton of new content to add to the blog. I have updated the following pages:

The Gospel of Matthew audio study

1st and 2nd Thessalonians and the Man Behind the Letter

The Current Bible Studies page

The “Our Blessed Hope” studies page

And the “Whole Book Studies” page

There’s a whole lot more to do. I have Youtube videos to add and several audio studies links to add, but this is a start. If you check any of these out and have a problem with any of the links, please let me know as I did not test every single one.

 

I will try to start posting every time I upload a study to either Youtube or SoundCloud, that way you can stay updated. Please feel free to comment or to reply to the e-mail notices. I appreciate your prayers and support, too.

 

I just yesterday uploaded these two audio lessons. I will try to post the previous lessons that go with these in the next week or so.

This audio came from our Sunday morning series as we work our way through the Gospel of Matthew. This will be similar to the longer version of the Matthew study, except these are designed to be approximately 30 minutes in length. We are currently in the Sermon on the Mount, and expect to be there until Advent this year.

Love Your Enemies

 

This audio is from our East Knox Women’s Bible Study group. We are working our way through the Gospel of John (verse-by-verse, and sometimes word-by-word!) Here are all three of our lessons (since we just started a few weeks ago.) You can read about this group on the The Current Bible Studies page

The Gospel of John Introduction Fall 2019

Lesson One – Overview

Lesson Two – The Prologue 

Lesson Three – “Witnesses”

 

I hope you enjoy these, and they are beneficial to you.

betty

Who Has Whose Hand

When we see an adult, with child of 5 or 6 years old, holding hands as they cross the street – we know who is holding whose hand.

But add 50-55 years to that scene – and now, who has whose hand?

I remember clearly a pastor we had once mentioning during a sermon something about God being at Jesus’ right hand. Now, we all know that Jesus is at God’s right hand, and I know he saw my puzzled look because as we made eye contact, I saw a slight smile come across his face as he continued talking about God at Jesus’ right hand…

Until… he got past the crucifixion, past the resurrection, and to Hebrews 12:2 where he read, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” And then I understood.

God was on Jesus’ right hand in mission, and Jesus is on God’s right hand in Glory!

That’s been nearly 25 years ago, and I still think of it. (I have notebooks full of notes from his sermons!) I’ve also thought of it several times this year as I’ve studied the Psalms. It’s amazing to me the number of times David has said, “You (God) take my right hand…” (Psalms 16:8; 73:23; 109:31 for example) and then the times he has said, “Let me (David) take Your (God’s) right hand…” (Psalms 17:7; 18:35 for example – actually there are some 35+ Psalms that mention God’s right hand…)

And so we ask, “Who has whose hand?”

Sometimes David has God’s right hand, and sometimes God has David’s right hand… what’s the difference? It’s certainly not that when God has David’s right hand (the hand of strength) that David is “taking care” of God.

It’s the fact that sometimes God is the strength at our right hand (putting us to work) and sometimes He comforts and protects us by keeping us at His right hand (when we’re too weak to work.)

It’s always God’s strength and salvation, it’s just that sometimes He holds our hand, and sometimes, He allows us to hold His…

As Jerry Clower used to say, “Ain’t God Good!”

God, my Father, my Strength, and my Deliverer, take my right hand and lead me into battle… and then, when the battle looms large ahead of me… may I take Your right hand in comfort and protection.

Oh God, this is almost too much for me to understand. I can’t quite wrap my mind around it.

Oh the depths of Your Word – and the heights to which it takes me – it’s dizzying, and at times, gives me cold chills and almost takes my breath.

As I meditate on Your Word, sometimes a warm wash of clarity comes over me, so much so that I scarcely breathe and don’t want to move, afraid that I may lose that understanding that is barely touching my fingertips…

Oh the wondrous joy of Your precious Word! Thank You for the treasure I hold in my hands!

Rendering Unto God

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:15‭-‬21

Today is April 15th, and we joke about “rendering unto Caesar”, but the key part is in what Jesus implied.

In Whose image are you made? Genesis 1:27 says, “And God made man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female”.

Sometimes we are more serious about rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, than we are in giving to God the things that are God’s. May that not be the case today.

The Book of James Audio Study Available

I’ve just finished uploading the last of the audio lessons from the Book of James. You can access them on the Audio Bible Study Page for James

I hope you enjoy them!

Prayers for a friend in a spiritual battle

Joe and I have a very close friend (and his wife) who is (are) going through a very intense spiritual battle right now. It is manifesting itself in serious health issues, but as I was praying for them a couple of days ago, God impressed upon my spirit (as I was studying Matthew 17:21) that this was not a health problem, but a spiritual battle. And so I have been texting prayers to him every morning. I thought that maybe, they may encourage you as well.

~~~

For you this morning: Father, I lift up [my friend] today and ask that whatever spiritual attack that You are allowing will serve to strengthen his walk with You. May his shield of faith quench the fiery darts that are coming relentlessly.

Sharpen his “Sword” that he may attack, and give him peace in the battle. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

~~~

I kept thinking about a prayer this morning, but what kept coming to my mind was, “May God wrap His arms around you today”. I’m praying for you in this battle. God will not let go. No matter what it looks like, He has you firmly in His grip as you are being tested. Love you!

This has got me through more than one battle: “When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the wind is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea, Thou who rulest wind and water – stand by me…”

~~~

Today’s prayer for my friend:
May the night bring peace and not panic.
May the day bring delight and not dread.
May you feel God’s presence in your spirit,
May you feast on His Word and be fed.

Wrap yourself in His promises.
Wrap yourself in His love.
Keep your eye on His goodness,
Your strength only comes from above.
Amen.

More Audio Bible Studies!

Our list of audio and video Bible studies continues to grow. To check out what studies are available, please look on our blog to the right under “Pages”. If there is a particular study that you are interested in, please contact me and we’ll see what we can do about making that one available. Thank you, and may God bless you in your time of study!

Read about the audio studies here

Looking Ahead – 2018

Things happened in my teaching ministry in 2017 that, previously, were only dreams – and wild dreams at that! If anyone had told me this time last year that I would be teaching Bible studies on cable tv, I would have said, “Yeah, right…” and added a huge “eyeroll”! But, here I am – with a program that airs several times a week on iHopetv. (Comcast channel 241 Knoxville, TN viewing area. Sunday nights 9:00 pm and Monday mornings 5:30 am to list a couple.) But it was God Who did that.

Now, God has laid another “yeah right” desire on my heart for 2018. Will you pray with me, and for me, that, first of all, God will be praised and glorified in all that I say and do – and that His will, will be done in this teaching ministry – touching those whom He would have touched.

E. Stanley Jones said, “Prayer is not bending God to my will, but it is a bringing of my will into conformity with God’s will, so that His will may be done in and through me.”

As a friend of mine posted on Facebook recently – “Let’s set goals that cannot be reached without Divine intervention!” And this one surely is!

If you’d like to know more about it, or would like to support this teaching ministry – please e-mail me for more details. May God bless you in your service to Him this year!

 

 

 

How About That – “Tracing Paper”

I’m starting a new series of short word studies that I’m titling “How About That”. I’ve always been fascinated by words – especially Greek and Hebrew words. I’m sure these won’t be daily, but hopefully sometime next year I will have enough to compile them into a devotional booklet. I hope you enjoy them. Please feel free to share, and if you haven’t signed up to “follow” this blog, please do so. Thanks.

Tracing Paper

1Peter 2:21-23 (NLT) For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 

Have you ever traced anything? I’m sure we’ve all used tracing paper at some time to trace a picture. I remember as a child, tracing the outline of the alphabet as I learned to write. The word “example” in 1 Peter 21 is the Greek word hupogrammos.

Hupogrammos a compound word – hupo which means under, and grapho which means “to write”. “Under writing” literally means to trace. Our lives are to be like “tracing paper” laid over the example of Jesus Christ’s life. We are to walk in His footsteps.

As we look forward to this coming New Year, let us determine to be more transparent, and to allow our lives to be like tracing paper laid over the example of our Savior, Jesus the Messiah. Amen.

 

 

Christmas Story – Matthew’s Version

The Christmas Story like you’ve never heard it!

This came from our Women’s Bible study on the Gospel of Matthew.

The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2