DRAW NEAR: Week 3 - MONDAY

// Monday //

Read – Psalm 19:7-9, Jeremiah 15:16

SOAP – Psalm 19:7-9

"The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair."

In the NLT the words of Proverbs 19:7-9 are a little different, but still the same meaning... "The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.

Of course I pulled out how God's Word was described, the nature of it and of God, & what it gave us or received from it.

Get into the Word • Know the Word • Obey the Word • Live the Word

1) Instructions - perfect - revives our soul

'Instructions' defined: a direction or order. Detailed info telling how something should be done, operated or assembled.

2) Decrees - trustworthy - wisdom to the simple

'Decree' defined: an official order issued by a legal authority

3) Commandments - - joy to our hearts

'Commandments' defined: a divine rule, especially one of the 10 commandments. A rule to be observed strictly.

4) Commands - clear - insight for living

'Commands' defined: an authoritative order

5) Reverance - pure - everlasting (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7).

'Reverence' defined: deep respect for something or someone. Regard or treat with deep respect.

6) Laws - true - fair/just

'Laws' defined: the system of rules regulating which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.

So many facets of His Word... but it all relates to each other. Our Bible... 'Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth'... how to get our earthly spiritual bodies ready for our heavenly spiritual home.

...and the verse in Jeremiah 15:16 "When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies."

Putting the two readings together, I pulled this out... His Words (whether they be Instructions, decrees, commandments, commands, laws or the pure reverent words) are our daily bread... we can "eat" His Word daily and digest and understand it and it can fill us with the spiritual nutrients we need. Just like breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day... the morning Scripture is the most important spiritual meal. Clearly at this quarantine time, we enjoy snacking throughout the day, just like we can glean from the Word throughout the day. We think on what we read & God sends more Scriptures, revelations and thoughts our way. I love a late-night snack as I don't like to go to bed on an empty stomach, and so a Word from the Lord before bed helps me sleep as well.

When I hear the word "devour" -- I immediately jump to the verse in 1 Peter 5:8 describing our enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." He prowls LIKE a lion, as he wants to be like Jesus the Lion of Judah. If we DEVOUR the Scriptures, the enemy cannot DEVOUR us! As Jesus fought temptation from the enemy with the Word, we can do the same!

"Devour" (for our purpose I skipped the eating definition) is defined as: from Latin devorare "swallow down, accept eagerly," ... Read quickly & eagerly....To absorb or engrossed wholly... To enjoy avidly.

(Source: Different online dictionaries)

Eagerly and avidly read the Word. Absorb it... into our spirit man. Get engrossed wholly into it! WOW!

We can trust fully in the Word and the words of our God. His nature is spoken through His word - as it says "for out of the heart the mouth speaks" Luke 6:45. ♡

He is making us more like Him as we read and glean from His Word. We need to guard our gates for sure. We are Ambassadors for Him. We have to walk in reverence (holy fear) of Him, His Name and His Word. This is a BIG eye-opener to the importance of this in these times. Defintely makes me wanna kick my butt into gear. Obey and live the Word!

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

Sidenote: Some people just think the Bible/the Word is a list of rules and regulations, of don's & don'ts... thinking that much of the Old Testament doesn't apply to us today. That we don't have to follow the laws because Jesus came. But it says Jesus came to FULFILL the Law. His Word is more than just rules and regulations. It does show us the way to live. But it is a CHOICE. There are way more Do's than Don'ts... and IF we do... He promises to 'do' as well. But we aren't just to 'do' like a rule or law... we are to 'be'. When we become who God made us to be and walk in truths of His Word and His nature (as concluded above) we will naturally just 'do' as Jesus did, & 'be' Jesus with skin on... and then eternally in Spirit.

Leads into the 'be'attitudes...

Wow! God is so good!!

Have a happy and blessed week ahead!

BE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!

DRAW NEAR: Week 2 - FRIDAY

// FRIDAY //

Read – Colossians 1:15-20, Psalm 19:4-6

SOAP – Colossians 1:15-16

Colossians 1:15-16 NLT

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him."

Christ is Supreme. Know that He is God and it is He who made us!

So, of course, another verse came to me. Psalm 100:3 "Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture."

This was one of the first chapters I memorized as a young child... Praise the Lord! We are His! Know that He is God and it is He who made us. We are His sheep, & He is our Shepherd. Be thankful, for His mercy and love endure forever! AMEN!

DRAW NEAR: WEEK 2 - THURSDAY

// THURSDAY //

Read – Jeremiah 29:12-14, James 4:8

SOAP – James 4:8

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." James 4:8 NLT

One step takes us into God. He doesn't move, we do. Sin separates us. Therefore we need to have clean hands & hearts to come into His presence. We need to repent of sin in thought, word and deed. Things we "touch" that are unclean... we have to cleanse our hands. Our mouths speak what is in our hearts. Our minds control what we think, say and do. Keep it clean and we can be loyal and stay in God's presence!

Jeremiah 29:11-14 NLT "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,' says the Lord. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land'.”

When we humble ourselves and pray, & seek Him He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land. He will restore us and grant us many blessings.

Psalm 24:3-4 "Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies."

Cleanse us Lord in thought, word and deed of the sins we have committed intentionally and unintentionally that we may boldly stand before your throne & stand in your holy presence!

 

 SOAP pages...

 BE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!

DRAW NEAR: WEEK 2 - WEDNESDAY

// WEDNESDAY //

Read – John 1:14-18, Psalm 19:4-6

SOAP – John 1:14

"So the Word became human[a] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.[b] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son."

In the NLT, John 1:14 says, "So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son."

Jesus the Word became human, and came to earth to dwell with His creation, to once again "walk with us". He was God, yet came as a human so we could relate to Him, & He could relate to us. He however did not have fleshly nature nor did He sin, He still had the nature of God, so people could see the glory of God the Father through His Son.

Jesus was a real human. He "knew no sin" (2 Cor 5:21) & even though He was human like 'us', He faced temptations, yet He did not sin! He was the Word, & He knew the Word of His Father and the Holy Scriptures. He remembered what His Father said, & we need to remember what the Word and the word says too! We can focus on temptation or on 'grace and truth/unfailing love & faithfulness' of God.

In John 1:14 AMP it says in the last part, "...[the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception)."

Read it again... wow! One of a Kind and absolutely free of deception.

My other verse that came to me was 2 Cor 5:21 and I love the words in the TPT "For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him."

Jesus - knew no sin and was righteous

Us - didn't know true righteousness and were full of sin

He became the Word in flesh, & made the greatest exchange in history ever with us... and future generations.

He "knew no sin'... he knew what sin was as God is Omniscient, but he didn't look on it. Adam & Eve opened the door to sin in the garden... before they ate from.the tree, they would have walked in righteousness with God.

As in yesterday's notes, We exchanged the Truth of God for a lie... but today we add... BUT GOD!!!

Jesus exchanged Righteousness and closeness to the Father for ALL our sins (even ones not yet committed)! WOW!! Our God is so good!

We need to walk in grace, truth, righteousness, life and unfailing love, etc... we should NOT walk in sin, despair/loneliness, deception, lies or death, etc! Jesus came as the Father with skin on... and He challenged His disciples and US to be Jesus with skin on!

I just love those two words BUT GOD!!

BE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!

DRAW NEAR: WEEK 2 - TUESDAY

// TUESDAY //

Read – Romans 1:18-21, 1 Timothy 2:3-4

SOAP – Romans 1:20

No Man Left Behind!

"Forever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." Romans 1:20 NLT

The truth is God is everywhere, whether His creation/people choose to believe or not, He still is. Those who say they don't believe, have NO excuse! We can see God visibly & invisibly in His creation! He is omniscient, omnipotent & omnipresent! He just IS! He is the I AM all around us!

We need to stop trying to prove He is and let Him show others He is... we just need to speak and show forth His truth. He wants EVERYONE to come to the knowledge of Him & have a special relationship with Him. He loves each of us as if we were the only one. We need to PRAISE Him for His goodness and help share the TRUTH. The truth was made OBVIOUS to them... but they have been shadowed from the truth by the darkness of sin. We need to walk in the Truth!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 NLT "This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth."

In Rom.1:25, it says "they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised." -- God allowed his people to do what their human desires led them to do... and a lot of them chose to go the way of sin. BUT He has also allowed us to choose the Truth and those of us who repent and turn from our sin can be a part of His family and share in His inheritance of Life! Jesus doesn't just FORCE Himself on us, it is a choice. We have to align our Spirit man with our Flesh man & that's a tough thing to do on our own. First, we have to KNOW that there is One who can help us. The Way, the Truth and the Life! The old VBS saying comes back to me again and again... "If you want to know who you are, you must first know Jesus!" It's like "Captain Obvious" to us, but we need to declare the truth to others in our walk and in our talk.

Romans 1:25 reminds me of a drama/skit I did in Youth group "The Statue" (a modern take of the Golden Calf)... what are 'statues' in our lives that have to come down? God is taking this time of Quarantine to refresh and renew us and bring us back to our First Love. 

Be blessed today and if you see snow... remember God washes us as white as the snow... if we choose to let Him! So thankful you have all chosen this time to get closer to Him!! Now off to read your revelations! I just love that part too!! 

Romans 1 v21 in the Passion Translation says "fingerprints of God"... and it reminded me of course of a song... so I will share with you. Praying it touches your heart if you are not feeling like a 'masterpiece'! The video has the lyrics so you can read them and remind yourself that all creation applauds the YOU that God made as we all applaud Him who made us.

https://youtu.be/Z2Dor3dmIJw 

DRAW NEAR: WEEK 1 - FRIDAY

// FRIDAY //

Read – Psalm 104:24-25, Psalm 19:1-3

SOAP – Psalm 104:24-25

"O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom, you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small." 

Another day to use the word "awe"! Even in the snow in April, there is still an awe of creation around us! The word "variety" stood out in my translation, & it reminded me of the account of Noah. We were blessed to go to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky on my birthday a few years back, & to SEE the variety of animals and creatures (well and the life size ark of course) just gave you a sense of wonder and awe. It of course brought tears to my eyes!! One of the BEST birthdays ever! I even rode a camel! But anyway, 'variety' can be defined as 'the quality or state of being different or diverse; the absence of uniformity, sameness, or monotony.' Nothing God created is truly the SAME... even looking at the snowflakes today... there were so many at one point, & the amazingness (is that a word?) to know that no two snowflakes are the same... some of us may have similar personalities or character traits but we are all different. Nothing is monotonous! Yet... we were all created to PRAISE Him!

Verse 25 first made me want to sit by the ocean... (or the lake ar the beach) and then I thought of the Hymn with the words "Your love vast as the ocean"... and while we were out briefly in the car today the older song "Unify" came on the CD and I posted the song and lyrics in the comments earlier. We are all meant to UNIFY together with each other and creation to PRAISE HIM!

"Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD . How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings." Psalms 36:5-7

God's unfailing love for us is as vast as the creation He has made... He cares for people and animals alike. (We should take better care of the world around us). The whole earth falls to its knees at the Name of Jesus. We unify together with creation to Praise Him!

It also came to me in my prayer a quote I have heard many times, He loves each of us as if we were the only one He created. ❤

Be blessed! Have a restful, peaceful sleep in the arms of the Father! He loves you higher than the Heavens, deeper than the oceans, wider than the skies, & longer than the stretch from east to west! ❤

"The whole earth falls to its knees

At the sound of Your beautiful name

And all the voices in the world unify today

to bring You this song of praise"... 

https://youtu.be/6jBJgDvsKCU