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"...And I Must Decrease..."

4/15/2013

1 Comment

 
john 3 study
Two thoughts I have from this chapter... well, at least two that I will share today.   The first is John's comment to the Jew who I wonder was maybe trying to stir up John that Jesus was getting more attention with baptism than he was.   John was the first baptizer- until Jesus.  The Jew says, " look, he [Jesus] is baptizing, and all are going to him."  John, however, didn't respond the way I think the Jew was hoping.  Remember that many of the Jews were skeptical of Jesus as the Messiah and therefore tested him and many of his followers, this- I believe, being one account.  John responds to the Jew humbly and in honor of Jesus:
"A person cannot receive even one things unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.'  The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.  The friend of the bridegroom , who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.  He must increase, but I must decrease."  {Verses 27-30}
I myself am humbled by John's attitude.  John was kind of a big deal! Many fled to the wilderness just to be baptized by him.  Now that fame was being taken away because the One who John taught and spoke about was here- and John wanted Jesus to get all the glory and himself none.  Who does that?  We all need this attitude that John had.  In today's world, it's all about increasing oneself, but John recognized his place and surrendered all that he was to Jesus and His authority.  How amazing. 

The second part of today's blog is what comes after the oh-so-familiar John 3:16 verse.  Don't get me wrong John 3:16 is a great verse, but so often as a child/teenager, I stopped there. 
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  {Verses 16-18}
This is the truth I think all people- unbelieving and believing, young and old need to read over and over and over again.  God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it.  Christians, if God didn't send his Son to condemn the world, then why do we 1)condemn others and 2) live as if we are condemned?   I know many of us (including myself) don't mean to condemn others, but we sure come across that way when we judge others' sin as if it's greater than ours.  Even just within the Christian circles.  We hear of another brother or sister in the Lord who stumbles- we all do- and yet instead of helping them get back to their feet, praying for strength, we turn our backs to them.  It's no wonder then, that some believers live as if they're condemned- they have been, by other Christians!  Ooooh this just infuriates me!  (Not saying that I've never done this, but isn't it always easy to get righteously angry about something from the outside??)  People of God, if Christ was not sent here to condemn, but rather to save the world, can we follow His example?  Let us not condemn our neighbors, friends or family but rather let Jesus save them!  Sometimes Jesus uses us in that process- our testimonies, our example, our love for others... How effective will we be in being apart of Jesus' saving grace to others if we are only condemning them?

Just my thoughts... what are yours?

~Leanne~
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What's in Man

4/12/2013

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john 2 study
But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people, and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man."  {Verses 24-25}
The first sign Jesus performed from the account of John, was turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana.   After Jesus went through the temple angry because  people there were trading and selling things in the temple, some Jewish leaders came to him and in their own way, asked, "By what authority do you do this?"  Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple [meaning his body], and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews were thinking Jesus was speaking of the physical temple building.  People after this were amazed at the signs and wonders he was doing and because of this many believed in him.  People wanted Jesus to keep performing miracles, showing them signs, and basically proving to them who he was.  But doing signs and wonders was the will of the people, not the will of the Father.  By Jesus not "entrusting" himself to man, he wasn't giving in to their purposes for him.  Just like when Jesus was on the cross, he could have taken himself off the cross to show the people who he was and to save himself suffering- but that would have fulfilled the will of the people. God's will was that he suffer and die to his glory.  Jesus knew the intentions in the hearts of man.  They were amazed by his signs and wonders, but were they willing to follow him wherever He went (Matthew 8:18-22)? Do you just want Jesus to show you signs and answer your prayers or have you devoted yourself to Him in that you will follow Him wherever He takes you?

~Leanne~
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Come and See!

4/8/2013

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john 1 study
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him,"Come and see."  {Verses 45-46}
Philip knew they had found the Messiah and shared it with Nathanael.  But just like many of us today, Nathanael doubted.  Nazareth was a small, insignificant town and Nathanael questioned whether the Messsiah would come from it.   I love, love, love how Philip responded to Nathanael's question: "Come and see."  Come Nathanael, see for yourself!  Come friends, see for yourself!  Come those who doubt, see for yourself!  I love that Philip didn't try to explain to him, or prove in his own words.  Instead, he said, come and see. 
Often times we try in our own words to prove Jesus to people, explain his existence, defend His authority.  Many times, our words just mess it up.  Instead, is there a way we can say to our unbelieving friends, "Come and see"?  What about an invite to church, small group, Bible Study?  What about challenging them to read a Gospel, trusting that Jesus would reveal Himself to them?  
As believers we are called to proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all nations that those receive Him would become children of God.  I encourage you to ask God, who do you want me to share this with?  Then wait for God's timing, approach that person and say, "Come and see!"  How awesome it is to witness others seeing Jesus become real to them.  What a blessing it will be to be apart of His saving grace!

~Leanne~
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He Isn't Dead, He's Alive!

3/30/2013

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luke 24 study
The tomb was empty.  Some people didn't believe it and had to go see for themselves.  Everything that had been written by the Prophets had been fulfilled. Everything Jesus said about his death and resurrection had been fulfilled. Yet the disciples, just like people today, were still doubtful.  Of course it seems crazy!  Nothing like this has ever happened before! But it's the greatest thing to ever have happened.  Jesus didn't want the disciples to remain doubtful, and He appeared to them after He had risen.  At first, they thought He was a ghost- until Jesus showed to them the wounds in his hands and feet where the nails from the cross had been.  After Jesus had revealed Himself to them, He opened their minds to understand the Bible and all that was written in it and told them to go and proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all the nations.  The same is with people today.  There are many who doubt that Jesus is alive.  There are some who think of Him as a man with good teaching ability who taught good morals and good ways to live life.  Many believe He did walk the earth, but isn't the Christ, and isn't alive today.  If that is you, your doubt may have been like the disciples.  And just as Jesus revealed Himself to them, He can reveal Himself to you too.  If that is something you are interested in doing, I would encourage you to ask Him- "Jesus, I want to believe you are alive, show me. I want to believe that you are the risen Savior, make it real to me."  I believe that if your heart is truly seeking Truth that He will show you Himself.  The Bible says that to those who don't believe, the Word of God seems foolish.  But again, just as Jesus opened the disciples' minds to understand the Bible after He revealed Himself to them, He will also open your mind.  Jesus then tells the disciples to go and proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all the nations, after the promise of the Father had been put upon them.  This promise from the Father is the promised Holy Spirit to those who choose to make Jesus the King of their lives.  The Holy Spirit is what guides us in all truth, convicts us of sin, and transforms us to be more like Jesus. 
Jesus was dead.  But He is alive and is ruling and reigning from the right hand of the Father God in heaven.  He makes Himself available to all who surrender their lives to Him and desires to have an intimate relationship with Him.  If Jesus had died and not risen, then we wouldn't have hope that one day as believers, we would resurrect to Heaven.  If Jesus had not risen, then all the prophesies and all that Jesus said, wouldn't really have come to pass.  We wouldn't have hope.  We wouldn't have the promised Holy Spirit.  But the good news is- it all was fulfilled- every last word of it. And that is beautiful.  Jesus has risen!  Jesus is alive!  Jesus is King!

~Leanne~
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Innocent

3/29/2013

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luke 23 study
And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"  And he answered him, "You have said so."  Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, "I find no guilt in this man."
Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people.  And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him.  Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us.  Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him."  {Verses 3-4 & 13-15}
Jesus was the King of the Jews.  He was innocent of all the charges laid against him.  He knew it, his followers knew it, Pilate and Herod knew it.  Could I be so bold to say the religious leaders- the ones who wanted him killed- most of them knew it too.  Their pride is what killed Jesus.  They didn't want to lose the control they had over the people who saw them as being so important.  What good would they have been if the Messiah they had always talked about had actually come?  People would just want Jesus then, not the chief priests.  
Jesus was innocent.  Then why did God let him die an undeserving death?  Why didn't he prove to the people he was who he said he was?   Why didn't he take himself off the cross or have a multitude of angels come and carry him away?  That's what our sinful human beings would want him to do, and Jesus wasn't going to submit to that.  He was submitted to his Father and his Father's plan and purpose for Jesus on earth was to die an undeserving death to save his people from an eternal death.  Jesus knew it all along.  If you remember throughout the gospels, Jesus tells his disciples, "I'm going to go away..." "The Son of Man must suffer many things...be killed, and on the third day be raised..."  Jesus knew, and he didn't avoid it, but obeyed his Father.  YES Jesus could have taken himself off the cross, YES Jesus could have proved to everyone he was in fact the Son of God by gathering angels to come to his side.  But he didn't, and there was a purpose for it- a great purpose.  You and I wouldn't have the opportunity to be saved from hell if he didn't die.
God's wrath on people in the Old Testament was shown all over, when people sinned against Him.  In Genesis we see that God made a way for humans to be cleansed of their sin by an animal sacrifice- most commonly, a lamb.  Throughout the Old Testament, it is said that a New Lamb would come that would take away the sin of the world.  Jesus was that Lamb.  Once and for all, all sin would be paid for. The wrath of God would be satisfied in one sacrifice- Jesus.  In a moment, all the sin of every human being- past, present and future laid on the heart of Jesus.  Everything you and I have done, he was found guilty for.  On a tiny scale, think of a friend choosing to stand before a judge and tell him they are guilty for something you did, something that was punishable by death.   Jesus did the same thing, before the Greatest Judge, and he did it out of love.  He did it so that we might have life.  Life in him.  Without his death and resurrection, we would all be sent to hell for our sin, but in making him Lord of your life, even in our sin, he sees us as blameless, because he already paid the penalty for it.  Jesus gives all people an opportunity to accept what he did on the cross.  There are some that deny it, just like the religious leaders- and maybe for the same reason- pride.  You don't want to give up that control.  You think maybe calling yourself a Christian, you might get mocked.  You think that following Jesus is just a bunch of rules that make life not fun.   Well let me tell you three things: 1) Jesus is in control whether you submit to Him or not.  2) You will get mocked, Jesus did, and for His name's sake, so will we and 3) Being a Christian isn't full of rules, but full of freedom.  

Jesus is in control- whether you submit to the King or not is your choice however.  Think of it like an earthly king, or president.   They are the king or president whether you like it or not, but life will go much better for you if you choose to serve him rather than go against him.  When I say "much better"  I don't mean easier- being a Christian is not easy, at all.  It's hard as a human to give up control daily.  As a human we want control, we want to understand everything, we want to know what the future holds.  It can be aggravating at times to not know these things.  But God made us human, he made us to rely on him, he desires for us to rely on Him, because He is God, and He will take care of us.  Maybe not in the way we want- accumulating earthly possessions, building fame and success, becoming the "American Dream"... But God's plan is much better than ours, and that's how, even in the hard times of our daily submission, Christians find joy in surrendering to the King.  Since Christians show a godly weakness in submitting to God, the ones who reject God seem to also reject them.  I understand no one wants to be mocked.  Even Jesus didn't!  But I would rather be rejected by men than by God.   Will I forfeit my soul in order to please people here? Absolutely not.  On a day to day basis, it's sometimes hard, even for a believer to choose mockery over claiming to love Jesus.  That is why I believe sometimes Christians aren't always the best examples.  In the moment, we take people's approval and acceptance over God's- that's why we laugh at the crude joke, do something we know might be wrong, gossip about someone etc.   We are human, and we do make mistakes.  Unfortunately, because we call ourselves "new creations in Christ" people think that means we don't make mistakes.  Well, we do- and although it doesn't make it right, and although it doesn't show the right character of Jesus, we still sin.  That's the great part of knowing and serving Jesus.  All we do wrong won't be held against us when we stand before God.  He will see us as holy, blameless, pure, innocent and open the gates to His Kingdom.   People (Christians too) are not the same- they will point out all your human flaws and make sure you feel bad for something you did wrong.  Jesus did not say, "Follow me, and life will be easy and you will never be made fun of or have it tough."  In fact Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world."  
The Bible is full of do this and don't do that... so it seems to the unbeliever who loves control.  If you are an unbeliever reading this, I may have just peeved you.  But trust me when I say, as Christians we want control too- that's why we can be so stubborn at times when God is trying to change us- we want to do it on our own!  You aren't the only ones who like to be in control.  But your control as an unbeliever, doesn't like the Bible often because of all the "rules" that seem to overwhelm it.  Do you like playing games?  If you don't play by the rules, it's not fair.  In fact, if you don't read the rules first, you might not even know how to play the game!  Don't like games?  How about cars?  If you just decided to build an engine one day without instruction, would you get very far unless you were well educated?  Those manuals even have pictures!  The Bible is God's manual for teaching us about Him and for giving us instruction in life on earth.  Yes it does have some do this and don't do this- but not to make life not fun, but to make it freeing.  Sin is fun- there's no doubt, that's why people do it.  If it wasn't fun, no one would want to do it, right?  But sin is also crippling, consuming, enslaving, hurtful.  I could name a few like getting drunk, watchin' porn, having sex before marriage, lying, adultery, murdering- but those, I think to an unbeliever are even obvious as to why they can be hurtful, consuming, enslaving and crippling to the human life.  If you want me to explain those further, email me.  How about though selfishness, pride, envy, lust?  Those go much deeper into the core of a person.  When we examine our own heart honestly, we have these things in us.  We do things for our own gain, we think of ourselves more highly that we ought to, we covet other people's things and work hard the rest of our lives to attain them, when once we get them, we aren't satisfied.  We lust after models, celebrities, our coworkers, our neighbors.  This is our human nature- we are sinful.  The do this and do that's of Scripture help us surrender these sinful traits to the only One who can change them.  For me selfishness has always been-unfortunately, a large thorn in my character.  It has been a process over years to surrender it daily to Jesus and let Him transform me, but if you talk to people close to me, you would know that it is only by the power of Jesus that I am showing selfless attributes at all.  God's Word is our daily bread, it feeds the hunger in our hearts, it is God's voice to us when we are seeking Him, it is our "manual" of life.  The reason we as believers don't see it as a list of rules or a list of to do's and not to do's is because we have chosen to live under God's reign and not our own.  That wouldn't be possible if Jesus hadn't died, and as we see tomorrow, Jesus raises from the dead.  It's only by Him that we can be transformed, changed, renewed.  It's only by Him that we don't have to be crippled, consumed, enslaved and hurt by sin.  We can be free of it.  That's why following Jesus is full of freedom.  It's like being a prisoner for years behind chains of addictions, selfishness, enslaving flaws, consuming behaviors... and being set free.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me."  Jesus is the way.  He is the truth.  He is the life.  And it's only by believing in Him that you can have freedom and eternal life.

~Leanne~
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That Your Faith May Not Fail

3/28/2013

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luke 22 study
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."   {Verses 31-32}
What a perfect example of forgiveness.  First off, we hear the name Simon again, a name we haven't heard in awhile.  This name is Peter's pre-Christian name before God gave him a new one.  The fact that Jesus uses his pre-Christian name here identifies with his denial of Jesus to come.  Jesus says that, "Satan demanded to have you..."  Satan demands to have us all- to make us all fall to our sin, and the same was for Peter.  Unfortunately, but God-knowing, Peter did allow Satan to have his way in him and Peter denied Jesus three times.   The great example of forgiveness here is the the next part: "...But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail."  Peter denied Jesus, and Jesus prayed that it wouldn't ruin his faith in Him.  Do we hold the same love for our brothers and sisters when we see them in sin?  Do we pray that their hearts would not be led astray by their sin and pray that after they repent that they would strengthen their brothers and sisters in Christ?  Jesus said to Peter, "And when you have turned again [repent], strengthen your brothers."  Jesus was speaking in knowledge that Peter would repent and that his faith would not be lost to his sin.  Do we have faith for our friends who fall to sin?  Do we pray for them sincerely?  What great encouragement it is for those of us whose sin seems great that Jesus used Peter- one who denied Him- to build His church.  Later in the book of Acts chapter 2, we learn that Peter gave the first sermon after Jesus resurrected and about 3000 people came to know Jesus personally that day!  If you think there is no hope for you... let this resonate with you!  Peter not only strengthened his brothers, but the Holy Spirit used him to make some new brothers in the Lord!  
Let us go and pray for our friends in faith who struggle, that first- they would not give Satan the power to lead them astray.  But second, that if they follow into temptation, that they would not be led to death, but would choose repentance so that they would still have life.  Let us pray that not only would Jesus use them to strengthen their family in the Lord, but also use them as vessels for His soul-saving work! 
Who are you thinking of right now that you can stop and pray for?  I encourage you to do that before you go on with your day. 

Bless you.
~Leanne~
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The Warning

3/27/2013

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luke 21 study
And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, "I am he!" and, "The time is at hand!" Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once."
Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.  Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it,  for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.  They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.   Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
I know that was a lot to read, even before I start on my thoughts, but I thought this chapter was so profound in it's powerful language that I didn't want to try to explain it in my own words. If you skipped over the text because it looked too long, I would encourage you to stop reading now, and go back and read through it. 

This is Jesus' last big warning to the crowds and the religious leaders about the time when He will return to bring judgment upon the earth.  Reading it as a believer, although in my humanness made me sweat, also tightened the security in my heart of my salvation and my confidence and love for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  Reading through the text about nations rising against nations;  saints dying for the name of Jesus; mothers, fathers, brothers, friends, delivering the believer to be mocked- even put to death for their faith in Jesus; people fainting with fear... those are the parts that made me sweat- we think about that time as something happening in the future- years down the road.  My dear friends- some of these things are already happening to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ in other parts of the world. To make it real to you, I included this photo:
Picture
Maybe you saw his face in your Facebook timeline announcing that he was being sentenced to death for converting to Christianity in Iran. (read the article here)  For some, being beaten; kidnapped; family murdered; imprisoned; tortured; beheaded; being put to death; is a reality every day- a risk some followers of Jesus take in other parts of the world.  Yes, for us Americans, this chapter seems surreal, far away, unrealistic for our culture- therefore seems of something in the future.  Does this make you put your faith on the backburner?  Does this make you think you don't need to worry about following Jesus now, as long as you believe one day?  Let me tell you- there are currently, nations against nations; famines; parents and friends delivering their believing friends to be put to death for their faith- it's not something of the future but of the present.  Brothers and Sisters, we should be so thankful to God for showing us kindness and grace with us living in such a free country in the aspect of believing what we want, worshiping freely, praying without danger. Although it may not always be this way...
Don't take these things for granted.  Jesus warns us at the end of this text to "watch ourselves lest our hearts be weighed down with... the cares of this world."  This is the hard part of life I think.  Remembering who we are and where our home is.  If we focus too much on this temporary home, the cares of this place will distract us from our true focus:  Jesus.  We will experience suffering because Jesus did.  We will undergo persecution because Jesus did.  We will see storms because Jesus tells us we will.  But Jesus encourages us to "pray that we may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place."  Jesus doesn't tell us that when we follow Him life will be easy- but following Him brings a life no other will know.  Trusting Him regardless of what's to come brings joy and peace.  You can destroy this place, this body but as Jesus said in verse 18, "But not a hair of your head will perish."  
 What feelings does this article stir in you?  Does it bring you fear?  Comfort?  Are you confident that you will endure this life and all of its troubles and stand before Jesus as one who finished the race well?  Will you be one who delivers you brother or sister up to be mocked or killed for their faith?
The most important question:  Is Jesus your King?

Jesus, my prayer is that you would rescue your people!  Deliver those who do not know you from the hand of the enemy.  Let us know you in the depths of our hearts, and may you renew our minds according to your wonderful Word.  Let it change us, make us new.  May you be glorified!


~Leanne~
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The Cornerstone

3/26/2013

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luke 20 study
"What then is this that is written:
"'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."
O Jesus, may we not reject you!  This passage that Jesus is quoting here is from Psalm 118:22.  He is referring to it purposefully here, using it to reference the religious leaders who are rejecting Him as the Messiah.  Isaiah prophesied that the "wise and knowledgeable" (builders) have rejected "the stone" (Jesus)- but that Stone has become the "cornerstone" of the church (the Head of the church in which all things hold together).  I find this so fascinating, and so sad.  The big religious leaders' hearts were hard before Jesus- they didn't even accept Him as the Christ!  We've read over and over again throughout the New Testament how Jesus warns them of their unbelief and lack of salvation, yet instead of submitting to Him, they plot to kill Him lest their power be minimized.   Well as this text ends with:  Everyone who rejects Jesus will be cast into hell when the time comes that Jesus comes back to judge the living and the dead [paraphrased]. 
The same is for today.  There are many "religious" people out there who do not know Jesus as their Savior.  They care too much about their control in this world and they are not willing to let Jesus be their cornerstone, the foundation of their being.  They think they can hold all things together... but one day, they will be broken to pieces.  One day they will realize that only Jesus is the One that holds all things together.  One day they will realize that Jesus is the Messiah and He does reign and rule now.  One day they will realize they rejected the King.  
Jesus is King whether you like it or not, whether He rides in on a donkey or a white war horse, whether you choose to bow your knee or not.  One day "every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord."(Philippians 2:10-11)
My prayer Friends, is that you will not reject Him now, but will call Him your King, and not just calling Him your King, but making Him your King.  Let Him have full reign and rule in your life.  He is a good King, a perfect King.  May you not reject the Cornerstone, may you not be broken to pieces.

~Leanne~
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Easter Week

3/26/2013

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I decided that it being Holy Week with Easter on Sunday, that I would post one chapter every day until Sunday, ending with Jesus' resurrection in Luke 24.  That will conclude our study of Luke, in which I will continue in the book of John beginning on April 8th.  There will be no Bible Study posts the first week of April.  
I hope this week you will reflect on these passages and truly understand and enjoy Jesus for who He is.  May you enjoy time with your church and with your families this weekend!

God Bless!

~Leanne~
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To Seek & To Save

3/25/2013

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luke 19 study
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."  {Verse 10}
Jesus' purpose was just this: to seek and save the lost.  Yes he did miracles, yes he healed people, yes he called demons out of people, but the purpose His Father sent Him to do was to seek and save the lost- and the only way to save the lost was to die for them.  Jesus' purpose hasn't changed.  He still continues to seek and He still continues to save. That's the good news my friends!  It's not anything we do... we don't seek Jesus.  We don't save ourselves.  He alone calls us to Himself.  He alone saves!

~Leanne~
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The Judge

3/22/2013

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luke 18 study
And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.  And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?  Will he delay long over them?  I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"  {Verses 6-8}
After a widow begged a unfair judge, who didn't fear God or respect men, to bring her justice over her adversary, the judge brought justice to the situation just to get the widow off his back.  Jesus wants us to know that this judge granted the woman justice even though he was a bad and uncaring judge.  But God, is a perfect Judge, He is all-knowing, all-loving and all-gracious.  Jesus says, "Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?"  This doesn't imply that as believers we need to cry day and night to God for anything to happen, but it does mean He does hear us when we do cry to Him.  It does mean that God will grant us justice as a follower of His Son Jesus.  This reminds me of the text in Luke 11: 
"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"  
I think as humans we put God in a box, giving Him human limits- not expecting that He can do impossible things that are not possible to a human (verse 27).  We need to let God be God and have faith that He CAN and WILL do things when we trust Him and give up control.  We need to stop trying to understand the mind of God because we will never understand it.  He is God!  Although His timing might not seem "speedily" to us, His timing for justice, change of life direction, gifts, healing, etc., etc., etc., is perfect.   God uses the times of suffering (in this text, it was the widow being wrongfully treated by her adversary) to bring us closer to Him.  It's often times in the suffering that we are shaped, molded, pruned. 
So when you are begging God for justice, mercy, blessing, change, healing, etc., know that God will bring justice, mercy, blessing, change, healing, etc., better than any man could.  That is Jesus' point to His lesson.  God can do better than any human can, so trust Him- keep praying, day and night until His timing comes to pass.  In the midst of the waiting, don't lose faith ("When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"), and in fact I would encourage you to keep your ears, eyes and heart open for ways God wants to prune and teach you during your time of waiting patiently.  God is the Perfect (Judge, Giver, Provider, Healer) so trust Him!


~Leanne~
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Are you Preserving or Losing?

3/18/2013

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luke 17 study
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.  
{Verse 33}
So, we've heard Jesus say this before, but are you asking, what does this mean?
This past Sunday, our pastor, Tom Kelby was away and an elder spoke at church.  He used Francis' illustration to show how insignificant pleasuring this life on earth is in comparison to building up the kingdom of eternity.  I think this video answers our question.  What does it mean to preserve your life?  It means preserving this life- life on earth- the red tape part!  You work so hard to accomplish certain goals, save up money to buy desired things- your sight ends at where the red tape ends.  You lose sight of the eternal picture.  You are so concerned about your life here, that you forget about eternity!  You do all you can to enjoy this life, and all the while forgetting or ignoring Jesus.  If that's the case, Jesus says in verse 33: "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it...".  Your never-ending rope?  Yeah, you got one, but the life you live after the red tape won't be with Jesus.  Remember our study yesterday?  The rich man begged Abraham to warn his brothers not to follow in his footsteps.  What were his footsteps?  He cared all about the red tape part of his life, forgetting about the rest. 
I believe this video also answers the second part of our question, What does it mean to lose your life and find it?  I'm sure most of you reading this already know the answer to that after the video.  Losing your life means to die to this life on earth- your plans, your agendas, your timeline, your goals, your worries, etc.  It means living for the eternal rope and using the red tape part of your life to establish His kingdom (rule, reign, dominion, authority) in your life and let Him use you for His purposes.  Trust me- I've only been doing that wholeheartedly for a couple years.  I called myself a Christian, and most of the people around me would say that I looked like one. But I tell you the truth- I lived for the red tape.  And as Francis said, we all do at times because the world tempts us to live that way- everybody else lives that way.   But we need to realize and live for the big picture.  We need to see the whole rope and realize this life on earth is only a itty-bitty fraction of it.  When we surrender our life to Jesus and let Him rule and reign our lives, it will look different that what you planned our for yourself.  But it will have purpose and meaning, and the things you do will matter.  The things you do will have eternal purposes and reward.  Like Francis said too, he thinks it's crazy when he sees people living like they do when they don't know if their life could be over tomorrow.  They gained the whole world but forfeited their soul. {Luke 9:25} How important is the red tape part of your life?  Are you willing to forfeit your soul over it?  Jesus said that if we die to ourselves (lose your life) we will find it.  Finding our life means finding freedom and eternity with Him!  Yes, living for the whole rope will look crazy.  You will be mocked.  But you will be pleasing the King and you will be blessed abundantly for your choice to live for Him.
What are you doing with your life?  Are you preserving it or are you losing it?

~Leanne~
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Thoughts On Luke 16

3/15/2013

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luke 16 study
"One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much."  {Verse 10}
Does this strike a cord in anyone's soul but mine out there?  There have been times I wonder, God why won't you provide?  in this or that way... or I may be impatient in the season of life.  For instance- being a mom.  Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom, but I am also excited about the desire I have, which I believe has been given to me by God, to write and challenge women in their journeys with God.  Obviously there is nothing wrong with excitement for the future.  But the problem lies in when I don't put my best effort forward in what God has given me responsibility to do now- being a mom.   I was just challenged with this the other day in my heart.  The thought went through my head that associates with this verse: If I can't do my God-given job now well, why would God bring me to a season of life where I would challenge other women to live out God's plan for them... which could be... being a mom!   It's like going to a hairdresser that has seriously bad hair issues and expecting them to do a good job on yours!  (Yes, this comes from a woman who has a hairstyling background!)  OK, so how about going to a dentist who has crooked teeth and has a build up of plaque that you can see before he gets up all in your face to do work!  Is that more relatable? Same deal.  If I can't be faithful in the "very little" (which I can assure you being a mom is much more than this) how can I be faithful in the "much"? This truth smacked me in the face.  I'm not saying I'm a crappy mom, I'm just saying I know in my heart I could do better.  
"If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."  {Verse 31}
I loved this entire text (verses 19-31). I thought it was amazing.  There was a rich guy who had a poor guy sitting outside his mansion gates hoping for the scraps from his table.  Both men died.  The rich man went to hell because he did not believe in Jesus and the poor man went to heaven because he did.  We get this picture of the rich man experiencing torment and begging Abraham (a prophet from the Old Testament) to allow the poor man who is now in heaven to cool of his burning tongue with his finger.   The rich man then proceeded to beg Abraham to send someone from the dead to warn his family so they wouldn't go to hell and experience what he was.  But Abraham replied, "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." This is amazing, especially to a world searching so hard for a "sign" of God.  This passage states it clearly.  It's simple. The sign of God and the Messiah that came-Jesus- is His Word and what is spoken through the Prophets!  If people read the Bible and still don't believe in Jesus, than this text says, that pretty much nothing will convince them. 
I challenge you on this.  I don't know where you are spiritually.  I don't know if you are seeking a sign that Jesus is the only way.  But I do encourage you to read His word and seek Jesus through it.  Take this text as a warning- the rich man in hell begged Abraham to tell his family not to follow in his footsteps so they wouldn't experience the torment of hell.  Notice the rich man uses the word "repent" (verse 30).  Let this be your warning.  

~Leanne~
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Risk & Realization

3/12/2013

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This past weekend I was at a retreat put on by the pastor's wife at my church for the women of the church.  The theme was on "To live as Christ to die gain..." which is Paul's words in Philippians 1:21.  Although the retreat was wrapped around this verse, the word "risk" came up plenty.  I don't find this odd at all as before the retreat, Joey had been reading a book by John Piper called, "Risk is Right"; and I'm reading a book by Jen Hatmaker called, "7" which talks about risking for Christ.  I would like to share some of the things I learned and I hope that you can take from this just a bit to ask God, "What's in this for me?"  


The first lady to speak at the retreat was a newer Christian woman named Tasha from my church who is full of confidence, energy and sprinkles her words with humor.  She shared how the Lord has given her family ten pay cuts since they became believers- something that most people would frown upon and wonder, God what am I doing wrong?  Instead though, this family knew that God was preparing them for something different.  They knew that God was taking away idols and building better foundations in Him rather than their comforts of this world.  Something is coming for them, perhaps in the mission field, but they aren't exactly sure.  However, God is bringing them to a point of,  Are you willing?  It's so awesome to listen to a woman who was so independent in her job, reliant on herself and stuck in her earthly views share the softening of her views and the joining of God's plan for her life. What a testimony!  For her, risk for Christ is letting go and letting God.  

The next speaker at the retreat was Sarah- a worship leader, married with 3 kids whom she home schools.  Ever since she could remember she wanted to adopt a child. When Sarah got married her and her husband looked into adoption several times.  Then they had their first biological child. After she was born, they continued to look into adoption.  Then they got pregnant with their second child.  After the second, it seemed that childbearing for them was easy and naturally forgot about adopting.  One day, years later, a guest speaker spoke at the church and he said at some point in his time speaking, I feel the Lord wants to say this to someone or some people here: "Don't let your dreams die.  You've let them die, but God wants you to remember them."  Right away she remembered her dream- the dream to adopt.  By this time they had another child and the husband was not looking to have anymore children.  However, over time, God changed his heart.  Now Sarah and her husband have applied and are in the process of receiving a child from Ethopia.  The joy on this woman's face sharing the love for Jesus through obedience was so encouraging.  YES it was scary but her words, "Risk is safe because it's wrapped in God's grace and power."  If you take risk for Jesus, it's safe because He's in control.  She also mentioned how the orphans in Ethopia or anywhere will be taken care of by God, but God invites us to share in the joy with Him.  And of course, the devil hates when we do anything for Jesus, especially when it involves us dying to our comforts of this world- because if we realize that it's joyous, we just might keep taking risks for Him!  Satan loves when we are comfortable. He doesn't want us to take a step into the unknown of trusting God completely.  But this couple did, and through it already they are being abundantly blessed!

The third and last speaker at the conference was Karen- a woman who came from being a pastor's wife for nine years.  She is grandma to a few and loves Jesus much.  She spoke on so many great things, but I wanted to highlight a couple.  She said, "Before we can live for Christ, we have to die to ourselves."  SO TRUE.  So many of us, I think, believe we are living for Him, but we haven't really given up ourselves yet.  By "ourselves" I mean what Karen listed in her testimony as: "our rights, our agendas, our plans, our time clocks."  The time clocks struck a cord in me because lately it seems I am impatient with God's timing of things- even though I know it's perfect.  I often think, did we miss something?  That is not the case, but rather, God is preparing us perfectly to carry out His business well.  Another thing that also caught my attention was that, "When we are convicted, it may not be for that time- it could be for down the road."  Sigh.  This one is hard for me because I am such a doer.  When Jesus speaks to me, I want to jump right on it.  Again, lately for me it has been about my writing/speaking career that I feel Him leading me into.  Except the key words even of my last sentence were: leading me into.  He is not asking me to do it now. He is preparing me now for it, but it doesn't mean I have to start writing a book pronto or hope to speak at the next shindig.  To be completely honest, I was a bit disappointed in God that I wasn't asked to share at the retreat- I mean c'mon God, I have lots to say! (sarcasm)  Honestly, speaking scares me to no end.  But because I feel Him leading me into that sort of ministry I thought He missed out on a good opportunity for my practice. WOW- yes I am proud (and working on it).  God definitely humbled me at the conference, revealing in me some really dark places that need healing.  So it confirmed in my heart that I wasn't ready for that task of speaking yet- because God was still in the preparing stage.  What grace He has on all of His children!  Being humbled is not fun, but it's necessary.  Just Friday I posted Luke 14 where it says in verse 11: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  Well I was humbled alright.  Being humbled is a great thing. It's not pretty- in fact, ugly doesn't quite cover it.  It's humiliating and shameful, but God is rebuilding me.  He is tearing down what doesn't belong to Him and He is rebuilding me.  
A lady named Beth from our congregation led us in prayer and worship Saturday morning.  She shared something that was on her heart concerning the group of ladies there.  She shared that we all have potholes and that God intends to fill them- we have high places (like pride and desire for control) and low places (like depression and unforgiveness).   God wants the highway to Him smooth and wants to fill those potholes with Him.  Later that afternoon, she shared with a larger group on this again but used the word "root".  I related better to this in my own struggles.  For instance with my pride.  Pride is rooted deep in me (as God has been revealing painfully lately) and it has a root.  I can get rid of the weed that is on the surface, but unless I get rid of the root of the sin (in my case pride) it will keep "springing up".  Unless we get rid of the root, unless we let God kill the root, the weed (or sin) will keep on.  I didn't realize I struggled with pride as much as was revealed to me.  It saddens my heart that I reflect my King badly through this.  Just like a garden, if there are too many weeds, or if the weed is stronger than then flower or plant around, the weed's root will cripple and kill the growth of that plant.  The same is true about the gospel. IF WE DON'T KILL THE ROOT OF OUR SIN, IT CAN CRIPPLE THE SHARING OF THE GOSPEL THROUGH US.  For instance if I am sharing with you Jesus' love but come off as an arrogant woman who only cares about herself, is that going to benefit the Gospel?  Absolutely not.  However, and this is what I am praying will be, when we realize our sin, and we choose to repent and kill the root, IT becomes the testimony.  Others can see the power of Christ at work in me.  My tears soak my cheek as I write this, because this, this my friends is my hearts desire.  I love Jesus and I don't want any part of me to get in the way of what He is doing.  So being stripped of myself so that He can come rebuild me is very okay with me.  Being humbled means my King is exalted.  Being humbled also shows my imperfectness  and my need for a perfect, loving and gracious King.   His name is Jesus.
Amen.

~Leanne~
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The Place of Honor

3/11/2013

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So, Friday before I left for a women's retreat, I had posted the study for Luke 14.   Lately God has been revealing to me about my pride, so I enjoyed reading it and reflecting on it. Well, "enjoyed" might not be the most appropriate word... who "enjoys" being faced with sin that's so hard to rid yourself of?
Anyway, I was faced with two situations at the retreat where I had a choice to apply what I learned or to do as I usually did, and that was to think of myself first. (insert frustrated face here).
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished that you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this person,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.'  Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit with you."  {Verses 7-10~ The Parable of the Wedding Feast}
So you are wondering, how did you get to put this into practice?  I was not invited to a wedding feast, but I did go to a ladies retreat this past weekend.  When we arrived at the conference center, we got to our room and started picking out our beds to sleep.  There were two bunk beds, a queen bed and a pull out twin bed.  Now being that I am pregnant, I assumed I should get the queen bed! I did not say this out loud, however,  I remembered this passage from Luke from that morning and chose to claim a bunk bed.  Now, maybe I could have done a bit better yet in applying this text, as I did not choose the top bunk.  I'm sure all of you readers of mine would agree that being 6 months pregnant, (and not the cute little petite frame of a body I so wish I had at this time!) the top bunk was not quite the best place for me and my fat body to get up into.  So, I chose the bottom bunk.  I'm not gonna lie- I thought someone would offer me the queen bed- and considering I was obviously the most "distinguished" person there, maybe I did deserve it.  My friend offered me the bed, but for once in my life, I chose not "the place of honor".  Usually in my selfish being, I would just claim the bed since I'm pregnant, but you know what, it was better that I didn't and it brought a strange joy to my heart to take the not-so-comfy place of rest.  This simple and maybe silly-to-you act of obedience to God's word really satisfied me. Oh and by the way the not-so-comfy place of rest turned into just a not-so-big place of rest. The mattress was super comfy and the pillow was better than mine at home! 

Anyway, the second opportunity to obey the Scriptures, in again, a maybe silly-to-you sort of way, was as we were getting ready to leave the retreat center.  We had put our bags in the trunk and I had the opportunity to choose my seat in the SUV.  On the way I sat in the back, which actually wasn't bad considering I get car sick often. The Lord reminded me that this again was an opportunity not to take the seat of honor, this being the front seat.  Now again, I could justify my neglect of God's reminder: Um, God do you remember I get car sick?  You do realize I'm the size of all three of these ladies put together and the front seat is where I should be! It just makes sense!  Nope, I didn't go there.  I just opened the door to the back seat and buckled up (I think).   Now in this situation nobody offered me the front seat, but you know what?  I was glad, because again, I had this strange sense of joy knowing I "passed the test" of the parable.  To you this might seem kind of odd, but to me these are big steps of sanctification in my life.  Again this is on a small scale, but if I don't obey in the small ways, what makes me think I'm going to obey in the big stuff?  I encourage you friends, to be mindful of the small ways you can obey the Word- even if it seems silly, insignificant or if it means giving up a nice cozy bed or what's best for you.  You know what came to mind later on about the SUV seat choice?  All three of those women may experience car sickness, but their prudence and godliness didn't speak of it.  Maybe each of them were choosing the lowly spot to sit too.  It was revealed to me (again) my pride and selfishness, because usually, I would make mention of my tendency to get car sick.  Thinking about that ugliness in me, almost makes me couch sick (yes I am sitting on my couch).
My prayer is that His Word would become so alive in you that you see face to face ways- big and small- to be obedient to His Word and to be more like Jesus!

~Leanne~
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The Lost...

3/11/2013

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luke 15 study
This chapter had three parables in it:  The Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Parable of the Lost Coin and The Parable of the Prodigal Son- in which the last sentence in the parable is: "It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and he is found."  I want to briefly walk through each of the parables in this chapter and then challenge our hearts on what we've read today.  

1)  The Parable of the Lost Sheep
  • Jesus explains to the Pharisees that if one sheep out of a hundred wanders away, the shepherd would go and get the one sheep and celebrate that it had been found. Jesus ends with, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous person who need no repentance."

2)  The Parable of the Lost Coin
  • A woman loses one of her ten coins.  She searches "diligently" to find it- and does. She celebrates. Jesus ends the parable with, "There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

3)  The Parable of the Prodigal Son
  • A wealthy man's son asks for his inheritance before his father dies, then goes and spends it foolishly in sinful living.  After going completely broke and starving, he returns home realizing his fathers servants are better fed than himself.  His father extends abundant grace on him and not only accepts him home, but celebrates in his return.  After the other son questions his fathers celebration toward the sinful brother, his father responds, "It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."


Do you notice a repetitive theme in these three parables?  Something was lost and that something- be it a sheep, coin or son- became found.  In each of the three parables there was much rejoicing over each of the things lost.  The first two parables end with Jesus saying there will be much joy in heaven over the sinner who repents.  It's a big deal.  The third parable is a great picture of how our Father in heaven responds over a person who repents of their sin and returns to Him.  There is an abundance of grace displayed to the sinner.  The father in the parable did not need to throw his son a party for his return.  The father didn't even need to accept him home.  The son ungratefully took was was rightfully his at the improper time, and went and spent it all foolishly.  If my son Oskar spent his allowance (which he doesn't even get yet because he is 2, and which would be like $5, not thousands...) on something foolish (like gumballs in a gumball machine) would I say, "Oh Oskar, it's okay.  You spent your money foolishly, I'll just give you another $5."  Probably not.  Obviously as a parent we can use grace as a means to display the Father's love but it's not always our first response to our child's irresponsible behavior (which there are many more severe examples other than spending his $5 on gum!)  Anyway, my point here is that the Father displayed an undeserved merit on his son- aka grace.  The other son, didn't understand it at all and got quite angry with his dd.  Why was the son who left irresponsibly, spending all his inheritance foolishly and sinfully treated like a prince when he returned- when I who have been here faithfully the whole time not given appreciation?  I understand how this brother feels.  And maybe you side with him- because you don't understand grace.  You wouldn't if you've never experienced it.  Grace from our Father in heaven is much more astounding than this earthly example, yet some of us still might wrestle with it.  Why?  you might ask. Why would the father celebrate his homecoming?  It's wrapped up in one answer.  Grace.  
The beautiful thing about it, is it's hard to understand because as humans, grace doesn't come easy.  We want to give people what they deserve.  Grace in this parable was shown to the son once he returned into the arms of his loving father.  Our Father in heaven shows us abounding grace when we choose to return to Him with his arms open wide.  It doesn't matter what you've done against Him, He is waiting for you to return to Him.  Jesus said it in the first two parables: "There is joy in heaven over a sinner who repents."
Are you in need of repentance?  Have you ever experienced the undeserved grace of our Heavenly Father?  Are you like the brother who says I've been good, what about me? I believe I can connect that thought with the end of verse 7: "...there will be more joy...than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."  Are you the one who doesn't think they need repentance?  
How do you relate to these parables?  

~Leanne~
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The Great Banquet

3/8/2013

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luke 14 study
First off I encourage you to read thoroughly Luke 14:12-24.  
Here's my low down:  A guy decided to have a big feast.  People knew about it and had been invited prior.  When the party was ready for guests, his servant went out to tell everyone it was time to celebrate (they didn't have cellphones to do a massive text or Facebook to post the status "The feast is ready, c'mon over!")  People all over knew about this great event, yet for some reason, the people invited were making excuses so they didn't have to go!  I don't know about you, but I love food.  If you're going to invite me to a feast- there will be no excuses, I'm going!  A banquet is a great time, everyone knew that, yet there were some that didn't want to go.  Since there were so many that rejected the invitation, the host of the banquet, knowing there was plenty of food and space, asked his servant to go and invite the people of low social status: the blind, lame, crippled and poor.  This must have been a huge banquet because after the servant went out to the streets and invited the first round of unpopular people the host asked him to go out and invite the people from the "highways and hedges" and compel them to come that his house would be full.  In context, the people from the "highways and hedges" were Gentiles (not belonging to the same religious views as the Jewish people, and were considered by the Jews to be rejected by God.)  The text ends with the host saying, "For none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet".  I'm thinking that this guy who threw the party was peeved that his invitees didn't come. Wouldn't you be?  

This is a picture of the Kingdom of God.  Many are invited- but some make excuses why they don't wanna be apart of it.  The kingdom of God here, isn't necessarily referring to heaven, but rather God's reign and dominion on earth.  People make excuses why they don't want to let God have rule in their life and participate in the banquet of abundant blessing.  Are you one of those people that God has invited but  are busy making excuses as to why it's not for you?  The three examples of people making excuses not to go was because they had something more important to do (one had bought a field and had to go see it, one had bought oxen and needed to examine them and one had just married...and well, you know what comes after that!)  But really!?  What excuse are you making to not be apart of the Great Banquet that Jesus is having?  It's interesting to me (because of other areas God is speaking in my life) that the host goes and then chooses the outcasts of people: the blind, poor, lame, crippled and the Gentiles from outside the city, to invite into his home.  Why didn't these people have excuses too?  I want you to meditate on this passage and the significance of it.  What does Jesus want us to learn from this?   


I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!


~Leanne~
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The Narrow Door

3/4/2013

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luke 13 study
"Strive to enter through the narrow door.  For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."  {Verse 24}
In general, I think society thinks heaven has it's gates wide open to most people who are not bad people... and what even in this day and age constitutes as "bad people"?  Sure, there are obvious attributes to getting this reputation- like the people who go walking through a school, mall or movie theater with a gun shooting and killing innocent people.  Anyone I think, believer or not, would say, they're definitely in the "bad people" category.  But what is Jesus' definition of "bad people"?  Jesus often uses the term "workers of evil" or "evil ones" rather than "bad people".  In fact, in this chapter, we see in his example of the narrow door, that there were people that came to Jesus saying, "We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets," yet Jesus says, "I tell you, I do not know where you come from.  Depart from me, all you workers of evil!"  In Matthew 7, there were people who prophesied in Jesus' name, drove out demons in His power, and performed miracles in His authority, but again, Jesus, concerning their salvation said to them, "Away from me you workers of lawlessness!"
If we take even just these two references to evildoers in the New Testament and compare them with the many people in America today who believe they're going to heaven, does it change our perspective on who the saved are?  Jesus said narrow is the door that leads to eternal life and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14).  If Jesus says that only a few find it, are you among the few?  If you think that you are, how do you know?  Let me assure you that just because you keep a seat warm at your church, go to the small groups, pray, listen to Christian radio- even lead in ministry, does not guarantee your salvation.  Many people believe they are saved and will go to heaven- but that is not so.  Even the people who performed miracles, cast out demons and prophesied in Jesus' name were not among the few.  Does this concern you?  Is the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart?  Have any questions? Email me;  or better yet- ask God.  My prayer is that you are among the few chosen ones, and if you are not, I pray that your eyes would be open and your heart would receive the Good News that brings salvation. {Read more about this}

~Leanne~
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When the Master Returns

3/1/2013

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luke 12 study
Before you read on, please read carefully Luke 12:35-48: 
"Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?"And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, "My master is delayed in coming," and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
How many of us live in a way that shows we are expecting our Master to return soon?  Or are we living as if we know when He is returning (or when our death is)?  If we honestly lived like Jesus was returning soon, be it 5 years, 2 years, 36 days etc., how would our life on earth look different to the ones around you?  Why would our lives look different then, when Jesus teaches us in this text to live expecting Him?  I myself am challenged with this text.  What would my life look like if I knew Jesus was coming in the near future?  What would I spend my time doing?  What relationships would I invest more time in?  What things wouldn't I be doing?  There are so many distractions in this life that seem important because we live here.  But remember this is not our home.  Our purpose here isn't to build bigger storehouses to fill with our things (Luke 12:16-21), to fulfill a bucket list, or to be entertained with all the world has to offer.  Of course, I don't mean to spend every waking minute reading your Bible while neglecting the things God has given you stewardship over- but really, what are wasting your time doing that is keeping you from being dressed and ready for the Master to return?  
Something to think about...

~Leanne~
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Back to Normal?

2/28/2013

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Well it's been a week since Joey, my husband, has been back from the Philippines.  And I think I can say... things are back to normal.  It took a few days for Joey's sleep schedule to get back on the USA track and it took me a few days to get used to sleeping beside a snorer again!  Heehee.  We all missed him, although we had great friends and family take very good care of us while he was away.  Joey said the best things about his trip were being around other godly men for ten days straight, with no distractions (that's including me!) and also being in a foreign country ministering to strangers- yet they weren't strangers- they were brothers and sisters in Christ. He thought it to be so amazing that although they had never met, cultural barriers, and didn't have much in common- Jesus was the One thing that connected them together as if they were close family.  Isn't it amazing how the family of God works?  Last night we had youth group at our church that Joey leads and I help out with- it runs at the same time as a couple other ministries at church, so when we go, we see our church family.  I always leave the church anticipating the next time I get to see them.  Jesus unites His children together with His love and grace.  It's amazing.  
Anyway, after Joey shares with our church family this Sunday at church I will post some pictures from his trip! Stay tuned!

~Leanne~
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The Lord's Prayer

2/25/2013

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luke 11 study
So we reached Luke 11, where a very familiar prayer to all of us- young and old, the Christian and non-Christian, the business man or the stay-at-home mom- is introduced.  This prayer was actually first introduced in Matthew 6, and the text in each of Matthew's account and Luke's account differ slightly.  However, the model remains intact and simple.  I am going to break down each line of Luke's account of the Lord's prayer and explain it, personalize it and apply it.  Enjoy!

"Father, hallowed be your name."
Father, is the name God uses for His children.  Hallowed means to regarded as holy, sacred.  Do you see God's name as holy and sacred?  When you pray and address God, your attitude should be that of reverence and submission.  How do you address God?
"Your kingdom come."
In the Bible, "your kingdom" is often used interchangeably with "the kingdom of God".   The kingdom of God is His dominion.  So when we pray, "Your kingdom come", we are saying, "Lord have your way.  Reign and rule here on earth."  We are essentially submitting to His reign because obviously we don't give God permission for Him to have dominion on earth, but we do invite Him to have complete dominion in our hearts.  Have you given Him dominion over your heart, or do you pray to God only when you are in desperate need of something?
"Give us each day our daily bread..."
First of all, what is "daily bread"?  Remember in the desert when God sent manna down from heaven to feed the Israelites?  They had a physical need (hunger) and God provided, but they had a spiritual need for Him and He showed them their need for Him also [Exodus 16].  When we pray, "Give us each day our daily bread" I include not only the physical needs of our life on earth, but also that God would meet us daily where we are and provide for us fullness in Him.  Do you rely on God to give you all you need or do you trust in your own doing?
"and forgive us our sins..."
Notice that this is a model for prayer- not once, but daily.  This is very relevant as this prayer shows that daily we need to ask Him for forgiveness and it isn't a one time thing.  When is the last time you have asked for forgiveness?
"...for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us."
Also notice the word for in this text being used right after the request that God forgives our sins.  In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus says this: "For if you forgive others their trespasses [sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  WOW.  This is huge.  Many people ask God to forgive them, but they remain unforgiving to someone who has hurt them.  This text says that if you have not forgiven someone then you will not be forgiven!  Who have you not forgiven?  
"And lead us not into temptation."
Temptation is not fun.  It can be hard.  But as believers we don't have to sin because Jesus gives us a way of escaping the temptation {1 Corinthians 10:13}.   Since we live in a fallen world with an evil one who wants to devour us in sinful enticements, we are asking God here to be our strength and help us in times of temptation.  Matthew 6:13 says: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (emphasis mine). So not only are we asking that God protect us from temptation, but deliver us from it. How do you respond to temptation?

I hope that reading my thoughts on the Lord's prayer, that you learned something or saw it in a fresh perspective.  My prayer is that you respond to what God wants us to know about Him through this text.

~Leanne~
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Are You a Mary or a Martha?

2/22/2013

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luke 10 study
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.  And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.  But Martha was distracted with much serving.  And she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me."  But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."  {Verses 38-42}
Some people after reading this would think, what was Martha doing wrong, she was serving!  And I agree- except that the words of Jesus I think we need to focus on here is this:  "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things..."  The problem wasn't that Martha was serving her guests.  The problem was that she was distracted with it.    All of us can be distracted by the events of life, the company we have, the tasks of day-to-day, but Jesus says only one thing is necessary- and that is a relationship with Him.  So ladies especially, don't get distracted by housework.  Don't be troubled and anxious in all of your "to-do's".  Jesus encourages women to study the Word, so my encouragement to you is make time with Jesus a priority- Mary did, and she was praised for it.  Martha was too worried about the things of her house that she didn't take time to sit and learn from Jesus.  
I find it so difficult sometimes to remember this.  For me, if my house is a mess, I don't feel like I'm doing my job, and in being a good homemaker, I am honoring Jesus.  But Jesus doesn't want us to replace our time with Him to sweep the floor.  I think it is necessary to remain in the Word and not be anxious about keeping the house clean.  Don't get me wrong:  don't neglect your housework either, but don't place it above your quiet time with Jesus.  
It seems that most times for me, when I do place a priority on being in the Word, and even spending quality time with my children, that somehow I still get time to clean the house to my satisfaction. 

My prayer for you is that you don't get distracted with things that are temporary (heehee- a clean house for instance) but remain focused on the "One ~thing [that] is necessary."


~Leanne~
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Take Up Your Cross

2/18/2013

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luke 9 study
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.  For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."  {Verses 23-26}
What does it mean to take up your cross?  Jesus says here that if you want to follow him, you need to deny who you are- let go of your plans, dreams, hopes for life and surrender to the plans and purposes of Jesus.  Notice, that Jesus says to take up the cross daily and follow Him.  Following Jesus isn't a one time decision, it is a daily decision to surrender yourself to Him- even when that means rejection from people even to the point of death.   If you try to save your earthly life by living your dreams and in your control, you might live a great earthly life, but you will not inherit eternal life in Christ.  If you deny your earthly life, giving up the comforts of this world, caring more about plans and purposes of Jesus rather than the popularity and reputation you have with people, you will gain eternal life with Him in heaven.   What's the point in gaining all you can on earth, but being rejected by God at the end of time?  Do things really matter to you that  much that you would lose your soul over your reputation or possessions?  
This is something to seriously ponder.  There are so many people that because they can't see God or heaven or know His plans, just pass it by instead.  But know that, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)  This is one of my favorite verses of Scripture.  Even though I don't know His plans, they are always greater than mine.  Being human (and a woman!), I like control.  There are times when God brings me to a place and reminds me to let go and let Him.  Jesus asks us to give up control of our lives daily.  If you are wrestling with God about something, check how much control you have or are trying to still have on the situation.   Remember that God is good, all the time- even when things seem rough or when you wonder what the heck He is up to.  He sees the bigger picture- and if you do deny yourself and take up His cross, you will be blessed His plans and purposes and will bless you in ways you would have never thought for yourself!  His ways are perfect.
Deny yourself, and follow Him.

~Leanne~
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Exposing Darkness

2/16/2013

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luke 8 study
"No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be know and come to light."       {Verses 16-17}
What is your purpose for turning on a light when you enter a room?  If you're like me  in this case, which I think most people are, it's to see what's in the room!  We have to remember that when this was written they would light a torch for light since they didn't have electricity... so their purpose of lighting a lamp would be the same as ours.  What happens when you turn on a light?  You can see what is in front of you.  When the "light" of Christ is ignited in our hearts, His light exposes the dark places of our hearts.  These "dark places" are exposed at different times throughout our lives.  In one season His light is shone in one corner- in the next season, a different corner.  In the spiritual aspect of His light shining in the dark places, it is a part of the purification and sanctification process.  Don't be discouraged!  When Jesus sheds light on our dark places- aka sin- He is pruning us and molding us to be more like Him!  We should be humbly accepting the parts of us He shows us are not of Him.  I know, it can feel discouraging sometimes.  He shows you an area of darkness, you surrender it to Him, He purifies us, then it seems soon after, He exposes more!  We are full of sin- you, me, and the person next door- we're all sinners.  Don't let Satan use the process of sanctification to discourage you, but rather be that more grateful that Jesus loves you that much that He won't leave you the way you are, but rather He does His work in you to be more like Him!  What an awesome God we serve!

~Leanne~
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That One

2/11/2013

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luke 7 study
Okay, before we begin I want to recap for you God's initial plan when He created the world.   
God created Adam and Eve as the first people on earth. Adam was supposed to keep the garden by protecting it from evil.  Adam failed.  When the serpent came to tempt Eve, Adam should have protected her by slaying the serpent, but he did not.  Therefore, sin was birthed and a promise from God was given.  Genesis 3:14-15, "The Lord God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this...I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he [Jesus] shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.' "  Later on, God made a covenant with Abram- "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be  blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall by blessed." {Genesis 12:1-3} Then in Genesis 15 God tells Abram that although he is childless, he and his wife would bear a son- despite their old age, and that his offspring will be innumerable. Genesis 17:1-8~  "When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.'  Then Abram fell on his face.  And God said to him, 'Behold, my covenant is with you and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.  No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.  I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.  And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you...'"
We know then that someone through the line of Abraham defeat evil once and for all.  Well we find out it's not Abraham or Moses, as some would have expected.  We learn in Isaiah 11:1~ "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.  And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD."
This "shoot" is King David, and the branch that comes from him is Jesus.  

In Luke 7, Jesus says to John's disciples, 
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
Why did I go all the way back to Genesis to relate this passage to you?  Because this passage would not mean anything to you if you didn't know that throughout the entire Old Testament, the people were waiting for a Savior who would defeat evil forever.  They were waiting on this king God spoke of early in Genesis.  In Isaiah 35, it was prophesied that when the true One from God has come, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing..." Then in Isaiah 61:1-3~ "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives..."  
Jesus was fulfilling these two Isaiah passages and telling John, I am he.  I am that one that Isaiah was prophesying about.
Jesus not only tells John this, but he is telling us it too.  I am he.  I am that one that Isaiah was prophesying about.  I am the One God sent to defeat evil once and for all.  When this world ends, it will be done. 


Do you believe He is that one?

~Leanne~
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    Lover of Jesus, wife to a great husband, mother of 3 young children. I love to write, cook, and make greeting cards! Read more about me and my family here.

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