Our Daily Time With The Lord

What do you think about when you're eating, or doing housework, or going for a drive with Leonard, or cooking dinner (if you do)? I don't actually schedule time for reflection exactly, although I guess you could say I do as it's something I do during my study time.  In other words, I don't just read and study whatever portion I'm doing that day, I also take time afterward to talk to the Lord about what I just read and studied about. But it's not just talking to Him either.  It's more like thinking about what I studied, reflecting on it, and telling the Lord everything that comes to my mind as I do so.  Do you know what I mean?  After that, I generally finish my time by praying for my family and friends, including you guys.  The next thing I do is come here to FH, and post in christian chat and then here. If I have time, I'll make some other posts.  About noon I turn my computer off and get going on the chores. I usually clean the litter box and then spend time rolling cigarettes for Bruce.  That takes about an hour and I do it sitting down.  Instead of turning on the TV, I use that time to continue to talk to the Lord, and or pray for family or friends, or just reflect on what I studied some more, or sometimes all of those things. (because when I'm in a lot of pain, it takes longer for me to do the chore lol)  Later, when I'm doing other housework, if I can, like the laundry or dishes or even cooking dinner, I again spend that time talking to the Lord (in my mind if Bruce is home lol) praying and reflecting on what I learned and how I can apply it etc.  So basically, I use every opportunity I can, when I don't have to be actively listening to someone or actively using my mind to do something.  For example, I can't do that when I'm working on paying the bills because I have to be extra careful that I don't mess up. I generally pray for the Lord to help me before starting or if I'm having a hard time balancing the check book, I'll pray and ask for His help, but other than that, I have to use my mind to think about what I'm doing so I can't use that time to reflect on anything.  But if I'm doing the dishes, my mind can be thinking about anything since i don't need to use it to do that chore.  See what I mean?  

Please know that I'm not setting myself up as the perfect example, because I'm far from perfect! I mess up and I sin just as much as anyone does. I only used my routine as an example because it was all I could think of to show how our lives should be. There are many times when I slip up and watch TV or think about something else instead of keeping my eyes on the Lord, but in general, I have set up a routine with the Lord's help, to make Him real in my life, and have seen the benefits of it.

It's part of making the Lord the master of your whole life, and not just someone you speak to once in a while or read about daily for a short time.  Remember in the books Moses wrote when God laid down all His laws about how He wanted them to live?  God made sure that they would have to think about Him no matter what they were doing, all day and night long, except when they were asleep. They had to know what foods were clean and what weren't, and how they could cook those they were allowed to eat. They had to know what kind of pots they could use to cook in, and what kind they could store food in, as well as which foods they could store and which they couldn't. They had to know what to do if the woman had her period, or if the man had a discharge, or if they found mildew in their home or clothing, or utensils etc. what to do for various common illnesses, and what to do after they had sex or after a woman had a baby, or when a child was betrothed.  God made sure that every part of their lives was connected in some way to Him. Back then, He did so with rules, and if they didn't keep those rules they were punished by their elders.  In our time, the age of Grace, He does the same thing but does it with His love, grace and mercy.  In other words, He wants to be a part of every aspect of our lives, but instead of giving us rules to follow with an "or else" attached to them, He simply commands us to love Him with all our hearts, minds and strength; He commands us to "remain in Him at all times" etc.  When we don't do so, the punishment is simply that we slip back into our old ways, or in some cases, simply never change in some areas.  At the very worst case, we grieve the Holy Spirit and harden our hearts against Him.  Thankfully, because we are living in the age of Grace, we can always confess and repent and then begin anew at any time. 

When we obey Him in this, we will find that the changes happen in us much faster.  We generally don't notice it at first especially until we look back and compare how we were before with how we are now.  If we do that every six months or every year even, then we'll see that He is changing us from the inside out, and the changes are happening much faster than they did before.  A change may have taken 20 years before, now takes 6 months!  It's amazing!  Among those changes is that we discover our feelings begin to match our faith, and we begin to not just realize that there is a spiritual realm or reality all around us, but we begin to see it. I don't mean we see it with our physical eyes, (although that can happen at times too) but more that we realize it's there, and have a knowing of what's going on in that reality around us and our loved ones.  I'm not just speaking of Satan and demons, but of the Lord, and His angels, and what's happening. We begin to realize that there's a great deal more to our life than we were ever aware of before, and that the vast majority of what's most important to our lives is what's happening in the spiritual realm, not the physical realm. Little by little, we begin to realize and recognize that our life is not limited to this physical realm anymore, but also happens in the spiritual realm as well.  From that point we begin to really understand why we will never die and all of it becomes something we "know" instead of something we "believe". 

But for all of that to happen, for us to live the life God has for us, what Jesus called living it to the full, or an abundant life (depending on the version you read), we must be in His Word daily, studying it with Him, and reflecting on it throughout the day - making God and His Word part of every part of our lives, no matter what we're doing.  In other words, we don't take some time to study His Word, and then get on with our day as usual, the way we always have.  Instead, the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the Lord and Master of every part of our life.  He begins to truly be first in our lives because we no longer put ourselves, our life, or anything or anyone else above Him. 

I believe when you take the next step and begin to do this, you will see remarkable changes in your life. In fact, I'm going to start our new thread with a copy of this, because I believe this is the next step for you and that everything we discuss will have something to do with this. 

Your words don't have to always be dealing with the gospel - at least not obviously. As long as we are speaking truthfully and in love and with love, that is an example of how God changes us with His Gospel.  When we are no longer being self centered, but are being centered on others, then we are showing them what God looks like and how He acts toward us.  We're showing them Jesus. So that's a great application!  I found an interesting tidbit about Titus mentioned in a commentary on verse 4 where it names the people who went with Paul. ‎These are probably men from various churches sent to accompany Paul’s special monetary gift to the church in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1–3; 2 Cor. 8–9). ‎The following is taken from my commentary on I Corinthians. ‎This offering is mentioned in several NT books (cf. Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 8–9; 1 Cor. 16:1). It was an attempt to seal the relationship between the Hebrew mother church and the Gentile churches. From 2 Cor. 8:6, 2 Cor. 8:16 it seems that Titus may have also been a church representative. It is so strange that Luke never mentions Titus in Acts. The theory has been that Titus was Luke’s brother and that modesty caused him to omit his name. This may also explain the unnamed brother in 2 Cor 8:16, who many think was Luke. Luke the Historian

I'm a little surprised that you left out the miracle which happened.  So let me share a bit about that too with you, as there's much to learn from it.

Acts 20:7 is the clearest verse in the NT which indicates that Sunday was the normal meeting day of the apostolic church. Paul stayed in Troas for 7 days (v. 6) and the church met on the first day of the week. Luke’s method of counting days here was not Jewish, which measures from sundown to sundown, but Roman, which counted from midnight to midnight. This can be stated dogmatically because “daylight” (v. 11) was the next day (v. 7). The Bible Knowledge Commentary

‎The first day came to be called “the Lord’s Day” because on it the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead (Rev. 1:10). We should also remember that the church was born on the first day of the week when the Spirit came at Pentecost. During the early years of the church, the believers did maintain some of the Jewish traditions, such as the hours of prayer (Acts 3:1). But as time went on, they moved away from the Mosaic calendar & developed their own pattern of worship as the Spirit taught them.

The church met in the evening because Sunday was not a holiday during which people were free from daily employment.‎ Some of the believers would no doubt be slaves, unable to come to the assembly until their work was done. The believers met in an upper room because they had no church buildings in which to gather. The Word of God was always declared in the Christian assemblies, and this included the public reading of the OT Scriptures (1 Tim. 4:13) as well as whatever apostolic letters had been received (Col. 4:16). It is sad to see how the Word is neglected in church services today.‎The early church shared a “potluck” meal called the “love feast” after which they would observe the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 11:17–34). The “breaking of bread” in Acts 20:7 refers to the Lord’s Supper, whereas in Acts 20:11 it describes a regular meal. By sharing and eating with one another, the church enjoyed fellowship and also gave witness of their oneness in Christ. Slaves would actually eat at the same table with their masters, something unheard of in that day. It is likely that the church observed the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s Day when they met for fellowship and worship. In fact, some believers probably ended many of their regular meals at home by taking the bread and wine and remembering the Lord’s death.

How old was Eutychus? The Greek word neanias‎ in Acts 20:9 means a man from 24 to 40 years of age. The word pais in Acts 20:12 means a young child or youth. Dr. Howard Marshall, an eminent Greek scholar, says he was a ‎“young lad of 8 to 14 years.” Since the word pais can mean ‎“a servant,” Eutychus may have been a young man who was also a servant. He may have worked hard that day and was weary.  The Bible exposition commentary

Acts 20:9 ‎Luke says “dead” and not “as dead.” We have every reason to suppose that as a physician Luke hurried down with the others and examined the youth himself and found that life was extinct. The youth was not hastily and mistakenly pronounced dead. The view that “dead” does not mean that his soul had left the body is untenable, for that is exactly what “dead” means. Equally untenable is the idea that, when death sets in, the soul still hovers near the body. This is the old superstition that is back of so many superstitious practices connected with dying and with funerals. The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles

Acts 20:10–12 ‎Luke, the physician, affirmed that Eutychus was picked up dead after he had fallen from a third-story window. After the manner of Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 17:21; 2 Kings 4:34–35), Paul embraced Eutychus and the young man came alive. The Bible Knowledge Commentary

‎Negative commands in the present imperative often mean to stop an action already begun. So here the people had already begun their loud lament for the dead, and Paul tells them to stop it. ‎Paul ran down and “fell on” the young man. The verb is finite & not a participle. A participle might express action that is simultaneous with εἶπε, so that Paul spoke as he fell on the young man, said that his soul was in him as an explanation as to why he fell on him. But this idea is excluded by the finite verb. This makes fully clear the participle “having embraced” him, for it repeats & amplifies the finite verb “fell on him.” The point of Luke’s verb forms is that after these actions Paul spoke as he did. The young man, taken up dead, has his soul in him, i. e., is alive after Paul fell on him & embraced him. Luke says no more—it is enough. Paul brought the dead man’s soul back as Elijah & Elisha had done. The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles

‎The miracle of resurrection depicts the power behind the Church: the resurrection of Jesus (1:2–3; 2:24). Such an overwhelming demonstration of power would encourage the Church to persevere in the face of persecution. Paul’s actions recall the act of Elisha, who threw himself on the Shulammite’s son (2 Kgs 4:34). When Elisha did this, the dead boy returned to life. This may help to make sense of Paul’s statement that no one should be troubled since the boy is still alive. The boy was dead, but because of Paul’s actions, he is raised from the dead. This is also similar to the event involving Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8:49–56. Ultimately, the resurrection shows God has conquered death. Faithlife Study Bible

This section shows me how God can turn something bad into something wonderful, and use it for His Glory and our good.



Exactly!  That's what I do at times too, only I tend to do it out loud.  For me though, if I watch something like that for very long, I tend to get angry and frustrated, so I've learned to just tune it out and read a book or something else when Bruce has something like that on the TV. (But then again, Bruce has also learned that if he keeps on watching something like that, it aggravates me, so he's learned to switch to a different show rather quickly )  But, that's a good way to practice defending the faith - IF we can do so without getting angry or at least without letting the anger control us.  The Lord has taught me over the years to turn that anger on to Satan who is the real culprit and is causing those people to be blind to the truth, and to view the people instead with pity.  Feeling sorry for them makes it easy for me to pray for them, as it reminds me that I once viewed the world in the same way they do.   So God used even those TV shows and my anger and worked it for good, just as He will with you!

That's a good application. Generally though, when we read that verse we see it as saying that all that mattered to Paul was testifying to others about the Gospel.  It does mean that, but it means more than that.  Words are very important, and Paul used words constantly to tell others about the Gospel and used God's Word as much as his own words to do that. But Paul also used his very life itself to tell others about the Gospel. He lived his faith and worked as hard as humanly possible with God's help to be as perfect an example of Christ as he could be to the world.  That's why he could tell people to to imitate him, to follow his example. That really blows me away and I strive to be able to say the same thing some day myself. But that day hasn't come yet, much to my shame.  I still have to many "except when I...." to be able to say that.
It was because of that, that Paul was able to state: “When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.” (Acts 20:18) and the rest of what he wrote concerning that in verses: Acts 20:19–21.  Finally let me quote from one of my books about these last verses of Paul's, starting with Acts 20:24.

‎My life—my course—my ministry. It would do us good to repeat those 3 phrases at the beginning of each day, for they help us take inventory of our spiritual experience. Am I holding my life dear to myself, or do I yield my life to Christ? Am I running on the course God has assigned to me? Am I fulfilling the ministry that He has given me? No matter what problems you may be facing just now, turn yourself over to Jesus. Yield Him your life and let Him work out His perfect will in you—in your life, your course, and your ministry.
‎The first phrase is “my life.” Paul said, “Neither count I my life dear unto myself. . . .” He learned this truth from the Lord Jesus Christ. ‎God gave you natural life, but He also gave you spiritual life through faith in Jesus Christ. God made you and God saved you. The life you have, physically and spiritually, is the gift of God. ‎It was the will of God that was uppermost in Paul’s life. ‎His life was not a treasure for him to guard; it was a treasure for him to invest by yielding to Christ. ‎Paul uses a second phrase, “my course.” ‎The important thing is that we obey the rules, keep running for the prize, and stay in the correct lane. If we do, then God will reward us at the end of the course.
If we fail to run as we should, we will lose our reward. ‎We need to feed on the Word of God, breathe the pure air of heaven as we pray, and rest in the Lord and trust Him for the strength we need. ‎One of the worst things a runner can do is keep looking back. ‎The last of the three phrases that Paul uses in Acts 20:24 is “my ministry”—“the ministry, which I have received of the Lord.” Each of us has a special ministry from the Lord that no one can do for us. It is our ministry, assigned to us by the Lord, and we are responsible to finish it for His glory. We never should envy somebody else because of his or her ministry, because the work God has given us to do is just as important in the eyes of God. The bumps are what you climb on.

“Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” (1 Corinthians 4:16)
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
“Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” (Philippians 3:17)
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9)
“You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6)
“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,” (2 Thessalonians 3:7)
“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (Hebrews 6:12)


That's a wonderful idea!  I'm sure the people who get them will appreciate them greatly.  Are you planning to put a note in the bags to explain that they are for people to take and are free?  This is exactly what Elijah and Grace did at Sunday School a couple of months ago. They each filled up a bag with things for the homeless and wrote a note explaining that it was offered for free with love and that they would be praying for the person who took the bag. They explained too that they had decided to do this as a way to show others that God loved them and wanted to help them. Finally they also printed the name of their church and the times of the service, inviting them to come and worship with them and learn about the God who knew their name and loved them.  The kids loved doing that so much and were thrilled when they finally saw a homeless person they could give their bag too. Their Dad pulled over on the side of the road and stopped the car, while the kids got their bags out.  (they kept them in the car so they'd be able to give it to the first homeless person they saw)  Then Jenn and Bob got out to watch, and to guard the children, while the kids ran over to the man and gave him their bag. After he accepted it, they both said, God bless you and ran back to their parents, at which point their parents led them in prayer for the man - still standing there on the street. The first man they saw, they gave Elijah's bag to. A week later, they repeated it with another man they saw and gave him Gracie's bag. The kids loved doing it so much that they've made up more bags and have them ready for the next person they see like that!


Well, for one thing, Jerusalem now, doesn't look the way it did in the time of Christ; and in the time of Christ, it didn't look as it did when the Lord first led them to the "land of milk and honey".  And of course, there was no mosque there back then either. The climate and geography has changed a lot since then, mainly due to God's judgements against Israel over the centuries.  The only way we can get an idea of what it must have been like is by reflecting on what God called it then, "the land of milk and honey".  Another way we can get a small idea of what it will look like in the future, after the Second Coming, is by reflecting on what we're told about how it will look then.  We can consider what New Jerusalem will look like and how God is going to make it quite literally the highest point on the earth and the center of the world. As far as actual beauty goes, Jerusalem will one day be the most beautiful place on the planet.  “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.” (Isaiah 65:18)


This can remind us that God sees things as they really are, not as they appear to be at the moment.  It's the way He sees us as well.  You again are thinking and saying you're not beautiful, but God sees you as a very beautiful and precious woman.  One day, that will be true of your flesh as well, so that you will never, ever again consider yourself anything but beautiful; you'll realize that you are a masterpiece of our God's labor when He lovingly formed you in your mother's womb.

I used to feel the same way about myself.  I think just about every female ever born does, and most males as well. To help me, one of the elders at my church gave me a verse to reflect on daily, telling me that this was how the Lord saw me and thought of me.  Now I give them to you: “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” (Song of Solomon 2:4) “My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.” (Song of Solomon 2:10) “My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” (Song of Solomon 2:14) (my voice being "sweet" really made me do a double take since I can't carry a tune in a basket, lol, but now I know the Lord loves my voice, and loves to hear me sing of His love and praise Him.) “All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)  “How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!” (Song of Solomon 4:10)  The Lord truly loves us and delights in us!  he sees no flaw in us, and one day that will be as literally true just as it is legally true now.

Hey guys.
These past weeks were tough from me.
After a week sick from gastroenteritis, a little later I was sick again with tonsillitis and at the some days before I got sick I had an accident. I went to the movies and after the screening ended I fell off the stairs. I cannot find the right words in English to explain exactly what happened, but the result was really painful... So these past weeks I wasnt online and I felt also emotionally sick from all these.
But... I yesterday finished the book of 2nd Timothy and now I will move on.