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Post by evafromgreece on Feb 10, 2016 16:11:37 GMT -5
I will reply to you soon. I am sick again with tonsilitis...
I studied Acts 11-12 and now I am moving on
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
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Post by fearnot on Feb 10, 2016 19:07:57 GMT -5
Sorry Cindy, the day got away from me but I have been reading and studying Amos.
Starting with Amos 4
Amos addresses the woman of money not in a flattering way because the loved their own personal comforts but treated the poor like dirt. It's strange how people right up to this very day do that, they somehow think money makes them somebody soooo very special that other people are so far below them, that they step on those lowly people. It reminded me of the verse in I Timothy 6:10
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..."
I found interesting the following verses of ch 4 with God saying:
"I gave...withheld, struck etc. and 5 times He sadly says: " yet you have not returned to me".
Yesterday, I read Amos ch.5
And today I am about to read ch.6 ( I didn't keep to my scheduled time today.)
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Post by Cindy on Feb 11, 2016 11:43:06 GMT -5
Since we're starting a new page, I'm quoting my last reply to you both. I replied to your posts from Feb 7th:
Ι am not sure if you understand what I am trying to say. My scheduled time is every night after work, but it cannot be the scheduled time in FH always. Anyway, if you wish create another thread as you said that we can talk about questions etc, and its ok
By asking me to create another thread, are you saying you do not want to do this anymore? You said you felt we weren't talking about what we were studying enough here, but I can't talk about anything unless someone brings it up first. If you don't tell me what you're reading, then I can't talk about it can I? I said you don't have to write a lot about what you've read, because I know you hated having to write a lot when I asked you to before....well you thought it was a lot, but it really wasn't. So I thought you'd be happy that you didn't have to write a lot anymore. What I'm saying now though is that you can write as much or as little as you want to about what you studied, and I've always said you can always ask questions about what you studied and I'll try to answer them. So what do you want to do? Are you going to do this with us or are you quitting? Eva, I can't really speak for Cindy, I am sure she will come and speak for herself.....
But, I am pretty sure she is not asking us to post every day at the same time ( tho, it would be cool if we could)...
My understanding is that she is only asking we read the Bible and study it at approx the same time each day
In fact, she even said, if we can't post....
to let each other know what we read and studied the day before, or even several days in a row ( not ideal, and not to make a habit of that, but things happen).
I suspect that if we checked a few weeks of her posts here on this thread, we would see that she may have posted early morning one day and late at night the next ( but she read and studied bible scriptures each day)
Also, she has said to me, at least, I am fairly sure.....to feel free to ask questions if after studying, I have questions.
But if I am wrong, she will correct me.....but I really don't think she ever asked us to post the same time each day.
Anyway, I am soooo happy you are back. Cindy and I were really worried...I imagined all sorts of bad things like: maybe you were in the hospital dying of some rare disease, or some sort of violence had happened to you, you lost your job, your computer broke etc etc etc. sniff sniff
It's like what I used to ( and still sometimes still feel) with our children....it's the not knowing thats the worse....
Sort of like Cindy said....if for some reason, you didn't want to be with us studying God's Word anymore, well, ok, but don't just disappear into a black hole....just tell us so we won't worry. We really care about you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sooooo after all that....
Yesterday, I read Amos 3
So Amos 3 talks about why God was judging Northern Israel
( they were ungrateful, willfully ignorant, and they didn't know how to do right)!
Well, those all fit my life to a tee!!!
I have been 'trying'... and actually 'Thanking God' for some many of my abundant blessings....
Yet.... I so often fail..... by forgetting, or just not thinking of the Lord to thank Him....
until waaaay later in the day or night
( better late than never I guess),
but I do not want to settle for that,
its almost the same as not really being grateful at all.
Willfully ignorant reminds me of how children when caught doing something they know they were told repeatedly NOT to do,
Will say:
"I didn't know...you didn't tell me, I didn't understand etc.
It's true, there are occasions we do not understand, or miss
( if told over and over)....it's happened to me, on this thread.
However, I could have asked you Cindy ( like I did the day , if I was ok etc.)
That describes me too and I think it fits just about everyone really. We're all like that. I know it pleases God though when we ask Him to help us so that we won't be like that. I think we all go through stages where we're first like Israel was, then we try on our own not to be, and then we finally ask God to help us to do better. That's when things really start to change, although we may not realize it for a long while. I think that varies- we have good days and bad days and better days, but if we keep on persevering, with God's help, eventually we'll get there.
I wrote about something I studied that may help you someday. I posted it here:
fresh-hope.com/thread/1868/when-trials-love
Today I studied Luke 11:29–36 which is where Jesus tells them that the only sign He will give them is the sign of Jonah. It's amazing how the Lord shows us in this short piece so many things. He shows us that there are varying degrees of punishment in Hell, just as there will be varying degrees of award in heaven. He points out to the Jew's of His time that it will be Gentiles that will judge them for not believing in Him, and of course, that Gentiles will inherit the Kingdom because they did believe. He then goes on to tell them that the sign of Jonah will not be some hidden thing, but will be there for all to see, so they need to be concerned about that. Instead He tells them that they need to be concerned about the condition of their spiritual eyes, for if their spiritual eyes are not healthy, they won't be able to see the sign even though it will be quite obvious. I like the way a commentary written in 1909 paraphrases what Jesus says: “Ah!” he seems to say, “you ask a heavenly sign which will substantiate my lofty claims; that sign in a grander and more stately form than ever you have dreamed of, shall, indeed, be given you. Have no fear on that score; rather dread that blindness, the punishment of a hard and evil heart, will come upon you, and render you incapable of seeing the sign you ask for and which I mean to give you.” He was of course still speaking of the sign of his resurrection. He shows us too that it's double minded people that wind up with diseased spiritual eyes, unable to see and understand. Those people are said to have hardened hearts or be double minded. One commentary gave 3 great examples of men who were like that and who would have been unable to see and understand the sign of Jonah when it came. Let me quote what it says for you. It's so good, I'm going to quote the whole thing:
Light (Luke 11:33–36). The third illustration was from daily life, not from history, and was one Jesus had used before (Matt. 6:22–23). God’s Word is a light that shines in this dark world (Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23). But it is not enough that the light be shining externally; it must enter our lives before it can do any good. “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Ps. 119:130). The brightest sun cannot enable a blind man to see.
When we trust Jesus Christ, our eyes are opened, the light shines in, and we become children of light (John 8:12; 2 Cor. 4:3–6; Eph. 5:8–14). The important thing is that we take advantage of the light and have a single outlook of faith. If we keep one eye on the things of God and the other eye on the world (1 John 2:16), the light will turn into darkness! There is no “twilight living” for the Christian, for God demands total submission and obedience (Luke 11:23).
Three men in the Bible illustrate this truth. They began in the light and ended up in the darkness because they were double-minded. The name Samson probably means “sunny,” yet he ended up a blind slave in a dark dungeon because he yielded to “the lust of the flesh” (Jud. 16). Lot began as a pilgrim with his uncle Abraham. He ended as a drunk in a cave, committing incest (Gen. 19:30–38), because he yielded to “the lust of the eyes” (Gen. 13:10–11). Lot wanted to serve two masters and look in two directions! King Saul began his reign as a humble leader but his pride led him to a witch’s cave (1 Sam. 28), and he died of suicide on the field of battle (1 Sam. 31). His sin was “the pride of life”; he would not humble himself and obey the will of God.
Each of us is controlled either by light or darkness. The frightening thing is that some people have so hardened themselves against the Lord that they cannot tell the difference! They think they are following the light when, in reality, they are following the darkness. The scribes and Pharisees claimed to “see the light” as they studied the Law, but they were living in the darkness (see John 12:35–50). Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary
Today I studied Luke 11:37–54 and it was simply wonderful!
What's happened to you guys??? I will reply to you soon. I am sick again with tonsilitis... I studied Acts 11-12 and now I am moving on
Please show what you studied on each day you were not here, like I explained several times. Your last post was Feb 7th, so you should say what you studied on Feb 8th; Feb 9th; Feb 10th; and what you studied today. That way every one knows that you studied every day.
Sorry Cindy, the day got away from me but I have been reading and studying Amos.
Starting with Amos 4
Amos addresses the woman of money not in a flattering way because the loved their own personal comforts but treated the poor like dirt. It's strange how people right up to this very day do that, they somehow think money makes them somebody soooo very special that other people are so far below them, that they step on those lowly people. It reminded me of the verse in I Timothy 6:10
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..."
I found interesting the following verses of ch 4 with God saying:
"I gave...withheld, struck etc. and 5 times He sadly says: " yet you have not returned to me".
Yesterday, I read Amos ch.5
And today I am about to read ch.6 ( I didn't keep to my scheduled time today.)
This has always been kind of a "favorite" of mine because I love the way the Lord put's it: “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”” (Amos 4:1) He paints a picture of these godless women that you can see in your mind's eye. And to me, it reminds me of the way many women are today, especially those into the women's lib stuff. In this verse and the ones following, God is putting both the women and their husbands down. Many people don't realize that He's putting the men down too, but He is. It goes completely against what He has ordained for a man to be subservient to his wife, and of course for a woman to take on the role He ordained for men as head of the home. These men were crushing the needy because it was the only way they could get enough money to support their godless wives expensive tastes. Apparently the these women wanted to party and get drunk all the time. The words oppress and crush describe threats and physical harassments used to squeeze money from the helpless. Instead of honoring their husbands and submitting to them, these women treated them like slaves.
Amos 4:2–3 shows the Lord swearing a very solemn oath of what He is going to do to them for their godless ways. Just as cattle aren't aware that they're being fed up in order to be killed for food, so God was allowing these women to get away with their sins until the day they would be led away humiliated, as slaves themselves.
Amos 4:4–5 show that these people were still pretending to worship God while they were acting this way. He shows us here how meaningless religious rituals are when the person's heart is far from God and not obeying Him. They obviously only participated in these rituals as a way to be noticed by others.
Starting in Amos 4:6 the Lord actually answers our question of "where was God when we were being treated so badly" (the way they were treating the poor and needy to support their wives habits) God shows us that He's right there, watching, and speaking to us through the disasters that happened.
Amos 4:11 really gets me too as it shows us God's mercy. The wording also reminds me of Jude 23. Then Amos 4:12 is like, "Wow!" and Amos 4:13 makes that "wow!" not even close to enough to show how unsaved sinners should feel about meeting their maker!
Oh yeah, today I studied Luke 12:1-21. But after all that, I'm not up to writing anymore...sorry....
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 11, 2016 12:49:10 GMT -5
Cindy, you are right tho, I did include 3 days of what I read each day, but I did not write the date...
Instead I said: starting with Amos 4 ( which was one day),
then I wrote 'yesterday' I read Amos 5,
and 'today' I read Amos 6.
But I can see that could be very confusing, not a clear way to write which day ( never mind which date) I read what.
Sooooo I will try to actually follow your directions for a change!!
(At least I hope I will be doing it correct) :)
Yesterday, Feb 10th I read Amos 7
At first, it was sort of uplifting, because even tho the people had sinned and god proclaimed a judgement, because Amos intervened with intercessory prayer...God was merciful and cancelled the judgement ( two times!!)
So on the one hand intercessory prayer is powerful!
However, there may come a time, if the person or persons ( group, country etc.) you are praying for, in their behalf...
Do not repent, continue to ignore God, and continue sinning....
then God may no longer show mercy
And that is what happened in Amos chapter 7.
It makes sense that God will not allow sin and only be merciful. In fact, what is amazing is He shows mercy at all!
Today Feb 11th I am reading Amos 8 but will write a separate post as this is a tad long.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 11, 2016 13:31:32 GMT -5
Today I read and studied Amos 8
The time of mercy is over and judgment is no longer going to be avoidable, instead it is inevitable, inescapable and final!
The people are like ripe fruit ready for judgement, ready to be cut.
The people of Israel have been indifferent to God, cruel, dishonest and the time has come, but chapter 8 seems to have a more immediate judgement and a future judgement.
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Post by Cindy on Feb 12, 2016 11:26:12 GMT -5
Cindy, you are right tho, I did include 3 days of what I read each day, but I did not write the date...
Instead I said: starting with Amos 4 ( which was one day),
then I wrote 'yesterday' I read Amos 5,
and 'today' I read Amos 6.
But I can see that could be very confusing, not a clear way to write which day ( never mind which date) I read what.
Sooooo I will try to actually follow your directions for a change!!
(At least I hope I will be doing it correct) :)
Yesterday, Feb 10th I read Amos 7
At first, it was sort of uplifting, because even tho the people had sinned and god proclaimed a judgement, because Amos intervened with intercessory prayer...God was merciful and cancelled the judgement ( two times!!)
So on the one hand intercessory prayer is powerful!
However, there may come a time, if the person or persons ( group, country etc.) you are praying for, in their behalf...
Do not repent, continue to ignore God, and continue sinning....
then God may no longer show mercy
And that is what happened in Amos chapter 7.
It makes sense that God will not allow sin and only be merciful. In fact, what is amazing is He shows mercy at all!
Today Feb 11th I am reading Amos 8 but will write a separate post as this is a tad long.
 I'm so sorry Barbara. I guess cause I was feeling so rotten I just didn't see the yesterday, today etc. Probably because they weren't written like a list and instead were included in a paragraph. Still, that's no excuse, I'll try to do better. On the other hand. i had lots of fun writing about Amos 4 LOLToday I read and studied Amos 8
The time of mercy is over and judgment is no longer going to be avoidable, instead it is inevitable, inescapable and final!
The people are like ripe fruit ready for judgement, ready to be cut.
The people of Israel have been indifferent to God, cruel, dishonest and the time has come, but chapter 8 seems to have a more immediate judgement and a future judgement.
I studied Luke 12:13–21 today and wrote about it here |
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Post by Cindy on Feb 13, 2016 12:51:57 GMT -5
Today I studied Luke 12:22–34 and it really hit home to me when I realized that He was telling us this in relation to the parable about the rich man that he'd just told. That and the first two verses really made me sit up and take notice. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” (Luke 12:22–23) In the parable He'd just told before, the rich man had focused entirely on living a life of luxury; of having fine food and beautiful clothes, and all that those things suggested. Jesus said that man was a fool and that all he had accumulated was really worthless for him. He'd missed the most important things of all because he focused on his body and it's comfort. Jesus tells us that we're not to worry or focus on our bodies at all. These bodies are not who we are. Besides, we'll be getting our real body at the rapture. We should take care of this body the best we can, but not to the point of worrying about things relating to it or focusing on it. It's simply a vehicle for us to use during this lifetime; a vehicle to use to bring glory to God.
It's really amazing to see the horrible things that happen to those who do focus on their bodies and worry about the things that pertain to their bodies. Jesus tells us not to do that for a reason - He knows the horrors this sin can bring on us. Some folks focus on the idea that they're too "fat" and eventually wind up anorexic or bulimic. Others don't go that far but instead cause themselves all kinds of grief because again their thoughts are constantly on their body. They're constantly dieting or worrying that they've eaten too much or haven't lost enough weight or haven't lost it fast enough, or have gained weight, etc. Or they worry that their diet isn't working the way it should, so they often try all kinds of different diets, programs, and ways to make their body be what they have decided it should be, instead of simply accepting themselves the way that they are. For others, it's the opposite, they think they're too thin, and go through all the same things trying to gain weight! Then there are those that focus on exercise. No matter what else happens, you'll find them at the gym, or some kind of exercise class or even things like body building, weight lifting, yoga or martial arts or whatever they can think of to force their bodies to be other then the way they are.
Then there's the whole clothing thing, and dressing in the latest fashions. Some people are spending tons of money for clothes they don't need, just because the latest fashion magazines have told them that these other clothes that they're selling are the very latest and all who are in the know, wear them. So it's a frantic rush to keep up with the Jones's in the fashion industry, even though Jesus tells us that they can't possibly create anything that's as beautiful as the way God adorns the flowers in a field, flowers, that don't worry about what they look like.
Or there's the whole area of make up, and hair style or dying their hair or whatever; not to forget manicures and pedicures and tanning salons or just plain "beauty salons". Along with all of this are all the products, supplements and even surgical procedures that are supposed to make people look younger. (at least in our opinions). Speaking of supplements, there are also people that spend amazing amounts of money on those things to try and make their bodes become what they want instead of what they are. I'm constantly amazed at how much money people spend on all this kind of stuff. I'm more amazed though at how very important this is to so many people.
But God says, "No!, that's not what our focus is to be on!" 1 John 2:16 defines all sin as either: 1) the lust of the flesh, 2) the lust of the eyes, 3) the boastful pride of life; but look at what the next verse says: “For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:16–17) They pass away, like the rich man in the parable Jesus told before this portion of scripture. We're not to be like him, we're to be separate from the world. Do you remember how God described Lucifer before he fell? “ ‘...You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. ...” (Ezekiel 28:12–14) Like Jesus said, certainly more beautiful then even the flowers of the fields! But because of his great beauty, and the pride it generated, he sinned and fell from God's grace. He focused on his beauty instead of on the God who gave it to him. And that's exactly what every commercial we see, hear or read is trying to make us do. That's what we're doing when we focus on this body and try to make it something that it isn't. (Ezekiel 16:14–15)
Please know that I am not saying that we shouldn't keep our bodies clean and neat, or that we shouldn't keep them as healthy as we can. What I'm saying is that our body should not be what we are focused on in this life. How do we know if we're focusing on it instead of God and His righteousness, His kingdom? Look at the amount of time that's spent in front of a mirror, and especially at the amount of time spent thinking about diets, weight, looks, etc. If our thoughts turn to those things more often then they turn to God, then we are focusing on the wrong things. We are not our bodies. We are God's children and when we get our real bodies at the rapture, they will reflect the real person we are inside. Therefore it's far more important to perfect who we are in Christ, then to work on the outside. This is part of what Jesus was saying earlier: “Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11:39–41) Both Paul and Peter tell us this in no uncertain terms as well: “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” (1 Timothy 2:9–10) “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands,” (1 Peter 3:3–5) Over and over we're told to focus on what's inside, not what the outside looks like! And it's our creator that tells us this. Somehow I think He knows what he's talking about, don't you?
What is really amazing, and I've seen this with my own eyes, is that when a person stops focusing on the outside and instead focuses on God and applying His Word to their lives every day, their body eventually, starts to reflect that inner beauty they're becoming as the Lord changes them to be more like Jesus. I've seen women who were overweight, and without even thinking about dieting, the extra weight simply dropped off of them. I sincerely believe that it happens like that because the person is no longer focusing on the outside. Her thoughts are no longer constantly revolving on weight, food, and her body. Instead, her thoughts are on God and His Word as she applies it to her life and reflects on it. And because of that, eventually her body begins to reflect what's in her mind.
I know I haven't covered all the ways that we focus on our bodies, but I think this is more then enough to get us started reflecting on what we may be doing, compared to what God wants us to do, so we can repent and instead focus on the inside.
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Post by Cindy on Feb 14, 2016 11:16:41 GMT -5
Today I studied Luke 12:35–49; a wonderful and yet scary passage! In it, He reminds us that we need to constantly stay alert and do our duty to Him here, obeying Him in all things while we wait expectantly for Him to return at any moment. He tells us too that those who belong to Him that do His will, will be greatly rewarded for it, and that He Himself will wait on us at the reward banquet in Heaven, and put them in charge of all His possessions. How unbelievable is that?! But, He says, if we are not faithful, we will be punished, and our punishment will be based on how much knowledge was available to us. Not how much we know, but how much we could have known if we'd made use of the teachers He gives us and of course, most of all, studied His Word with Him, and applying it to our lives, and sharing what we learn with others. Finally He tells us what will happen to those wolves in sheep's clothing, those who call themselves Christians, but who in reality are not and are leading people astray. Theirs will be a horrible fate, especially if they are doing so knowingly!
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Post by Cindy on Feb 15, 2016 10:01:42 GMT -5
Looks like I've lost everyone again for the last 3 days. Well, Eva's been gone longer than that again. For her, it's been 5 days. Oh well, such is life. The Lord led me to study Psalm 103 today, which really lifted my soul and heart. Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits! Oh, by the way, if anyone is interested or sees this, you might enjoy the thread I started awhile ago called Prayer of the Day. Oh yeah, I've been posting some new devotions too, in the devotional forum. Sorry, just feeling sorry for myself and I know better. I just miss getting to talk to people and share, or maybe I should say, "with people", but instead it seems like people just talk and ignore anything I say, so I sometimes wonder why I bother. Instead of an exchange of information, ideas, and love, it's like others just want to get their stuff written and don't even acknowledge anything I've said. I always try to reply to the people who've posted before me, before I write anything about what I've done or whatever it is I wanted to say at the time. In fact, sometimes I get so involved talking about whatever they've said, and enjoying talking about it, that I forget about what I'd been thinking of before hand. I don't want to be a "teacher", I want to be a friend. I want to have fellowship with others who love Jesus and His Word. I'm just really missing fellowship since I don't have any anywhere else. I'm probably just feeling this because I've again been so sick; I never actually got over the first infection. God is good though, and I'll turn it over to Him. Soon, I hope, I'll have my new body, and be with Him forever. Lord, please come soon!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 15, 2016 21:49:42 GMT -5
I wish you could have had soe before and after photos of woman who gave up the self-centered pursuit of 'worldly' beauty, weight etc. and focused on the Lord, and then actually lost weight or began to look more comely.
I do believe it happened but it would have been interesting to see the changes.
It is certainly one of my sins ( spending to much time on all the things you mentioned...weight, looking in the mirror etc etc.)
I am soooo sorry I do not comment more on your posts, I do read them, but I am so afraid I won't get to posting mine ( as you can see that is a problem, that I read, and don't comment).
Anyway, I really must be lost in time, I did not realize it was 3 days since I posted last!
So let me at least mention what I did read ( what is so weird is I really thought I posted about Hosea already??? Could it be I wrote and then forgot to hit the reply????
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 16, 2016 0:12:42 GMT -5
I do remember writing, that I was super surprised to find out Hosea was a younger contemporary of Amos ( I read that in a commentary).
He not only had a sad personal life but he lived to see the deaths of Israels last 7 kings.
The main words that stands out to me are: a spirit of prostitution, adultery, and unfaithful.
Oh I am confused now as to when I even started Hosea...I guess 3 days ago on either the 13th?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 16, 2016 0:17:44 GMT -5
I am just guessing that I read:
Hosea I Feb 12th
Ch 2 Feb 13
Ch 3 Feb 15th
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Post by Cindy on Feb 16, 2016 12:44:12 GMT -5
I wish you could have had soe before and after photos of woman who gave up the self-centered pursuit of 'worldly' beauty, weight etc. and focused on the Lord, and then actually lost weight or began to look more comely.
I do believe it happened but it would have been interesting to see the changes.
It is certainly one of my sins ( spending to much time on all the things you mentioned...weight, looking in the mirror etc etc.)
I am soooo sorry I do not comment more on your posts, I do read them, but I am so afraid I won't get to posting mine ( as you can see that is a problem, that I read, and don't comment).
Anyway, I really must be lost in time, I did not realize it was 3 days since I posted last!
So let me at least mention what I did read ( what is so weird is I really thought I posted about Hosea already??? Could it be I wrote and then forgot to hit the reply???? I do remember writing, that I was super surprised to find out Hosea was a younger contemporary of Amos ( I read that in a commentary).
He not only had a sad personal life but he lived to see the deaths of Israels last 7 kings.
The main words that stands out to me are: a spirit of prostitution, adultery, and unfaithful.
Oh I am confused now as to when I even started Hosea...I guess 3 days ago on either the 13th?
I am just guessing that I read:
Hosea I Feb 12th
Ch 2 Feb 13
Ch 3 Feb 15th
I'm curious, about how much time to you spend with the Lord in His Word each day? Not counting posting about it here? Are you having any problems making time to do this with Him? If so, what are they?
The entire purpose of this is to both hold us accountable so that we will spend time in His Word with Him daily, and to make it into a habit. That's why it's important that it be at approximately the same time every day, not necessarily meaning the same time as far as a clock goes, but the same time as far as our routine goes: like after we get up, or before or after breakfast, or lunch, etc. That's what helps make it into a habit which is harder for Satan, our flesh or the world to break.
Posting like you just did, showing what you read each day is perfect, because it shows both what you did and didn't do, and is easy to follow. The only thing that isn't good is that you're "guessing". As I said originally when we started, you need to keep a list of what you studied each day. It can be something as simple as a list of days and the chapter or verses read each day. For example:
Monday Luke 1
Tuesday Luke 2
Wednesday Luke 3:1-22
Thursday Luke 3:23-38
Or if you'd rather you could have the date instead of the day. But either way, then if you miss a day posting, you can easily glance at your list and post the next day sharing what you actually read instead of guessing. Guessing isn't good. We can't hold each other accountable if we guess, can we? Don't worry, sooner or later, we'll get it squared away.
On the other hand, if you don't want to do this, that's fine too. That's really between you and the Lord. Just as what I do is between me and Him too. The only reason I offered to do this was because I thought you would want to. I know though the power of our flesh, Satan and world to keep us from His Word and to make everything else much more important, so that's why I offered to do this, in order to help you, as I thought it was what you wanted. But I'm often wrong, so that's not a problem, if you'd rather not do it.
Today I studied Luke 12:49–59 |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 16, 2016 16:52:21 GMT -5
I did read all of Amos including 9
What I have been doing so far is... either before or after lunch ( which the last few day has been a very late breakfast, instead of lunch, because of circumstances beyond Hossahah's control at work, I have been having to go to babysit at 3 am or 4 am.
That means I get up, at 2 am or 3 am ( in order to get dressed, get my stuff together, put teeth in, maybe eat, put on a wee bit of makeup ( remember your post on too much time on looks....well, that should explain that part of getting ready).
But I do not always find it easy to go back to sleep if I get back around 10 or 11, or even 8 or 9.
I know you don't want a list of all that, I am only try to explain why I said I "guess"...
it's because... I am a little sleep deprived,
and am not thinking as clearly....which isn't great, at my best. LOL
I also was soooo surprised that I had not posted for 3 days ( I KNOW I DID....but I must not have hit the REPLY).
I did the same thing yesterday and today ( not hit reply on a text)
I went to Hossanah's at 2 am and 3 am...each time Devon was up!!!
So I texted to Leonard, that Devon and I had talked (the first day) until 6 am...
( which was in a way a good thing as we talked a lot about God, the bible, sin, end times etc. etc. )
Today, I texted to Leonard, that BOTH Vanessa and Devon were up at 5:30 etc. but... I never sent the texts.
I wrote the texts...I even showed one to Leonard today.
I am CERTAIN that's what I did ( forget to hit reply) because I wrote a lot about the fact, that I was sooooo surprised that Hosea was a young contemporary of Amos.
I wrote that, although I had ready both books, I never made the connection, because Hosea comes first in the Bible, so if I had thought about it ( which I had not), I would have thought Amos was the younger contemporary of Hosea.
I went on about more things but none of that got posted (until yesterday when I mentioned a little bit of it again).
So anyway.....first I pray and ask the Lord to help me understand the passage, also to help me apply it to my life, and to study with me.
Then I read the passage.
Then I read ( If I have the printed notes from BSF on whatever passage I am reading,
or another Bible commentary)
so again I can only guess at the time, because sometimes it might be 1/2 hour, or maybe an hour, or 2 hours.
Did I miss a question? Like I said I am a tad sleep deprived.
Tomorrow I am going into Portland ( will have to get up at 5:30 am because the partner for seniors driver is picking me up at 7:30.
That means a 2 hour drive ( or longer cuz of rush hour).....
Then 5 hours at the denturist for a realign,
and depending if the other patients get out late ( one time one patient, did not get out of a surgeon's office visit until 6 pm) ...so it could be a 12 hour day...
even if I am off at 3 pm ... still.... the drive home might make it a 10, or 11 hours.
I will bring extra pain meds for sure, but not being able to lay down and relax my back and being in a car for 4 -6 hours mean I won't be a happy camper and....
I will miss my noon study time ( I could try to carry my Bible with me, but it is quite heavy...)
plus I will be carring my purse, lunch etc.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 16, 2016 17:26:57 GMT -5
I forgot to say I read Hosea 4
V 17 stood out...."Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone"
What a sad, scary statement!
We have so many idols today ( they don't have to be wood, clay and stone etc.)
We have movie stars, rock stars, tv stars ( we even have a TV program called: American Idol!)
Also Hosea v 1 in KJV says: "There is no 'knowledge' of God in the land" (in NIV it says no acknowledgement of God).
Either way it shows all the corruption of willfully ignoring to gain knowledge or acknowledge God....like cursing ( that's just 'normal' talk today!!), lying ( again, no biggie, people get mad when lied to but lie themselves all the time...its not the lying but getting caught in a lie), murder, stealing (a sense of entitlement makes stealing from the bad rich folks who even miss it...ok ( I am just saying how sinners think) and adultery ( these days having an affair happens a LOT!!!).
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 16, 2016 17:37:30 GMT -5
Today I started at about 11:30 or 12 and just finished writing at 2:30 ( this time I re-read what I wrote and corrected but my computer will frequently miss places letters, words and even whole phrases, or it will loose them all together...yes usually its saved......but if it deleted everything and I just thought it was all above my line of vision, and I type more, than discover all the above is missing.....it will have only saved the little extra I added.
The point is it's not always a straight line between two points when dealing with computers it seems! arrrgghhh
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Post by Cindy on Feb 17, 2016 11:17:12 GMT -5
I did read all of Amos including 9
What I have been doing so far is... either before or after lunch ( which the last few day has been a very late breakfast, instead of lunch, because of circumstances beyond Hossahah's control at work, I have been having to go to babysit at 3 am or 4 am.
That means I get up, at 2 am or 3 am ( in order to get dressed, get my stuff together, put teeth in, maybe eat, put on a wee bit of makeup ( remember your post on too much time on looks....well, that should explain that part of getting ready).
But I do not always find it easy to go back to sleep if I get back around 10 or 11, or even 8 or 9.
I know you don't want a list of all that, I am only try to explain why I said I "guess"...
it's because... I am a little sleep deprived,
and am not thinking as clearly....which isn't great, at my best. LOL
I also was soooo surprised that I had not posted for 3 days ( I KNOW I DID....but I must not have hit the REPLY).
I did the same thing yesterday and today ( not hit reply on a text)
I went to Hossanah's at 2 am and 3 am...each time Devon was up!!!
So I texted to Leonard, that Devon and I had talked (the first day) until 6 am...
( which was in a way a good thing as we talked a lot about God, the bible, sin, end times etc. etc. )
Today, I texted to Leonard, that BOTH Vanessa and Devon were up at 5:30 etc. but... I never sent the texts.
I wrote the texts...I even showed one to Leonard today.
I am CERTAIN that's what I did ( forget to hit reply) because I wrote a lot about the fact, that I was sooooo surprised that Hosea was a young contemporary of Amos.
I wrote that, although I had ready both books, I never made the connection, because Hosea comes first in the Bible, so if I had thought about it ( which I had not), I would have thought Amos was the younger contemporary of Hosea.
I went on about more things but none of that got posted (until yesterday when I mentioned a little bit of it again).
So anyway.....first I pray and ask the Lord to help me understand the passage, also to help me apply it to my life, and to study with me.
Then I read the passage.
Then I read ( If I have the printed notes from BSF on whatever passage I am reading,
or another Bible commentary)
so again I can only guess at the time, because sometimes it might be 1/2 hour, or maybe an hour, or 2 hours.
Did I miss a question? Like I said I am a tad sleep deprived.
Tomorrow I am going into Portland ( will have to get up at 5:30 am because the partner for seniors driver is picking me up at 7:30.
That means a 2 hour drive ( or longer cuz of rush hour).....
Then 5 hours at the denturist for a realign,
and depending if the other patients get out late ( one time one patient, did not get out of a surgeon's office visit until 6 pm) ...so it could be a 12 hour day...
even if I am off at 3 pm ... still.... the drive home might make it a 10, or 11 hours.
I will bring extra pain meds for sure, but not being able to lay down and relax my back and being in a car for 4 -6 hours mean I won't be a happy camper and....
I will miss my noon study time ( I could try to carry my Bible with me, but it is quite heavy...)
plus I will be carring my purse, lunch etc.
"As I said originally when we started, you need to keep a list of what you studied each day. It can be something as simple as a list of days and the chapter or verses read each day. For example:
Monday Luke 1
Tuesday Luke 2
Wednesday Luke 3:1-22
Thursday Luke 3:23-38
Or if you'd rather you could have the date instead of the day. But either way, then if you miss a day posting, you can easily glance at your list and post the next day sharing what you actually read instead of guessing. Guessing isn't good. We can't hold each other accountable if we guess, can we? Don't worry, sooner or later, we'll get it squared away."
You missing a day posting here, isn't what's important. What's important is that you keep a list of what you study each day so that you and I know that you have done so, as that will make it very easy for you to post it when you do return.
As far as missing your time with the Lord, you could arrange for a different time that day, or you could use your time in the car to reflect on something you read the day before. Or you could simply read a short passage or verse before leaving and reflect on that in the car and talk to Him about it. That way you don't miss your time with Him. It's the time you spend with Him in His word that's important, even if it's just reflecting on one verse and talking to Him about it. That's what I do when I'm so sick I literally can't do anything at all. It doesn't happen very often, but once every few years or so it has, or more often I'll have to shorten my time in His Word and just go relax in my chair and talk to Him about it, and then pray for others.
I forgot to say I read Hosea 4
V 17 stood out...."Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone"
What a sad, scary statement!
We have so many idols today ( they don't have to be wood, clay and stone etc.)
We have movie stars, rock stars, tv stars ( we even have a TV program called: American Idol!)
Also Hosea v 1 in KJV says: "There is no 'knowledge' of God in the land" (in NIV it says no acknowledgement of God).
Either way it shows all the corruption of willfully ignoring to gain knowledge or acknowledge God....like cursing ( that's just 'normal' talk today!!), lying ( again, no biggie, people get mad when lied to but lie themselves all the time...its not the lying but getting caught in a lie), murder, stealing (a sense of entitlement makes stealing from the bad rich folks who even miss it...ok ( I am just saying how sinners think) and adultery ( these days having an affair happens a LOT!!!).
Today I started at about 11:30 or 12 and just finished writing at 2:30 ( this time I re-read what I wrote and corrected but my computer will frequently miss places letters, words and even whole phrases, or it will loose them all together...yes usually its saved......but if it deleted everything and I just thought it was all above my line of vision, and I type more, than discover all the above is missing.....it will have only saved the little extra I added.
The point is it's not always a straight line between two points when dealing with computers it seems! arrrgghhh
I studied Luke 13:1-10 today, but will write about it tomorrow, God willing. Not feeling very well today.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 17, 2016 20:12:26 GMT -5
What takes so long may be my Chrome acer computer...it is a little bigger than a tablet but not as big as a reg. computer.
I think what may happen, some of the time, is because there is not enough room for my hands/wrists...that while typing, I may hit the touch pad often while typing...(or some other key that does weird things)
That may cause a word I already typed to get mangled
let's say the word I typed is the word:
already
but then it becomes
rdyalea
or the sentence ( I just typed becomes)
Senthe or ence
This can happen frequently...not all the time but enough to make it majorly annoying
Then, another thing that happens is lets say everything I have written so far gets hit with the blue delete line but I miss seeing it....
Soooo all of the above is now deleted but because I didn't know it....the only part that is now saved, are the last words I wrote which were:
"Soooo all of the above is now deleted etc. etc."
( because once it gets deleted, and IF I keep typing, the deleted part is not saved, and I have to go and type all of the part I wrote before writing the words:
"Soooo all of the above is now deleted etc etc."
Of course I want to do this....do you think I am just making excuses? I was tying to explain why it took me 2 hours to type 3 posts.
It doesn't always delete everything I wrote....and it doesn't always take me 2 hours to write 3 posts
but when it does...and it does if I am not super alert to how I hold my fingers ( I have gotten pretty good at that, but the last few days I got very tired......and lost concentration of not touching the touch pad or some side key that will do something else weird etc.
But the thing that takes the most of my time, is when it may jump and insert the last couple of sentences I wrote.....
and placed them in the middle of several different sentences....
so that I have to go look in more than one place, copy, cut the partial sentences out of another sentence(s), bring it (them) back down to the bottom and paste it back in where it (they) belong.
Writing this I already had to grab an S here and a few words there.....but not bad...its just that today was a really hard day traveling (getting up super early for the 3 day in a row...Leonard is going to get up at 3 am tomorrow so I don't have to)
That is usually what makes a 15 min post turn into and hour or more tho.
So last night I read 3 more chapters and since I had to wait a looooong time at the denturist, I walked across the streets and bought a 89 cent pad so I can write the list of what I am reading.
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Post by Cindy on Feb 18, 2016 11:53:20 GMT -5
What takes so long may be my Chrome acer computer...it is a little bigger than a tablet but not as big as a reg. computer.
I think what may happen, some of the time, is because there is not enough room for my hands/wrists...that while typing, I may hit the touch pad often while typing...(or some other key that does weird things)
That may cause a word I already typed to get mangled
let's say the word I typed is the word:
already
but then it becomes
rdyalea
or the sentence ( I just typed becomes)
Senthe or ence
This can happen frequently...not all the time but enough to make it majorly annoying
Then, another thing that happens is lets say everything I have written so far gets hit with the blue delete line but I miss seeing it....
Soooo all of the above is now deleted but because I didn't know it....the only part that is now saved, are the last words I wrote which were:
"Soooo all of the above is now deleted etc. etc."
( because once it gets deleted, and IF I keep typing, the deleted part is not saved, and I have to go and type all of the part I wrote before writing the words:
"Soooo all of the above is now deleted etc etc."
Of course I want to do this....do you think I am just making excuses? I was tying to explain why it took me 2 hours to type 3 posts.
It doesn't always delete everything I wrote....and it doesn't always take me 2 hours to write 3 posts
but when it does...and it does if I am not super alert to how I hold my fingers ( I have gotten pretty good at that, but the last few days I got very tired......and lost concentration of not touching the touch pad or some side key that will do something else weird etc.
But the thing that takes the most of my time, is when it may jump and insert the last couple of sentences I wrote.....
and placed them in the middle of several different sentences....
so that I have to go look in more than one place, copy, cut the partial sentences out of another sentence(s), bring it (them) back down to the bottom and paste it back in where it (they) belong.
Writing this I already had to grab an S here and a few words there.....but not bad...its just that today was a really hard day traveling (getting up super early for the 3 day in a row...Leonard is going to get up at 3 am tomorrow so I don't have to)
That is usually what makes a 15 min post turn into and hour or more tho.
So last night I read 3 more chapters and since I had to wait a looooong time at the denturist, I walked across the streets and bought a 89 cent pad so I can write the list of what I am reading.
I took my last antibiotic this morning, but started running a fever during the night last night. When I woke up this morning, I felt very sick; couldn't stop sneezing at one point when Bruce was getting ready for work. He looked like he wanted to run over and save me, but realized there wasn't anything he could do.  Poor guy. It's funny in retrospect, but I'm sure it didn't feel funny to him then. Anyway, I haven't felt well at all today so far and I was really hoping this weeks worth of antibiotics would do the trick. Yet it doesn't seem to have done so. I know it's too early to tell yet though, so I'll try to wait another week before calling them to see me yet again. Of course, if I get worse before then, I'll call earlier if I think it'll do any good. I guess I could use a lot of prayer myself.  On the up side though, the Lord has been working other wonders in my body, and helping me greatly. He's showing me constantly that He's with me and all is under control. |
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Post by evafromgreece on Feb 18, 2016 17:11:48 GMT -5
Hello everyone. I am feeling much better now.
I dont remember in detail to write what I studied before Feb 10.
But Feb 11-12 I studied Acts 13.
Feb 13-14 Acts 14
Feb 15 Acts 15
Feb 16 I just came back from work and just ate and slept, I felt too sick. I was sleeping more than 12 hours. Hopefully on Feb I had a day off.
Feb 17 Acts 16
And now I am moving on to Romans
As for the above it took me more time to study one single chapter , because when I was sick it was tto difficult for me to stay consentrated and I was reading the same verses over and over again...
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 18, 2016 18:16:09 GMT -5
So what I am going to do is go to the start/beginning of this thread, and write:
the date, day, and all I have read and studied to date ( in the pad I bought yesterday).
Tue Feb. the 16th I read Hosea 5, 6 and 7.
Chapter 5 again speaks of the 'spirit of prostitution'
Ch 6 v. 6 God says: " I desire mercy and not sacrifice
Also v 10 "Ephraim is given to prostitution"
Ch 7
V 11 Ephraim is like a dove easily deceived.
We (I) were created to love God with all our hearts and minds and spirit, but instead when we follow after all manner of idols 9 not just carved images) we are committing spiritual adultery towards God by giving our love to other unworthy things like power, comforts, various pursuits etc.
Today Feb 17 I read Hosea 8
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 18, 2016 18:33:47 GMT -5
I am so sorry you are still feeling so badly Cindy.....we both will pray for you. However, its good to hear the Lord is helping in other areas.
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Post by Cindy on Feb 19, 2016 10:12:43 GMT -5
Hello everyone. I am feeling much better now. I dont remember in detail to write what I studied before Feb 10. But Feb 11-12 I studied Acts 13. Feb 13-14 Acts 14 Feb 15 Acts 15 Feb 16 I just came back from work and just ate and slept, I felt too sick. I was sleeping more than 12 hours. Hopefully on Feb I had a day off. Feb 17 Acts 16 And now I am moving on to Romans As for the above it took me more time to study one single chapter , because when I was sick it was tto difficult for me to stay consentrated and I was reading the same verses over and over again...
So what I am going to do is go to the start/beginning of this thread, and write:
the date, day, and all I have read and studied to date ( in the pad I bought yesterday).
Tue Feb. the 16th I read Hosea 5, 6 and 7.
Chapter 5 again speaks of the 'spirit of prostitution'
Ch 6 v. 6 God says: " I desire mercy and not sacrifice
Also v 10 "Ephraim is given to prostitution"
Ch 7
V 11 Ephraim is like a dove easily deceived.
We (I) were created to love God with all our hearts and minds and spirit, but instead when we follow after all manner of idols 9 not just carved images) we are committing spiritual adultery towards God by giving our love to other unworthy things like power, comforts, various pursuits etc.
Today Feb 17 I read Hosea 8I am so sorry you are still feeling so badly Cindy.....we both will pray for you. However, its good to hear the Lord is helping in other areas. |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 19, 2016 13:12:29 GMT -5
I just didn't think to put it in our notebook/journal but I have finished writing it all and I figured out what happened to Feb 14....
I did read Amos ch 9 on Feb 12
( but didn't write it down anywhere)
That confused me (a bit of sleep deprivation I guess) I actually read:
Hosea 1 on Feb 13
and on Feb 14 (I read) Hosea 2
In a way it was good I didn't write in my journal (yet anyway) because it took me scratching out and rewriting my daily list, when I discovered I had read Amos 9 but didn't log it.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 19, 2016 13:39:14 GMT -5
Yesterday, Feb 18th I read and studied ( and prayed)
Feb 18 Hosea ch 9
Today, Feb 19 Hosea Ch 10
I think I always pray when I read God's word, because it either describes me and my sins to a tee or I am convicted to apply what I read, or I need to pray an intercessory prayer etc.
Today, when I got to Hosea 10:8
I realized for the first time ( tho I have read it more than once, but must have been always focused on some other verses etc,)...
that is is exactly like Luke 23:30 (speaking of end times):
"Then they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”
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Post by Cindy on Feb 20, 2016 9:28:36 GMT -5
yes, Luke was actually quoting Hosea 10:8 when he wrote that. It's really amazing when you think about it, because in many ways, the NT is like a commentary on the OT!
I studied Luke 14:25-35 and wrote this about the true cost of salvation concerning it: fresh-hope.com/thread/1931/true-cost-salvation
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 20, 2016 21:53:16 GMT -5
Today , Feb 20th, I read Hosea ch 11
It's so amazing God's love for Israel.
v.1 "when Israel was a child, I loved him."
and then we read how they burned incense to Baal images and worse.
Yet God says in v.8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over Israel?"
Amazing love how can it be?
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Post by Cindy on Feb 21, 2016 12:44:33 GMT -5
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Feb 21, 2016 17:09:54 GMT -5
Feb 21 Hosea 12
v. 6 ".....wait for your Lord always"
v.8 "Ephraim boasts, I am very rich; I have become wealthy"
I think when we become rich, we think we got that way by our own hard work and we no longer wait for the Lord.
God in his great love for us, may let riches take wings and fly away from us
Proverbs 23:5
"Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle."
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Post by Cindy on Feb 22, 2016 13:11:39 GMT -5
Feb 21 Hosea 12
v. 6 ".....wait for your Lord always"
v.8 "Ephraim boasts, I am very rich; I have become wealthy"
I think when we become rich, we think we got that way by our own hard work and we no longer wait for the Lord.
God in his great love for us, may let riches take wings and fly away from us
Proverbs 23:5
"Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle."
““Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”” (Luke 16:10–13)
We often tend to separate material from the spiritual, but in God's reality they can't be separated. Everything we do, every single part of our lives, every decision we make, has a bearing on our eternal lives. It's pretty mind boggling when you think of it that way isn't it?
At 60 years old, I can look back at my life and see how every decision I made from childhood on, has affected my life here and now. Being a Christian, I now also know that those decisions, as well as every one I make from here on out, will also affect my eternal life, either for good or bad. Most of us tend to be very concerned about what's in our bank accounts and if we'll be able to pay our bills or have enough money to get what we want, or how long it will take us to save for what we want. We're all used to hearing people say that we can't take it with us, as though money and material things don't count for anything, so enjoy them now and don't worry about later. But that's not the attitude Jesus wants us to have. He tells us to be concerned about our Heavenly bank account and how much we're depositing in it each day. We tend not to pay much attention to that though because there's nothing we can see; we don't get a bank statement each month from the New Jerusalem Bank of God.
I've been paying more and more attention to this lately though, and don't intend to ever stop. We know that if we're saved, we are going to spend eternity with our Lord. He also tells us though, that our eternal lives will reflect what we did and how we lived this life. He will reward us according to what we've done and said. He warns us of that, over and over again. I have a feeling that He means us to pay attention to it! We are either making a deposit into our heavenly account or withdrawing from it with everything we do and say every single day. We belong to God, our lives aren't our own, so everything we do and say should reflect His ownership of us. We should be using our time, talent, or money, and our material possessions for Him and for His honor and glory. When we do, it's like a deposit into our account. When we don't, it's like a withdrawal.
That's pretty mind boggling isn't it? Everything we do and say in this life is important and will make a difference in our eternal life. For me, that means I'm much more interested in what's in my heavenly account then my earthly one. From this moment on, I want to be reminding myself regularly that what I say and do matters. It matters to God because He wants me to have everything He can give me, not just some of it. So, when I do the dishes, I'll be washing them for Him and His glory. I'll do my best because He deserves the best. Same with cleaning the house or any other chore I need to do. When someone speaks to me, no matter what their words are, I'll listen, because that's what He'd want me to do. And then, when I reply, I'll do so with love and kindness, because that will honor Him and anything less won't. I'll pray for those He brings to my mind, for that's one of the jobs He's given me, and when He gives me an opportunity, I'll tell others about Him. I'll pay my bills on time as that too brings Honor to Him. I'll obey the laws for the same reason. If there's any way I can further His Kingdom, I want to do it. I want everything I do and say to be done and said for Him, and to bring Him the honor He's due. Not because He's going to reward me, but simply because I love Him and fear Him and that's what He's told us to do.
““Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”” (Luke 14:13–14)
“The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” (1 Corinthians 3:8)
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27)
“God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”” (Romans 2:6)
“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” (Matthew 12:36)
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Poor guy. It's funny in retrospect, but I'm sure it didn't feel funny to him then. Anyway, I haven't felt well at all today so far and I was really hoping this weeks worth of antibiotics would do the trick. Yet it doesn't seem to have done so. I know it's too early to tell yet though, so I'll try to wait another week before calling them to see me yet again. Of course, if I get worse before then, I'll call earlier if I think it'll do any good. I guess I could use a lot of prayer myself. 
On the up side though, the Lord has been working other wonders in my body, and helping me greatly. He's showing me constantly that He's with me and all is under control. 
!!
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