Encouragement and Tools to Abide in God's Word
How’s your memory?
Are there any Bible verses you’re trying to store there? We’d love to hear about your experience!
Please link your blog posts or videos here. To our John 1 memorizers, now would be a great time to do a vlog, hint, hint.
If you’re not currently memorizing anything, please consider visiting a link or two to encourage those who are. We’ll be here all month. Thanks!
When the Israelites pleaded for Samuel’s prayers for salvation from the Philistines, they witnessed God’s mighty hand in its active power (1 Samuel 7:3-14).
“He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.” – 1 Samuel 7:9
The New Bible Commentary reveals the impact of this act:
“In reality it was probably only a minor victory, but it was enough to keep the Philistines out of Israelite territory for some considerable time, and it was the beginning of a period in which Philistine power declined, thanks to the hand of the LORD.” (p. 303, bold emphasis mine)
Later, Samuel placed that stone of help, called Ebenezer, to praise Him for His victory – no matter how small – and to remind the Israelites (and now us) of His deeds.
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” – 1 Samuel 7:12
God is active in our lives, and God deserves our praise for His love in action. But not every act is as large as a tumbling Jerusalem wall or divine plans for an ark. The little acts God completes within our bigger battles can mean just as much.
Samuel set up this memorial Ebenezer stone for what seemed to be a relatively small “win” within the larger view of events. But just because an act is minor doesn’t mean it should lack praise.
In my family’s current circumstances, we’re fighting a huge medical battle against slim odds. But God’s “little” victories boost our morale and remind us He is ever present.
A fantastic nurse giving care. A small check surprising us to support our financial needs. Regular smiles from our boy in spite of suboptimal conditions. All these acts may seem minor, but we experience the fullness these feats emit.
God shows us a small victory when He places the right doctor in our path. He whispers He is here when He puts it on a friend’s heart to email a prayer. He declares His hand in our situation each month we “somehow” are able to pay our bills.
Each step along this incomplete journey is sprinkled with signs of how He has helped (and continues to help) us. And each verse we read, God reminds us we read evidence of a greater victory in the battle He has already won.
I witness these little victories again and again (and again), and it could only be by God that all these things work together and surface. All this good, no matter how big or small, all presents itself thanks to His hand.
Extol His name with me (Psalm 145:3-7); how have you seen His mighty acts in your life?
Summer is almost here, and so is our next Bible study!
We will be taking 8 weeks this summer to study what it means to love like Jesus. The online Bible study begins May 14th, in conjunction with the HelloMornings Challenge, and will run through the first week of July.
We would LOVE for you to join us! (No pun intended!)
A FREE study guide will be available next week, so stay tuned next Monday the 7th for the details.
If you are desiring encouragement and accountability toward spending time with God in the mornings, HelloMornings is the challenge for you! Through the challenge you can find like-minded women to connect with and weekly emails to keep you going. There are also tips for planning for your day and sneaking in exercise!
The HelloMornings team is having a live chat tomorrow night (May 1st) at 9EST. The chat is free to attend, and there will be LOADS of giveaways and tons of fun to be had. You can find out more about the live chat here.
Registration for the HelloMornings challenge will begin after the party!
We don’t want you to miss a thing, so be sure to subscribe to our email updates (it’s free!) to get the Love Like Him Bible study posts and more delivered straight to your inbox!
Modern versions have changed it, but many of us still recognize these lines from the beloved old hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson (1735-1790):
Here I raise mine Ebenezer – hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger wand’ring from the fold of God;
He to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood.
Thanks to Charles Dickens, the name Ebenezer brings to mind a crotchety old man. But the Ebenezer in the hymn is not a person at all.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” – 1 Samuel 7:12
In Hebrew Ebenezer is Even Ha’Ezer, literally “a stone of help.” A marker… a testimony.
Twenty years before Samuel set up the Ebenezer stone, the Philistines had stolen the ark of the covenant from Israel, and experienced seven long and uncomfortable months (1 Samuel 5:1-6:12). Realizing that their only hope was to give the ark back to the Israelites, they had sent it on its way pulled by two cows.
The Israelites were greatly relieved to have the ark returned, but life did not return to normal. For twenty years…
…all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. – 1 Samuel 7:2
So Samuel told the Israelites that if they returned to the Lord with all their heart, removed the idols, and served God alone, God would deliver them from the Philistines. They obeyed, cleaned house, then all gathered in Mizpah in repentance. And that’s when the Philistines decided to attack.
In terror, the Israelites begged Samuel:
“Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” – 1 Samuel 7:8
And He did. The Lord mightily subdued the Philistines, and Israel was saved.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” – 1 Samuel 7:12
An army has not been subdued on my behalf, but I have seen some amazing blessings as a result of God’s power. And I have heard countless “God stories,” coincidences that I know weren’t coincidental, real examples of God’s presence and working in the details of the lives of His children.
I can look back over my own life and almost see those Ebenezer stones.
And when I hear others’ stories of God’s helping power, their Ebenezer stories, I am encouraged and my faith grows.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
– Psalm 78:4
This coming month at Do Not Depart we want to encourage you by sharing stories of God’s might in our lives. Throughout May we will be raising our Ebenezers and declaring the glorious deeds of the Lord!
One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
– Psalm 145:4-6
And we want to hear your Ebenezer stories. In a few weeks, we will give you an opportunity to share His awesome deeds in your life with the Do Not Depart community, and commend His works to us all!
Have you seen tangible evidence of God’s faithfulness in your life?
We hope you will share your Ebenezer stories with us! If you have one you are eager to share today, feel free to leave it in the comments!
It’s time to pull out your keyboard or video camera.
Write a post on your blog about scripture memory or film yourself reciting verses you’ve been learning.
Then join us back here on Wednesday, May 2, to link your post and encourage others.
We’ll look forward to what YOU have to share about memorizing the Bible!
The caterpillar inches along the leaf, devouring it methodically. We stare at it wide-eyed, marveling at its persistence, jaws chomping unceasingly. I hold back a shudder as its squishy body moves forward to the next bite.
Spring has sprung in a mighty way here on the homestead. Last year was all dryness and drought, fire and devastation. But the rains came in November… they came and came and renewal is all around. It’s as if creation is making up for lost time. The air is filled with the fragrance of abundant wildflowers.
New life is pressing out with a passion, from what seemed dead.
I look at that hungry caterpillar and see it too. In all that hunger and wriggliness I see a promise for the future, a promise of new life. And I see my old self.
Here is the amazing thing… through His sinless death on the cross, Jesus has reconciled us to God. Through Jesus we have a new life in eternity with our Holy God.
And that would have been enough, more than enough.
But because we are so abundantly blessed and so lavishly loved by the Lord, we have not only been given eternal life but also the gift of new lives here and now.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Cor 5:17
You see, God wants to take our ugly caterpillar selves and mold us and shape us into something beautiful, something soaring and lovely, for His good pleasure. Right now. Today.
How? The scriptures tell us that He does this through the renewing of our minds.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2
If we choose to “take captive every thought to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5), God takes our wrong thinking, and over and over renews it.
And as our thinking, our minds, are renewed… we are transformed. Our thinking changes, and so our choices change.
This is not passive. Yes, it is God who renews, but we must choose to allow Him to. And we choose to reflect our new thinking in our behavior.
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24
The Greek verbs for put off and put on in Ephesians 4:22-24 are active. The old self is not just being taken off for us. We participate, we make the choice to walk in newness of life.
We choose to put off the old self, and put on the new, in His strength and power.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. – 2 Corinthians 4:7
Colossians 3:1-17 goes into detail about what we put off from the old self… impurity, anger, lies and so much more. And what we put on in the new self…
…compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:12-15
We do not depart… we let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col 3:16).
And we become new creations.
I don’t want to be trapped in a caterpillar soul, inching my way toward eternity.
I choose to put off my old self and put on my new self, by allowing God to transform me by the renewing of my mind. I choose to accept the newness He wishes to mold in me.
I choose to soar in my new life in Him!
Have you seen transformation in your life as the Lord has renewed your thinking?
In what areas do you find yourself especially challenged to take off the old self and put on the new?
Yesterday we had a speaker from Gospel for Asia at our church, sharing stories of tragedy and triumph from their ministry in India. He repeatedly called us, “brother and sisters.” Here was a man who has spent half his life in India, calling us “brothers and sisters.” And it’s true! As different as our backgrounds and lives are, we are brothers and sisters.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Galatians 3:28,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The family of God exploded at Pentecost. Suddenly, it wasn’t just Jewish free men who were God’s chosen people, it was every person who confessed Jesus as Savoir, no matter their heritage, pedigree, or gender.
Paul goes on in Galatians, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir though God” (4:4-7).
It was Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross that opened the door wide for those of us born two thousand years later to be called sons of God. Not because of anything we have done, but because He loves us. I now have all the rights and privileges of a son. We are heirs of the promises God made to His people throughout Scripture—promises of His love, protection, guidance, and sanctification.
My family is in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia. There’s a little boy right now halfway across the world who doesn’t even know that America exists. He doesn’t know there’s a daddy, mommy, and two big brothers waiting for him. But we have been working to get him home for almost two years. One day (pray it’s soon!), we’ll fly over the ocean, sign some papers, fly back, sign some more papers, and he will be ours. He will be my son. He will have two brothers. Our family will be a visible sign of the beautiful truth of Scripture. No matter who we are or where we come from, we are united as brothers and sisters, “for in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God, through faith” (Gal. 3:26).
Praise God today that through Christ, we can become part of His family!
Adding a new baby to your home should be a joyful time. However, it appears to have displaced all the members of our family. Positions have shifted. Roles have been adjusted. Resulting in unrest, impatience, and frustration.
In a desperate attempt to break the negative cycle, last week I sat down outside with my Bible while the boys ran wild (thanks Kat Lee for this idea). New insight for our situation came from a familiar passage:
The fruit he mentions is not apples & oranges. But the kind of fruit our family is craving: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
He describes himself as the vine and us as the branches. In the past readings of this passage there appeared to be two branches:
However, this time around I noted a third option: a branch physically connected to the vine but producing no fruit.
”Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away” (John 15:2).
This is where I see myself lately. Externally I’m doing all the “right” activities: reading the Bible in the morning, attending church, and praying. I’m going through the motions. But I am producing no fruit: impatience instead of patience, harshness instead of kindness.
The root of the problem is not my spiritual activities. My “branch” is connected to the vine. But the position of my heart is misplaced.
Christ does not say “check in with me occasionally” or “talk to me only when you need something” and you will produce fruit. He instructs us: “abide in me.” (John 15:4)
In fact, the word “abide” (“meno” in Greek) is used eight times in these eleven verses…so He must really mean it. To “abide in Him” goes deeper than performing spiritual tasks. To “abide” means: “to continue to be present; not to depart; to remain close-beside; to persevere.”
The first step in producing fruit is abiding. The next step is remaining in His love (John 15:9). HIS love.
Not just anyone’s love. The unconditional love of a Savior. The sacrificial kind of love. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16).
How do I “remain in His love”? Christ gives us the answer:
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10).
Abiding in His love comes from obeying His commands. What is the next command Christ gives?:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
There is my answer. To break out of my negative cycle I have to enter into Christ’s positive, fruit-producing cycle. To have love, joy, peace…I need to love others (including my family) sacrificially.
Abide in Him & His Word–>Remain in His love–>Obey His commands–> Love one another–>Fruit of Spirit
When I chose to be mechanically attached to the vine but produce no fruit (“a clanging cymbal” serving without love), I will be cut off from the vine to wither. The only good use for such a branch is to be burned (John 15:6). Firewood.
However, my decision to abide in Him throughout my day not only affects my day, but my tomorrow and my children’s tomorrows. Such a decision produces “lasting fruit” (John 15:16) of love, joy & peace for future generations to savor.
Do you struggle with abiding? Do you feel like the 3rd option, the branch connected but fruitless? What helps you remain in His love and love others well?
Three weeks ago, the news was heavy: six of our partners imprisoned in a hostile country. Their court case won’t be heard until this Wednesday, but their chances for justice are, by earthly standards, slim. If they are miraculously given their freedom, there’s no chance they’ll stay shackled. They’ll go to where the freedom is, and they’ll celebrate their release. But until this Wednesday, we pray.
Sin imprisoned all of mankind and all of creation in corruption’s cell; even the world waits for freedom (Romans 8:19-23).
In speaking to bondservants in the position of slaves, Paul encouraged that, “if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity” (1 Cor. 7:21). When one who has been captive gains freedom, there’s no reason to return to the master of cruelty. We are encouraged that since, “You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men” 1 Cor. 7:23. The earth and all of mankind waited for a liberator. If you can be free … DO!
Sin bound each soul since birth, but we are not without hope. Though we once gave ourselves as slaves to evil, we can give ourselves to a new Master. Our “kyrios” is the One who owns, possesses, and controls us; He is our Lord, and “the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17).
There is a place of freedom within our reach. “For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification” (Romans 6:19). Freedom for one-time prisoners awaits in the presence of the kyrios, the Master. If its’ there … GO!
Why would a prisoner return to his cell? Paul asked the Galatians, “now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” (Galatians 4:9). Once the case is heard and the captives are freed, why would they return? But some do.
Christ sacrificed his perfect life for the sake of our freedom. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). If his work has paid the high price for our freedom, we should stand and stay in it, not turning back to our captor who would gladly re-chain us. Since we were called to be free (Gal. 5:13) we should, “Live as people who are free, not using {our} freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16). The payment for our release has been made, so we should stay that way and not make excuses to go back to our cell or corruption. If it’s done … STAND!
We could offer to pay the price for the physical freedom of our friends. No one could offer a price high enough for Satan to free us. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” He paid what no one else could, and the case is closed. No one has the power to recapture us; why would we ever want to give up our precious, dearly bought freedom? Why would we go back?
- Our freedom from sin’s slavery is possible.
- Our freedom is in the presence of the Lord’s Spirit.
- Our freedom is completely paid for.
- If you can … DO!
- If it’s there … GO!
- If it’s done … STAND!
Would you pray with me for the decision of those who will hear the case of our partners in chains? Their captors are but slaves, themselves. Oh that they would know the same freedom offered to each reader today through the Friend who paid our ransom prince. Our freedom physically and spiritually is a gift. Let’s DO, GO, STAND!
There is no mistaking the main command in Psalm 148! We are to praise the Lord.
I looked at the Hebrew word for praise this week; it is halal. I love the insight looking at the original language gives:
…to shine…to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave…celebrate, commend…glory, give (light)…(sing, be worthy of) praise…renowned, shine. (Strong’s Concordance via eBible)
One fun Bible study tool is to insert these synonyms into the verses, to get a fuller meaning of the text. Let’s try it together!
Shine the Lord!
Make a show about the Lord!
Boast about the Lord!
Be clamorously foolish about the Lord!
Rave about the Lord!
Celebrate the Lord!
Commend the Lord!
Give glory to the Lord!
Doesn’t this give a better idea of what it means to praise the Lord?
What can you praise God for today? Share it in the comments below!
Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised!
(Psalm 96:1-4 ESV)
(And by the way, the picture above is the perfect dimensions for a free Facebook cover. To download it for free, just right click the picture to download!)
