Is Your All On Which Altar?

"Is Your All On the Altar?"  is one of my favorite hymns is It is a constant reminder to do a heart-check: What am I holding back? Yet the other day, God brought a new question to light: "Upon which altar are you laying your all?"

King Ahaz (2 Kings 16:10-16) saw the Assyrian's pagan altar and immediately came home and patterned one identical to it. With this new altar, King Ahaz replaced the old altar that had been in the forefront of God's house -- the "old" altar being God's altar. He never stopped sacrificing, he just replaced to whom he was sacrificing.

We might live a life of continual sacrifice, but it does not mean that we are sacrificing on God's altar. We may have built an "altar" of the world, our dreams, or our ambitions. We may even have "good material" for our altar (family, friends, projects, gifts, talents) but instead of sacrificing this "good material" to let God use as He please, we have instead made it the altar upon which we sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 exhorts, " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." To be a "living sacrifice" is a process of killing "self" -- a willingness to change as God chooses to change us and surrendering our "right" to maintain our vision, cause and purpose to His. It is to place our all (our whole being) upon God's altar and leave the results up to Him.

Perhaps God is calling us to sacrifice something painful or dear to us -- an ambition, a dream, a lifestyle, or even our livelihood. Elisha, when the prophet Elijah anointed him to be prophet, immediately  "took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." (1 Kings 19:21) Just two verses prior, Elisha had been using those very oxen to plow his field. To follow God's call, Elisha did not hesitate to give up his livelihood -- to lay his all on the altar of God. He did not stop to ask "what-ifs." He was willing to change directions as soon as God made it known to him which direction he should change. He gave unhesitant surrender.

Is God's altar in the fore-front of our lives, or have we substituted it with another altar? The question is not "are you sacrificing?" but, "are you sacrificing to GOD?"

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart, does the Spirit control?

You can never be blessed, and have peace and sweet rest,

As you yield Him your body and soul.

Elisha A. Hoffman

Is God's Word Profitable in Our Lives?

One of my favorite passages is 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Beyond memorizing it, I decided to do a word study and was very interested in the results.

Greek Words

All - NT:3956 pas (pas); including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:

Scripture - NT:1124 graphe (graf-ay'); a document, i.e. holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in it):

Given by inspiration of God - NT:2315 theopneustos (theh-op'-nyoo-stos); from NT:2316 and a presumed derivative of NT:4154; divinely breathed in:

Profitable - NT:5624 ophelimos (o-fel'-ee-mos); from a form of NT:3786; helpful or serviceable, i.e. advantageous:

For - NT:4314 pros (pros); a strengthened form of NT:4253; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive case the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative case by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative case the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is predicated):

Doctrine - NT:1319 didaskalia (did-as-kal-ee'-ah); from NT:1320; instruction (the function or the information):

Reproof - NT:1648 a elegmos (el-eng-mos'); from NT:1651; found only in 2 Tim 3:16: conviction (of a sinner), punishment, refutation of error, reproof.

Correction - NT:1882 epanorthosis (ep-an-or'-tho-sis); from a compound of NT:1909 and NT:461; a straightening up again, i.e. (figuratively) rectification (reformation):

Instruction - NT:3809 paideia (pahee-di'-ah); from NT:3811; tutorage, i.e. education or training; by implication, disciplinary correction:

Righteousness - NT:1343 dikaiosune (dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay); from NT:1342; equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification:

That - NT:2443 hina (hin'-ah); probably from the same as the former part of NT:1438 (through the demonstrative idea; compare NT:3588); in order that (denoting the purpose or the result):

Man - NT:444 anthropos (anth'-ro-pos); from NT:435 and ops (the countenance; from NT:3700); man-faced, i.e. a human being:

God - NT:2316 theos (theh'-os); of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with NT:3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:

Perfect - NT:739 artios (ar'-tee-os); from NT:737; fresh, i.e. (by implication) complete:

Throughly Furnished - NT:1822 exartizo (ex-ar-tid'-zo); from NT:1537 and a derivative of NT:739; to finish out (time); figuratively, to equip fully (a teacher):

All - NT:3956 pas (pas); including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:

Good - NT:18 agathos (ag-ath-os'); a primary word; "good" (in any sense, often as noun):

Works - NT:2041 ergon (er'-gon); from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act:

Results

From this word study, I gain that every single word contained in God's Word is divinely breathed and given by God. It is serviceable and helpful toward and pertaining to instruction (doctrine), refutation of error and conviction (reproof), straightening up again (correction), and education/training in equity or Christian justification (instruction in righteousness). The reason and purpose God gave us His Word is so that any human being who has accepted His salvation can be complete and fully equipped for every good work/act/toil.

How good to know that I can trust God's Word to guide me in every area of life!

Do We Believe God's Word?

As we saw a few days ago, there are people who are trying their best to disannul God's judgments -- to "explain away" God's Word so that they can approve their works. It is very easy to get on topics (such as abortion) and debate heatedly, trying to convince others of their error. However, the bottom line is: what does God Word say? If one does not trust God's Word, they will not even see the errors of their ways.

What do you believe about God's Word? Here are some of my beliefs of God's Word:

The Word of God is Inspired ("God-breathed")

"For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Mark 12:36) 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16

"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:21) 

"And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:15-16)

God's Word is Truth

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: (2 Samuel 7:28)

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. (Psalms 19:9)

Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth. (Psalms 119:151)

God's Word is without error

Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. (Psalms 119:140)

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. (Psalms 119:128)

The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. (Psalms 12:6)

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. (Psalms 18:30)

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (Psalms 19:8)

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (Romans 7:12)

It is total authority

"Thus saith the Lord" and/or "the Lord saith - 867 verses

It is eternal

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33)

For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. (Psalms 119:89)

It is given to us for instruction in life, godliness, doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Will We Condemn God's Word?

Wilt thou also disannul My judgment? wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be righteous? (Job 40:8)

Why would anyone even try to "condemn God's Word?" Why would they try to make it invalid? What is their purpose?

If a person can claim that God's Word is inapplicable to them, they then have no standard by which to measure their life. If God's Word is not to be trusted, then who can say that sodomy is a sin? Who can say that abortion is wrong? Who can say that premarital relationships are abomination to God? If we can disprove God's Word, then we can make all of these sins appear "righteous."

These are the big topics of sin today, but what about the little sins in our lives? Are there any areas where we are trying to disprove the Bible? Any areas that we try to "explain away" to excuse our behavior ("what this really means is . . .")? It is easy to condemn those who blatantly disannul God's judgments -- but let us do a heart check and "see if there be any wicked way in me."

All-Seeing God

As I read through Job, several verses of the same theme stood out to me.

As Gold

Perhaps like Job, we are facing sore trials. Perhaps there are things in our lives that we simply cannot understand. Perhaps there are some lessons from Job that we can learn.

1) Remember that God sees us and knows where we are headed.

"But He knoweth the way that I take:" (Job 23:10a)

2) Remember that God will use trials to perfect and beautify us as believers.

" . . . when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10b)

3) Remember God's ways and keep in them.

 "My foot hath held His steps, His way have I kept, and not declined." (Job 23:11)

4) Remember to stay in God's Word.

"Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12)

Satan would love to use trials to pull the believer down and discourage them, but if we keep our eyes on God, He will use those trials for our good. 

Remembering Ourselves

Job's friends looked on him with great judgment, trying to convince Job of ways that he had sinned and must repent. Job responded, "But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?" (Job 19:28)

There are two truths shown by that one question:

1) We are to remember that when we judge, the very same sin is most likely in our lives (perhaps manifested in different ways).

"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest does the same things." Romans 2:1

2) The problem is not "them" but "me." My heart and attitude is not right with God, so thus I am finding gross fault with them.

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Matthew 7:3-5

Are we struggling with judging someone? Perhaps the "root of the matter" is in our own hearts (no matter how much "in the wrong" the other seems) and we must allow God to do a heart-check in us to ensure that we are in right standing before Him.

Days of Discouragement

"Why died I not in the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?" (Job 3:11)

Those were Job's questions as he felt the pain of everything suddenly taken from him. To his questions, God had answers, but Job could not see the answers. Job did not know that his life and trials would be used to encourage Christians throughout the generations to press on and trust God. God may have never disclosed to Job the reasons for his struggles, but God had amazing answers and His reasons were best.

Later, Job begged, "Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Even that it would please God to destroy me; that He would let loose His hand, and cut me off!" (Job 6:8-9)

Sometimes in the heat of emotion, we desire of God that which God graciously denies. Had God destroyed Job at this point, Job would not have had the amazing blessing of talking with God while in this flesh, nor would Job have seen the way God turned around his captivity and given him more livestock and ten more children (see Job 42:10-14).

The story of Job reminds me that God knows the absolute best for me while I am caught in the fog of the present. It reminds me that though I may not be able to see how it will all work out, God will work it out for His good.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

New Year's Resolutions

This is late in coming, but the first Sunday of 2014, Bro. Tom (http://gbczachary.com/index.php) preached an amazing sermon about new year's resolutions that I wanted to share.

1) I will read and meditate on God's Word so I will not allow my heart to deceive me or lead me to idols ("Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23)

2) I will give the Holy Spirit rule over my words ("Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee." Proverbs 4:24)

3) I will keep my eyes on Jesus and not allow myself to be distracted ("Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee." Proverbs 4:25)

4) I will test all of my actions against the ultimate goal of pleasing God ("Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established." Proverbs 4:26)

5) I will end the year as I began it: a servant of Christ ("Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:" Proverbs 4:27a)

6) I will grow in personal holiness (". . . remove thy foot from evil." Proverbs 4:27b)

Study - printable edition

Here is the printable version of the Bible study: CLICK HERE

You should be able to access and print the PDF. If you have troubles, please contact me and I'll see what I can do (withajoyfulnoise{at}gmail{dot}com).

Conclusion

If you have never studied your Bible before, the information we have been covering the past few weeks is probably a little overwhelming. You might want to try it all or you might want to give up. Please, take things one step at a time.

Pray

Ask God how He would have you to study. It might be something completely different than what I have suggested and that is fine! Do as God leads.

Study

Some people need to study a few minutes every day, others prefer to set aside several hours once or twice a week. Again pray to see what plan God would have for you.

Apply

As you study God's Word, He will begin to use it in your life ("For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12).

To study and never apply is described in James 1:22-25, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." As we begin to study God's Word, are we entering with a humble spirit to learn and apply, or are beholding God's truth then turning away, ignoring His Word in disobedience?

Only the Bible

Once you know how to find the words and their root words in a concordance, you can use simply the Bible as a concordance for the Bible. For instance, from the passage above, I can search for the word "sanctification" and I come up with:

If you notice, the root word for "sanctification" is always G-38. Looking up G-38, you will see that underneath the definition is a list of all of the words used from that specific Greek word.

Besides "sanctification," G-38 is also translated as "holiness." Now, look up the word "holiness" and find those with the root word G-38. Here are all of the words that I found with the root G-38 (both "holiness" and "sanctification"):

"I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." (Romans 6:19)

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22)

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:" (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

"That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;" (1 Thessalonians 4:4)

"For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." (1 Thessalonians 4:7)

"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:" (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

"Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." (1 Timothy 2:15)

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14)

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." (1 Peter 1:2)

Do We Need Other Books?

Is God's Word really enough for the believer, or do we need other books to help us along? While study books can be extremely helpful, I would caution any Christian in using "other books." Persuasive authors can use Scripture out of context and if we are not careful to use the Bible as our "plumb line," we can very easily be swayed to believe something that is not fully truth. Let us take into consideration the question at hand. Why would one think that the Bible is not enough? We can read many authors, some of which will claim that we only need the Bible, others who will claim that we need extra curriculum. Well, what does the Bible Itself say about this issue?

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:6-8) (emphasis added)

If still in doubt after reading these passages, I would recommend you to read Psalm 119 and see what God thinks about His Word. Just as God opened the understanding of His disciples to know what His Word says ("Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures," Luke 24:45), God will open our understanding.

As this series concludes, may we apply ourselves to diligently study God's Word in 2014 so that

Jesus will not have to say to us as to the Pharisees, "Did ye never read in the scriptures. . ." (Matthew 21:42) or as to the Sadducees, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29)

Studying a Passage

To gain understanding of an individual passage, it is beneficial to have both the Strong's concordance and Webster's 1828 dictionary on hand.

Choose a Passage

Sometimes, the Lord will lead you to study through a book. Other times, maybe it is just a memory verse or another verse that God has brought to your attention.

Study Key Words

Find the key (strong) words throughout the passage (these could be many or a few). Then, look up the definitions of these words both in Strong's Hebrew/Greek dictionary and Webster's 1828 dictionary.

For example, I will use a study that I recently did.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

Sanctification

Greek - (38) hagiasmos (hag-ee-as-mos'); from NT:37; properly, purification, i.e. (the state) purity; concretely (by Hebraism) a purifier:

Webster's - 1. The act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God. 2. The act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose; consecration.

Should abstain

Greek - (567) apechomai (ap-ekh'-om-ahee); middle voice (reflexively) of NT:568; to hold oneself off, i.e. refrain:

Webster's - In a general sense, to forbear, or refrain from, voluntarily; but used chiefly to denote a restraint upon the passions or appetites; to refrain from indulgence.

Fornication

Greek - (4202) porneia (por-ni'-ah); from NT:4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry:

Webster's (fornicate) - To commit lewdness, as an unmarried man or woman, or as a married man with an unmarried woman.

Honor

Greek - (5092) time (tee-may'); from NT:5099; a value, i.e. money paid, or (concretely and collectively) valuables; by analogy, esteem (especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself:

Webster's - 1. The esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation. 2. A testimony of esteem; any expression of respect or of high estimation by words or actions; as the honors of war; military honors; funeral honors; civil honors. 4. Reverence; veneration; or any act by which reverence and submission are expressed,as worship paid to the Supreme Being. 5. Reputation; good name; as, his honor is unsullied.

Lust

Greek - (3806) pathos (path'-os); from the alternate of NT:3958; properly, suffering ("pathos"), i.e. (subjectively) a passion (especially concupiscence):

Webster's - 1. Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; as the lust of gain. 2. Concupiscence; carnal appetite; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure. Rom 1. 2 Pet 2. 3. Evil propensity; depraved affections and desires. James 1. Psa 81. 1. To desire eagerly; to long; with after. 2. To have carnal desire; to desire eagerly the gratification of carnal appetite. 3. To have irregular or inordinate desires. 4. To list; to like.

Concupiscence

Greek - (1939) epithumia (ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah); from NT:1937; a longing (especially for what is forbidden):

Webster's -  Lust; unlawful or irregular desire of sexual pleasure. In a more general sense, the coveting of carnal things, or an irregular appetite for worldly good; inclination for unlawful enjoyments.

Defraud

Greek - (4122) pleonekteo (pleh-on-cek-teh'-o); from NT:4123; to be covetous, i.e. (by implication) to over-reach:

Webster's - 1. To deprive of right, either by obtaining something by deception or artifice, or by taking something wrongfully without the knowledge or consent of the owner; to cheat; to cozen; followed by of before the thing taken; as, to defraud; a man of his right. 2. To withhold wrongfully from another what is due to him. Defraud not the hireling of his wages. 3. To prevent one wrongfully from obtaining what he may justly claim. 4. To defeat or frustrate wrongfully.

By looking into the definitions of the word, it helps me to understand the subject this passage is speaking about.

Make it Personal

Once you study the passage, you can use the definitions to make it applicable and personal. From the definitions above, my mom wrote:

     "For this is the will of God, even purifying you and making you holy, that ye should refrain from indulging in idolatry (specifically in the physical sense), that everyone of you should know how to possess his vessel in purity and dignity . . ."

To make it personal, she wrote:

     "For this is the will of God, even purifying me and making me holy, that I should abstain from indulging in idolatry . . ."

Considering the Greek and Hebrew Words

 As you look at the Strong's concordance, you will notice little numbers to the side of the verses. These numbers indicate the original Hebrew/Aramaic (for Old Testament) or Greek (for New Testament) words. By looking up the original word, it can shed light on the subject.

Let us take  the word "love" in the New Testament. The passage in John 21 shows a remarkable difference. I have copied the passage and inserted the Greek numbers for all forms of "love."

John 21:15-17

15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (G-25) thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (G-5368) thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (G-25) thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (G-5368) thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (G-5368) thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest (G-5368)thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love (G-5368) thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

In the back of the Strong's concordance is a Hebrew dictionary and Greek dictionary. Be sure to flip to the correct one! For the above passage, we will find the Greek numbers 25 and 5368.

Here is what we discover:

25 agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o); perhaps from agan (much) [or compare OT:5689]; to love (in a social or moral sense):

5368 phileo (fil-eh'-o); from NT:5384; to be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]), i.e. have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; while NT:25 is wider, embracing especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety: the two thus stand related very much as NT:2309 and NT:1014, or as NT:2372 and NT:3563 respectively; the former being chiefly of the heart and the latter of the head); specifically, to kiss (as a mark of tenderness):

From these definitions, we see that Jesus was asking Peter, "Do you really love Me?" and Peter was answering, "Lord, I have an affection for you." The third time, Jesus asked, "Do you have an affection for Me?" and Peter was grieved because he could not claim to really love Christ. Reading the original definitions help shed a deeper understanding on the words.

Topical Study with Hebrew and Greek Words

With the realization of different root words, you can do a study on the individual root words. You can look up all of the verses using agape (G-25) love and then all of the verses using phileo (G-5368) love and follow the pattern of a normal topical study.

A Simple Word Search

 One of the studies that God has led me to do most often is a topical study. A topical study is when you take one word (and all of its tenses) and research every verse with that word. One can do an in depth topical study or a brief topical study.

Choose Your Word

Perhaps the Lord leads you to do a word study on "Forgiveness." With this word in mind, write down all of the tenses and synonyms: forgive, forgiven, forgave, forgiveness, forgiveth, forgiving, pardon, and pardoned. Choose one word with which to start.

Look Up Your Word

Using a concordance (I recommend Strong's Exhaustive Concordance), look up the verses for the first word.

Read Thoroughly

Do not skim through the verses, but read them. Remember that you are not studying to "get it checked off the list today," but you are studying to learn.

Copy Verses

If you want only the briefest overview of the word, merely read the verses. If you want to glean more from this study, then copy the verses down. Often, as I am writing out the verses, the Lord will help me to learn something from the verse. I write this down as well. Sometimes, a verse will make me ponder a question, which I write down to study (either in this specific study or in my general list of studies).

Repeat

When you have finished going through all of the verses from your first word, look up the second word, using the same process, continuing through your list until you have covered all of the tenses.

Pulling it All Together

In studying a topic like forgiveness, it is easy to see that there are different applications of the word. Forgiveness covers God's forgiveness towards us, our need for God's forgiveness, how forgiveness affects our relationship with God, how we should forgive others, and specifics about what forgiveness entails. It is a good idea to take the time to categorize the verses you study. Some people categorize as they read the verses the first time. Others prefer to categorize them later.

To help you categorize verses, ask a few questions. Some general questions you could ask are:

            ~What does God's Word say about this subject?

            ~What should we do about this subject?

            ~What should we not do about this subject?

            ~Is this speaking of God?
            ~Is this speaking of me?

            ~Is this applicable specifically to me?

Applying It

James 1:22 says, "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (emphasis added) We can study God's Word every day, but if we do not apply it to our lives, we still miss the mark. As you study, be sure to ask, "What did I learn from this study? What should I apply?" Do not just read. DO.

Preparing to Study

Inevitably, when one thinks of studying God's Word, the first question to arise is, "What should I study?" God's Word deals with every aspect of life and has the answer to every question ("According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:3-4). With so many options, what should we study? The answer for each individual is different, based on their need of the moment.

Choose Something That Relates Directly to You

~Has the Lord convicted you about an area in your life on which you need to work? (ex. anger, bitterness, forgiveness, pride, humility, giving, love, self-control, etc.)

~Are you memorizing a verse and do not understand all of the words?

~Is there a specific portion of Scripture that the Lord has brought to your attention?  

~Has a specific word stood out to you recently? (ex. trust, forgiveness, self-control, etc.)

~Do you have questions about a certain subject? (ex. God's grace, security of salvation, modesty, literature, etc.)

Keep a List

As you read through those questions, the Lord may have prompted your heart about a few topics. Write them down. Now. Keep your list handy (in the front sleeve of your Bible, on your night-stand, anywhere you frequent) so that any time a topic or question comes to your mind, you can jot it down to remember for later. This list is very useful when you have completed one topic and are wondering what to study next.

Gather Your Supplies

There are several tools that are very helpful to have when you study God's Word: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Webster's 1828 dictionary (assuming you are studying with the King James), and a notebook. If you are using your computer, I highly recommend e-Sword (www.e-sword.net), a free Bible software program on which you can download all of these resources.

Prepare Your Heart

There are different ways to approach the Bible, both good and bad:

     ~to extract from Scripture what it actually says (exegesis)

     ~to read into it what you want it to say (eisegesis)

     ~to learn what God's Word really says about an issue

     ~to fuel your argument and prove your point to someone else

     ~to go to God's Word with your mind already made up what you want to see

Psalm 119:18 says, "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law." Our motive for studying God's Word should never be to prove our points, but to open our hearts to what God wants to teach us. Before we study, we should always set aside time to prayerfully prepare our hearts and ask God to give us a teachable spirit so that He can do His work in us.

2014 Challenge: Pasar tiempo con Dios

For Christmas, I received a Spanish-English Bible. It is remarkable to hold in my hands God's Word in a different language. It is sobering as well. As I struggle to read through Spanish, understanding only a word here and there, somewhere in a Spanish-speaking country there are natives who do not even know there is a God Who has given them His Word -- in their language! Meanwhile, I am blessed to have God's Word in their language and in mine.

We can realize how blessed we are to have multiple copies of God's Word in our house, but what do we do about it? Pasar tiempo con Dios means "Spend time with God." How often do we, in our busy schedules, take the time to spend time with God? For a quick moment, think back to 2013. Were there times that you neglected God's Word? I know my answer is a sad, "Yes." What about as 2014 spans before us? What will we do to change?

One area in which God has convicted me to apply myself more is studying God's Word. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." While I believe it is vital for every believer to read God's Word every day, it is also important to study God's Word.

The next few weeks, it is my prayer to do a little series and share a few things about study that God has helped me to learn. Will you join me?

Not ANOTHER White Van!?

Our van had been slowly dying. For the past three years, my Dad claimed that our van ran on, “A hop and a prayer.” I know that we often saw God’s hand at work in our long, white Chevy Express as we prepared for local and long-distance ministry trips. However, there is always the point when it is time for the new.

Our faithful "White Elephant"

The beginning of this year, as God directed our family to focus more on traveling with our singing ministry it became very obvious that our eight-year old van needed replacement. Our dreams ballooned as Dad and my brother browsed the internet for vans and . . . buses!!!! Oh, to travel in the luxury of a 24-seat bus instead of cramping us fourteen Teros in a fifteen-passenger van with instrument cases stowed under seats, keeping my feet strictly in front of me and my brother’s camera back-pack limiting my stretch-ability in front. And to have a bus! That meant no six-foot white trailer bumping behind with our ice-chest hidden under an avalanche of sleeping bags and duffels. Instead, we would have luxurious over-head storage, under-the-seat storage and extra room behind the seats! And an ice-chest that we could reach without stopping.

Months passed and we looked. My favorite bus we nicknamed the “Coca-Cola” bus – white with red swirly accents. But there was always one major downside: buses cost almost twice as much as a fifteen-passenger van and . . . we did not even have money for a new van. This is nothing new, though, as we have watched in awe how God has provided to the penny our needs every time. We knew that, according to God’s will, He would provide. And as God is so faithful, He did it again! When God provided the funds for a new vehicle for the ministry, the search began genuinely. It did not take long to realize that our dreams for a bus were not a need but a want. Yes, it would be luxurious to travel in a bus, however, God did not provide money for a bus – He provided just enough for us to get . . . another fifteen-passenger van (“Please, Daddy, can we find another color besides white? How boring to get practically the same van!!!”).

Three months passed and the search for a fifteen-passenger van poised some difficulties. Dad found a van and he and Mom drove four hours to get it. They arrived at the dealership and began talking with the man only to discover that they changed the price that morning. Difficulties swelled and my parents came home in our old faithful “big white elephant.” We were disappointed, but this experience answered our prayer: it was very clear that this van was not for us. This experience also helped us to realize that though we were dreaming smaller, the dreams were still too big. We were having a difficult time accepting the exact amount God had given us for a new van and were searching above our limit.

More browsing online. Dad found another van – this time 6 ½ hours away in Texas (TexasDirectAuto.com). Dad called the dealership and told them the price that God had given us for a new van -- we needed the van and all of the legal work completed with that price. They were more than willing to work with us and long day short, the drive was made to Texas, the van was bought (complete with the extra blessing of new tires), and is now gracing our driveway. 

Another fifteen-passenger. Another Chevy. Another white van. But, it was another lesson to learn that God may not provide our desires but He is always faithful to provide our needs.

The old . . .

. . . the new!

. . .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

As I was reading in my Bible this morning, I "came across" Psalm 136 which begins,

"O give thanks unto the Lord;

for He is good:

for His mercy endureth forever."

Of course, with Thanksgiving tomorrow, the first part grabbed me. But then, as I read through the whole chapter, it's hard not to notice each verse ending, "for His mercy endureth forever." So often, we think of God's mercies as the good things and we thank Him only for those things. But sometimes, God's mercies are disguised with trials, Him withholding our perception of "what's good for me" (Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good, to them who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."). It is easy to list the benefits, blessings, and good things, but do we "in every thing give thanks?" (Ephesians 5:20) It is quite perspective-changing to thank God for even the difficult things of life!

Has the Lord given you a special verse for this Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear it!

Giveaway

King's Blooming Rose is having a giveaway! This is a neat ministry directed to helping young ladies and I have been blessed by some of their challenges in the past two years.