June Bible Study Day 12

This is our last day and let me just say I've looked forward to the little break from life when I tell my kids, "hold on I'm doing my Bible study." I usually do Bible reading after they go to bed, but I loved how they respected this time each day and maybe they will remember my example when they are older.

Today was, "Give Thanks In Waiting." The scriptures were Romans 8:19-25 and Colossians 3:15-17.  I think verse 17 of Colossians 3 is a great summary of this entire series of lessons. "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."  No matter what our circumstance is at the present time we need to learn to be thankful for each moment that we have.

Giving thanks in waiting is hard, at least for me during this season in my life. My other half and partner in crime is gone and I cannot wait for him to be back home with us sharing in everything that goes on in our family.  I want this time to fly by, but at the same time I don't.  I don't want my babies to be that much older and to have passed so many milestones. I feel like I'm wishing their lives away. I'm learning each day how to find the small things all around me to be thankful for. The small coincidences that add up to a big help, the things I remember just in time before it's too late.  I keep finding some blessings in each and every day. Am I thankful for my husband being away? No. But I can find things that happen each day that I am grateful for? Yes.

Look around and take note of all the things you have to be thankful for. If it doesn't overwhelm you then I suggest you make a list and see the mighty power of God working in your life.

Thank you for all who participated in this study. You all have encouraged me daily, thank you for that.

Much Love,
Ashley

June Bible Study Day 11

Hey All,

Today the study was entitled "Give Thanks In Wandering."  The readings were 2 Chronicles 15:1-4, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Mark 9:24, and Proverbs 25:2.  Mark 9:24 is one of my all time favorite verses.  "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe, help my unbelief!'"  How many times I have said this to God.  I do believe Him, but sometimes I just don't know the whole scope of His capabilities so I don't have enough belief.  I need the creator of everythings help to understand.  I will never understand God completely and that is okay as long as I keep asking Him to help my unbelief.

I also liked verse 2 in 2 Chronicles 15 where it says, "If you seek Him, He will be found by you." As long as we are actively seeking Him, we will find the answers to what we need.  We will know enough to make the right decisions and He will be right there with us.  Like I have said in other posts about this study, we have to be active in our faith and active in being thankful.

My favorite thing the author said today was, "For although we may feel lost, we know He never loses us."  God knows where we are and how we can make it through, so who better to turn to then our ultimate navigator.  He will help us get back to on the road that leads to Him.

What were your thoughts today?

Much Love,
Ashley 

June Bible Study Day 10

Hey all!

Today's study was entitled "Give Thanks In Want". The readings were from Habakkuk 3:17-19, Romans 8: 35-39, 2 Corinthians 4: 7-18. 

I enjoyed reading this one because this is what I have been focusing on doing daily since Zach left. I have been trying to give thanks for my blessings during this time while I'm wanting him to be with me so badly.

For me it's been easiest to look around at others and see how they have it worse. Someone will always have it worse, you just have to look around enough and open your heart to others.  My 'others' are all the women who loose their husbands. Some spouses don't have the hope any longer of seeing their husbands again when they return from deployment.  I also think about the wives whose husband's have violated their marriage while they've been away. They will never have the bond they did before deployment again. This is such a hard road that we're on, but there are still others who have it worse. After you've found someone that has it worse, pray for them.

I've always loved Romans 8: 35-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Nothing that could ever happen to us can ever separate us from the love God.

Much Love,
Ashley

June Bible Study Day 9

Hello all!

I've really enjoyed this study and loved her views on it today. Today was entitled "Give Thanks In Plenty", the readings were from Psalm 23, Psalm 105:1-5, 1 Chron. 29:10-13.

Psalm 105:4 really stuck out to me. "Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually."  It shows us that we have to actively seek Him, we have to take time from our busy lives to find Him. How do we find Him? Through prayer, through reading His word, focusing only on Him in silence.

We do focus on the plenty in the physical realm all the time, because that's what we rely on to survive. But the author is right, spiritually we are always in plenty. We don't deserve the grace that we are given once baptized.  We don't deserve any of His blessings and yet He pours them on us daily.

Thank You Lord for Your daily grace of all my shortcomings.

What do you do to seek the Lord?

Much Love, Ashley

June Bible Study Day 8

Today's study is entitled,  "Give Thanks in Sorrow." The readings were Psalm 31:1-24, Psalm 34:18, and Psalm 56:8.

My favorite verse from the readings was verse 24 of Psalm 31,  "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord."

I love this because first it's a command, be strong.  Even if we don't have anymore strength left we can trust that God will be our strength and hold us up. Second, it shows us that being courageous means taking action.  Even if we don't feel like we have enough courage, we are being courageous by taking that first step and going for it. And I love how it ends the verse with, wait for the Lord. Not wait for your perfect time, not wait until the stars align,  but just wait on the Lord.

I also loved when the author said, "Allow Him to work in your sorrow, friends, even - and especially- when it's muted."

Right now I'm sorrowful about my marriage. Zach and I have had a few bumps but as long as we're together we get through anything. Now we're not together. We can't have a normal conversation,  we can't see each other, and we can't touch each other. I see this as a huge barrier to our marriage growing, or us growing closer together, during this entire year. I see this deployment as a stumbling block for our great marriage and it scares me and if I think about it to long sorrow overtakes me. 

I'm glad she put it the way she did, "Allow Him to work in your sorrow." As I feel sorrowful at times I need to remember that God can still work through me if I allow Him to. If I just hand the sorrow over to Him and say "Here, I don't have an answer so will you please take this from me?" After we hand it over to Him we can shine brighter for Him without anything dulling us down.

What were your thoughts? Have you allowed Him to work through your sorrows?

Much Love,
Ashley

June Bible Study Day 7

Today she posted one verse and suggested that we memorize it. I am going to write it on an index card and put it on my bathroom mirror.  I also made it my home screen on my phone.

The verse is Psalm 9:1 "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

I wanted to look at the verse a bit more in depth,  so here are my thoughts. First, it says 'I will give thanks'; so what we're focusing on is an intended action, I will. Then it says give.  God wants us to focus on giving thanks not receiving it from others. 

Next, it says 'to the Lord'; this is who we should be thankful to, not our good luck or our good timing. We need to be grateful to the maker of all things for all the things in our lives.

Thirdly, 'with my whole heart'. We don't need to thank Him halfheartly. I think this is something that you have to work on when you are troubled. Just remember be thankful for what He has given you and don't include any buts... (but this could be better and that, etc).

And lastly, 'I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.' I think this also showing purposeful action not just thanks in the moment when something happens, but looking back at even a bad situation and finding His wonderful deeds in the dark moments.

Much Love,
Ashley

June Bible Study Day 6

Hey All,

Today's study was "Give Thanks In Injustice".  The readings were from 1 Kings 3:5-28, Micah 6:8, Psalm 7:17, Psalm 9:1-20.  I thought today was rather timely as we see injustice in the news just this week for Christians.  As Christ's body we should always be welcoming and warm to anyone who wants to join our worship or studies.  Homeless, poor, stinky, unkept; none of these things can be seen by the eyes of God.  And yet it's so hard for us to get over these silly things sometimes. 

I can see how after the shooting in South Carolina, churches will be more watchful, more careful, more scared.  But are any of those things right?  I don't think it's wrong to try and keep our congregations safe but I do hope that this doesn't make us question the people walking in our doors for the first time.  This is just what she's talking about today, we must be thankful in the injustice in this world.  I am thankful that those killed were taking time out of their daily lives to go and study God's Word and that they invited someone who wasn't numbered with them into their midst.  Was the outcome good? No.  But I leave you with one thought...

"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." Matthew 5:11

Is it hard to be thankful when we are enduring persecution, yes. Very hard, sometimes it will seem like rubbish.  But we are called to give thanks in knowing that we are standing for Him.

Much Love,
Ashley