Sunday, November 22, 2015

Bible in 90 Days – Day 6

Bible in 90 Days – Day 6
Exodus 15-28


Words
Exodus 17:15 Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord is My Banner. This was when Moses’ hands were lifted for victory – God is the Victory!
Exodus 20:5 worship – H5647 To work for, to serve, to make oneself a servant to, to serve as subjects
Exodus 20:12 honor – H3513 heavy/weighty (Hebrew idiom designating significance)

Wonders
Exodus 16:4 The last thing that was recorded to be rained down (Exodus 9:18) was for destruction, but this was for life.

Principles
Exodus 16:29 God provides the means for us to obey. He provides the means for us to please Him.

Hugs
Exodus 16:24 Imagine the reality of Sabbath – with a weekly miracle: the food did not spoil as normal.

Exodus 18:10-11 The first retelling of this (Exodus 10:1-2) recorded here.

Mirror
Exodus 23:1-7 You must not spread a false report, and stay far away from false accusation.


Saturday, November 21, 2015

Bible in 90 Days – Day 5

Bible in 90 Days – Day 5
Exodus 1-15


Words
Poor speaker (Literally “Uncircumcised lips”) – a Hebrew idiom for any imperfection that interferes with efficiency.

Wonders
Exodus 8:6 Where did the frogs go ‘up’ from?
Exodus 8:18 This is the first one the magicians could not copy- the gnats. At this third plague, they acknowledged the power of God.
Exodus 9:18-21 By the seventh plague, some of Pharoah’s officials feared God.
Exodus 9:27 Seventh plague Pharaoh admits sin and acknowledges God, but in 9:34 when it got easy again he sinned again. This time, too, he hardens his own heart – up until now it’s been God hardening his heart.
Exodus 12:38 Ethnically diverse crowd – does this mean that some Egyptians came with them?

Principles
Exodus 14:4 Sometimes my path may be longer/harder because God wants to do a work in someone else.


Hugs
Exodus 10:1-2 So that I may do, and you may tell. (Don’t we often miss the first part? Or reword it so that we are the doers? He’s so got this.)

Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.


Mirror
Exodus 6:9,12,30 The peoples’ spirit was broken and their hard labor kept them from listening to Moses, but he thought it was his own lack of skill. Pharaoh wouldn’t listen either and he again thought it was his own lack of ability, but it was his hard heart.
how often have we made the same conclusion? That because of some imperfection of our own we ought not do something, even if it’s something God has asked us to do

Exodus 14:21, 23:15 Moses stretched out his hand, and the Lord _____.  Are my hands available for the Lord to ______? Am I offering what I have?


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Bible in 90 Days – Day 1

Bible in 90 Days – Day 1
Genesis 1-16
For now I’m going to structure my posts like this. This is a new way for me to study so I may change it as I go along. I found that I’m easily distractible as I’m reading, because I have such a bent toward “study” in place of “reading”. This takes exponentially longer, and since there’s so much reading each day, I decided to jot notes in a separate journal as I go along, so I don’t stop. Kindof like taking sermon notes during a sermon, as I can’t very well raise my hand and ask my pastor to hang on while I go and research this or that.
Here’s my structure for today.
Words: Words that popped off the page for me
Wonders: Things I sortof wonder about, that I’d have to go and read some commentaries or study up a bit farther – if there’s even any complete explanations out there. God does love a good mystery, after all.
Principles: Maybe a little theological one-liner that one could infer from the text.
Hugs: Warm fuzzies for the romantic in me. When God’s tenderness and faithful love is especially evident to me.
Mirror: When I see myself in the characters. God’s word is like a mirror (James 1:23-25)
(Also, I’m going to be using the HCSB. I love the HCSB Notetakers Interactive Edition Bible for its huge margins, lots of study info and cross references.)



Words 
Gen 2:18 helper – 5828 One who helps; from 5826 to help, support.
Note: This is the first job description for a wife, before woman is even created.

Gen 2:24 bonds with – 1692 To cling to, to stay with
Note: Marriage rules determined as soon as marriage is established.

Gen 2:25 no shame – 954 (Not) put to shame, disconcerted, or disappointed. (Not) acting shamefully.
Note: Shame and Audacity cannot coexist.

Gen 8:21 pleasing aroma
God was well pleased with the performance, v. 21. He smelt a sweet savour, or, as it is in the Hebrew, a savour of rest, from it. As, when he had made the world at first on the seventh day, he rested and was refreshed, so, now that he had new-made it, in the sacrifice of the seventh he rested. He was well pleased with Noah's pious zeal, and these hopeful beginnings of the new world, as men are with fragrant and agreeable smells; though his offering was small it was according to his ability, and God accepted it. Having caused his anger to rest upon the world of sinners, he here caused his love to rest upon this little remnant of believers. –Matthew Henry
source

Wonders/Meditations
Genesis 12:1 This seems a little out of nowhere. Why Abram? Perhaps because God knew he would obey? Perhaps God saw Abram’s faith even before He called him, before we get the chance to see his faith recorded? God looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Principles
Gen 4:12-22, 6:5-8, 8:18, 10:1-32 Righteousness is more important than knowledge or skill. All (or perhaps many) of the makers, music makers, thinkers, etc were washed away in the flood.
Gen 12:7-8 Abram worships. Even though he doesn’t know where he’s going, and there is no hope of fulfillment, he worships.

Hugs
Gen 13:17 “Get up and walk from one end of the land to the other, for I will give it to you.” (This reminded me of a daddy excitedly giving his child a new car, or house, or something amazing, and saying “Push all the buttons, give it a try, test drive it, look in all the doors and cabinets! It’s yours!”)

Mirror 
Gen 15:2, 16:2 Abram and Sarai are trying to figure out how God could keep His promise, and they’re trying to come up with a solution for Him, praying with this finite solution in mind. A solution born of finite understanding, when God has something better and more amazing in mind. It’s hard to believe in the supernatural when our minds are so human. See also Romans 8:26 – when we don’t know how to pray, and Eph 3:20 He is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or even imagine.

Bible In 90 Days Challenge

Today I am joining my friend in a challenge to read through the Bible in 90 days. I am going to be using this blog as an outlet for some of the thoughts God stirs in me during this challenge. It's likely going to be a little less structured than some of the previous posts/studies found here, and I probably won't post daily, but I'd love to invite you to join me here and read and study along. I would also love for you to join me in this challenge.

My friend Amy who invited me to join her in this challenge writes about it on her blog Eternity in My Heart and you'll love her heart.
She used the Zondervan's 90 day Bible but you can also print the plan and use your favorite Bible.
The picture I used below is not my own but I think it is beautiful. I got it from here
Right-click on it to save and print it.

My thoughts and comments are in the next post.
Blessings!
Nicole