Bible Study: Week of October 28 – November 3, 2018

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Overview/Theme:  

Sunday – Life is difficult. Consider Jesus’ life and death on the cross. In His humanity, He chose to please the Father. Are we willing to serve even when life is hard? Let God have His way.

Monday – We are faced with many trials in this life whether it’s physical or otherwise. However, we must not become frustrated over what we don’t have. Instead, we must get a grip on gratitude by counting the many ways that God cares for us.

Tuesday –In this world, many people feel they are an expert on explaining God’s Word as it relates to various situations. We must not argue over the truths of God’s Word. Instead, agree to disagree in love and pursue peace among the brethren so that we don’t lose hope.

Wednesday –Even when life’s challenges seem to knock us down, we must look up to our loving God, who is still on the throne. He will refresh our weary souls and give us hope in a dark world.

Thursday –We can easily become compassion fatigued in this badly broken world. However, we must continue to follow Jesus’ example and comfort those who are spiritually suffering with the Word.

Friday – Let’s not be ignorant of the foxes of this world who want to devour God’s people.  God may not limit the attacks, because there are times that we become the culprit, we want our own way and we give place to the devil. God will then allow us to deal with the consequences of our decisions. However, once we repent, we can be confident that His love for us will guide us safely back to Him. 

Saturday– 

***The English Standard Version (ESV) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526; marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 (RSV). In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression. Our goal has been to carry forward this legacy for a new century.

To this end each word and phrase in the ESV has been carefully weighed against the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity and to avoid under-translating or overlooking any nuance of the original text. The words and phrases themselves grow out of the Tyndale-King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for our work. Archaic language has been brought to current usage and significant corrections have been made in the translation of key texts. But throughout, our goal has been to retain the depth of meaning and enduring language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of the church over the last four centuries.

The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. It seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original. More about the ESV translation philosophy….***

Monday, October 29 2018 – Getting a Grip on Gratitude – Numbers 11:1-11
Focus: To get a grip on gratitude, we must stop being frustrated over the things we don’t have. Instead, remember the countless ways that God cares for us.
Scripture(s): 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Psalms 107:21-22

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 – Agreeing to Disagree – Romans 14:1-13
Focus: Don’t argue over the facts in the Bible. Instead, agree to disagree on various points in love and pursue peace among the brethren.
Scripture(s): Ephesians 4:32; 2 Timothy 2:23-26

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 – Hope in the Darkness – Jeremiah 31:16-26
Focus: When life’s challenges knocks us down, look up to God, who is still on the throne. He will refresh us and give us hope in darkness.
Scripture(s): Isaiah 60:1-4

Thursday, November 1, 2018 – Compassion Fatigue – Matthew 9:35-38
Focus: In this badly broken world, we can become compassion fatigued. We must follow Jesus’ example and continue to comfort those who are suffering.
Scripture(s): Galatians 6:9-10; 1 Peter 3:8-17

Friday, November 2, 2018 – Catching Foxes – Song of Solomon 2:14-17
Focus: The foxes of this world want to devour us and God doesn’t always limit the attacks. However, He loves us and will guide us safely to Himself.
Scripture(s): Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 10:16-22

Inspirational Thoughts from Sister Clovia Thompson

Spiritual Fitness

It is time to hit the heavenly gym to begin our journey towards spiritual fitness.  We may be physically and mentally fit, but are we spiritually flabby?

In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul writes “…exercise thyself rather unto godliness.  For bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”  If we want to grow strong, we need a rigorous workout every day.  To “run with perseverance the race marked out to us,” we need to be in top shape.

The first thing we need to do is warm up our spiritual muscles.  To be on fire for God requires stroking our spirit with the fuel of daily prayer, intense knowledge of the scriptures and generous giving.

Now it’s time to get moving.  Vibrant prayer doesn’t come to those who wait, expecting God to turn up the flame.  Let’s do what it says in James 1:22, “be doers of the word not just hearers.”

As we get ready for the holiday season, somewhere in our lives there are people who are hungry and need to eat, or thirsty and need of drink, there are strangers Christ wants us to care for or clothe, sick people to serve and prisoners to visit.  Matthew 25:35-36

So let’s get out there, pump up your spiritual iron of prayer, lift those spiritual weights and get in touch with God’s workout plan.  You can do it!

Pump up for Jesus!