Exploring Your Word in God's Word

 

Exploring Your Word in God's Word

For me, having a word of the year and living out intentions must be grounded in God's Word. That requires exploring my word and intentions in the Word of God. I do that in a number of ways:

• Doing a word study of my selected word. If my chosen word is one that is repeated throughout the Bible, such as peace or love, then doing a word study will produce a lot of verses to select from and my task is to narrow it down to those that support my reason for selecting that word. However, if my word is more of a concept then it will require more digging. This is the case for my word this year, RHYTHM.
• Another way to explore my word in God's Word is to study areas that support the intentions I have set for living out my word.
• I also will select a theme verse or passage to serve as a guide through the year with my word. So an in-depth study of that verse or passage will be an on-going practice through the year.
• Then there are spiritual practices that I can use to me grow spiritually through the year. The word I choose for a particular year can help determine which practices (also know as spiritual disciplines or sacred rhythms) to engage in and explore that year. For example if I've chosen a word, such as love, which by its nature biblically calls for action to others, I may want to engage in serving practices through the year and focus on active ways  of loving others. But I will also want to engage in practices that connect me with the love of God, like Bible study, prayer and meditation.

So this will serve as our guide this month:

• Today we will look at word studies in the Bible.
• 2/12 Creating Bible studies for our intentions.
• 2/19 Our theme verse or passage Bible study.
• 2/26 Determining spiritual practices to accompany our word.

Doing A Word Study With Your Word

I am a huge fan of word studies. In fact, the Words Challenges I do are basically devotions that come out of word studies. Every year I will do a number of word studies with my word of the year. This past summer when we did the Thessalonians Words Challenge I created a document to walk people through the steps of a word study. You can click on the picture of the document below to open the full three page document as a PDF. Feel free to print it out. Also visit the Bible Study Tips & Techniques page here on my blog for other study tutorials. You can also find it in the menu at the top of my site.

Having said all that I have about my enjoyment of word studies and doing them with my word of the year, I find it is not as easy for me this year. My word, rhythm, is not actually found in the Bible, rather it is a concept. It's not as easy to do a word study with a concept. But there are ways to accomplish the same thing.

1.  A search of modern translations and paraphrases may reveal your word. For example, my word is used in The Message Bible, which is a modern paraphrase, rather than a translation. In fact, my word is found in my theme verse in The Message. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

2.  You can use the synonyms of your word to see if any of those words  reveal verses that will help you live out your word. Some of the synonyms for my word are flow, movement, pulse, pace, routine, balance. They didn't really produce much either. Although when I did a search on 'movement' the following verse came up for the word 'move' and I feel it fits my word well.

"For in him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28. This verse has a sense of our life flowing with the rhythms of Christ. I may do more with that as the year progresses.

3. If searching for words does not result in much then it's time to search for concepts. We will get into this deeper next week when we explore creating Bible studies for our intentions, but let me give you a quick example of how I have started doing this. One of the ways I keep spiritually, emotionally and physically healthy is by maintaining a healthy rhythm of work and rest. Rest, for me, includes treating my body well, being creative, making space for downtime, and practicing Sabbath rest - dedicated time spent with the Lord. All of this is an on-going process that requires being intentional. The word 'rest' is also in my theme verse. While looking up the synonym words for my word I came upon the Greek word 'sunanapauomai'. It includes part of the word for rest used in Matthew 11:28 (anapauo). Sunanapauomai is a word made from the words 'sun' which means together and 'anapauo' which means to refresh or to rest. So, it is to refresh or take rest with someone. I ran across the following verses where Paul speaks of being refreshed by being with other people:

"[Pray]so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company." Romans 15:32

"...for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours." 1 Corinthians 16:18

"And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all." 2 Corinthians 7:13

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people." Philemon verse 7

It would appear that Paul is telling us that part of the Lord's refreshing for us comes about through other Christ-followers. I was not looking for this. In fact, if I'm really honest, I usually am refreshed the most by solitude. But I sense in this that God may be calling me to embrace something different this year - to include others in some way in my time of rest. I did something this past summer that turned out to be quite fruitful. As I began preparing for the Thessalonians Words Challenge I also began a Zoom Bible study with a few other ladies going through the Thessalonian letters. It was very beneficial. So this year I want to go through another book and have asked a friend to journey through it with me. I need the accountability of another to keep going through the book to the end. And I need the companionship of another as we dig into the book and talk through its meaning and pray together. I often do so much study by myself, and I like being by myself, maybe too much sometimes - and maybe I have overdone being by myself throughout this pandemic. Now, this doesn't appear on my intentions list that I made last month, but maybe it should. It felt like a clear directive from the Lord. It can also give me more to study in the months ahead, looking at what the Bible says about being in community together, being encouraged by one another, etc.

Last year I made a video that walks through how to use the websites I use when doing a word study.

So, now we have a few ways to get us started in exploring our word of the year through God's Word: Do a word study, study synonyms of your word, study a concept. Again, we will explore studying concepts more next week when we explore creating Bible studies from our intentions.

If you have a word that you are struggling to find in the Bible or if you have any questions about any of the steps to doing a word study, please feel free to email me, marybrack@gmail.com. Or start a conversation in the Words Art & Faith Group on Facebook.

I hope you'll try doing a word study this week and see where God leads you!

Pilgrimage 3

Pilgrimage 3

Pilgrimage part 1 is here and part 2 here.

Almost a month ago the last gathering I attended before Coronavirus stopped our world was our church service. The day before that I spoke at our women's ministry brunch. I was asked to speak to the women about what outreach is from a biblical and a practical perspective. And what I shared there seems to connect with the pilgrimage theme I've shared over my past two blog posts as I have shared the journal I made last summer.

How might the theme of outreach connect with the theme of pilgrimage, you may be thinking. First, let's remember what the definition of pilgrimage is. A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place; a spiritual journey; a holy expedition. It is often used as a metaphor for viewing our life in Christ as a spiritual journey, a journey of transformation. Our spiritual journey is to follow the ways of Christ.

In the New Testament we are reminded that "our citizenship is in heaven, And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). So throughout the New Testament we are reminded that we are strangers, foreigners in this world, exiles. We are on a journey through this life, pilgrims on their way home. 

And so, I ended my last post this way: Living life as a pilgrim calls us to view all of our life as one who is on mission, on a journey, making us all missionaries, whether we travel abroad or stay in our home towns. It's a way of seeing this life through the eyes of an exile in a foreign land. Author Elliot Clark, in his book Evangelism as Exiles, puts it this way:

"In my experience, many missionaries - even volunteers on short-term ministry trips - tend to consciously approach every moment in relation to mission. They saturate their days in prayer. They consider the intended or unintended consequences of their mannerisms and behavior, being careful how they spend their money, how they dress, and how they interact with others. They demonstrate the utmost respect and honor for locals, even to people drastically different from them. They also view random encounters as God-ordained opportunities, so they purposefully speak with just about anyone about their faith."

God had a specific call on how His people were to live while in exile. Speaking to the Israelites in exile in Babylon, God spoke to them through the prophet Jeremiah:

 "This is what the Lord Almighty. the God of Israel, says to all those carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons ad daughters. Increase n number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:4-7

 While in exile they are to do the things that create a life: make homes, produce food, marry, bear children, etc. But they are also called to seek the peace and prosperity (both words in Hebrew are shalom) of the city in which they live. They are to pray for it, for it to prosper (again shalom), and if the city prospers, then they will also prosper (shalom). 

So then, how are we as Christ-followers to live while we are in exile -while we are pilgrims in this world? We can use God's words to the Israelites as an example along with the words and life of Christ. We can follow in His ways and love our neighbors. On our pilgrimage we imitate the life and character of Christ. This is what growing in Christ's likeness is all about. Outreach is simply about reaching out to others, imitating Christ's incarnation. How do we imitate Jesus' life?

We go, we serve, we love. 

This was my message at the women's brunch:

We go because that is what Jesus did and that is what He called us to do. The incarnation is about Jesus coming into the world in human form. In John 6:38 Jesus tells us “I came down from heaven.”  He willingly left heaven and came to earth. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. (John 1:14) He left his rightful place beside the Father, with its comforts and privileges, and He came to earth, becoming a human, taking on the nature of a servant. We see this in Philippians 2:6-7 as well as other places throughout the New Testament. Why did He leave heaven and become a human? To reveal God to us. To show us in the flesh what God is like. And to bring redemption and salvation to the world. And He calls us to go and reveal God and show the world what God is like, revealing redemption and salvation through Him. Jesus’ great commission to His people begins with the word “Go”. As the Father sent the Son into the world, He then sends His followers into the world to continue His mission. We go, because Jesus did.

We then serve, because Jesus served. Jesus says in Mark 10:45, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus was called to serve and His life shows many examples of this. He met people’s needs both physical and spiritual, all with the purpose of bringing glory to the Father. He served because it was the Father’s will. He served obediently, humbly, and sacrificially. And He calls us to the same kind of service.  Philippians 2:5 says we are to have the same attitude as Christ, then the rest of the passage shows us his humility, his obedience and servanthood. Earlier in the same passage Paul calls us to “consider others as better than ourselves” and to “look to others interests” as well as our own. These are Christ’s sacrificial, servant-like characteristics that we are called to imitate.

Finally, we love, because Jesus loved. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 “Be imitators of god, therefore as dearly loved children, and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” John continues Paul’s message in 1 John 4, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

Love is sacrificial. Love is practical and active. Throughout the Bible we see God described as loving and compassionate, and then he acts toward His people according to this nature. Throughout the gospels it is recorded that Jesus had compassion on people, and that this compassion would move him to act -  healing, feeding, serving, meeting people’s needs. (See for example Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34)

Who are we called to love? Again we imitate Jesus. The scope of who we are called to love ranges from the world, who God so loved that he gave his son, to one another in the God’s family, our neighbors, and even our enemies. There are no exceptions to our call to love.

Imitating Jesus in reaching out to the world around us seems intimidating. But it is a call that we are given together, we have each other. And where God guides, He provides. We are a people of faith. We have to believe that when we faithfully care for what and who He calls us to, that He will then meet our needs. Just like with tithing, we serve trusting that He will take care of our needs. Returning to Mark 10:45 where Jesus tells us that He came to serve. This is not simply a call for us to imitate Him in serving, it is also a promise that He will serve us as well. God empowers us with His Spirit to do His will and to act according to His good purpose (Philippians 2:13).

Thank you for joining me as I have explored the theme of Pilgrimage.

Using A Mind Map With My Word

Using a Mind Map With My Word

The challenge with using a word to guide you through the year is how to keep that word present throughout the whole year. We all start strong in January when everyone's focus is on fresh starts and setting goals, but the energy and motivation can often start to fizzle a early as February. This is where our Living Your Word of the Year group comes in. We share ways to engage with and practice your word of the year all year long.

So far I have looked at how I chose my word for the year and about my journal here. Last week I shared a video and a worksheet on how to do a word study in the Bible for your word, as did Valerie Sjodin. Bernice Hopper shared last week about how her word of the year changed to a new word. Information about joining our group can be found at the bottom of this post. 

This week we are focusing on using a Mind Map with your word. A Mind Map is a way of visually brainstorming. I am a visual person so it often helps me to use a Mind Map when I am trying to get clarity or to organize my thoughts. At litemind.com they describe a Mind Map like this:

"A Mind Map is a visual tool that helps structure information. A graphical way to represent ideas and concepts."

I used a Mind Map to organize and visualize how I want to live out my word this year. My word is fruit and I've decided to use an agricultural metaphor with my word this year, much like Scripture does. So I researched some verbs that are agricultural and have set up my intentions based on these words. By the way, I will be talking about the difference between goals and intentions in the next few weeks.

Another way I'll use a Mind Map is to try to sort through and organize things I am studying. Here is one I did for Galatians 5:22-23, where my word for the year, fruit, is found. I found some great articles and grammatical information and I was trying to sort it all out in my head. Mapping it out really helped as it gave me a visual.

I don't think there is a right way or a wrong way to do Mind Maps, but I do think they are a great tool!

Living Your Word 2020 Opportunity!

My friends Bernice Hopper, and Valerie Sjodin, and I share insights through blog posts for creatively living a word of the year. In our Facebook group, we encourage one another by posting questions and prompts to inspire living out a word focus, keeping a journal etc. It is a safe place to ask for prayer and support. If you would like to connect with others in creative ways about living your word, you can ask to join our Living Your Word of the Year 2020 by clicking on the link below.

URL for Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/livingyourwordoftheyear/ 

Hashtag for Instagram:  #livingyourword2020

Check out their blogs:

Bernice: https://newlycreative.com

Valerie: https://valeriesjodin.com/blog/ 

Living Your Word 2019: A is for Abide

A is for Abide

My desire this year with my word of the year, sacred, is to see every part of my life as sacred - to be used by and for God.

I'm especially trying to gain a better perspective of my body being a sacred instrument for God's use. So I have been working on seeing health as an issue of stewardship.

"We are the stewards, not the possessors, of health." ~Ed Young

In our Living Your Word 2019 group we are doing a bi-weekly A-Z Inspirational challenge to help us live out our word. For the letter A I chose "abide". The best passage of Scripture that explains the principle of abiding in Christ is found in John 15. Abiding is a word that describes our union with Christ. Jesus says in John 15 that we can doing nothing apart from Him. He is the vine, we are the branch that connects to the vine. When we continually remain connected to the vine, we are abiding, and we will bear fruit.

For my life to be sacred, I must continually abide in Christ. I must remain connected to Him through His Word and prayer, and draw my strength and power from His Spirit.

Join Our Inspirational Facebook Group: Living Your Word of the Year

Bernice Hopper, Valerie Sjodin and I facilitate a Facebook group about Living your Word of the Year. In it we share insights through blog posts and connect with other like-hearted and like-minded people who want to live out a word focus throughout the year. We offer participants a bi-weekly A-Z Inspiration to help prompt reflection and creativity. as well as other inspirational ways to connect with your word of the year. If you would like to connect with others in creative ways about living your word throughout the year, explore new ideas, record thoughts, prayers, and events, you are invited to join our Facebook group.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/203309083575277/

Please use #livingyourword2019 on social media.

Check out the other blogs:Bernice: www.newlycreative.com
Valerie: www.valeriesjodin.com/blog

A Time to Heal

A Time to Heal

I am slowly making my way through Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 this month. I'm using the contrasts found in those verses as a way to reflect on the season of life I am in at the moment. In a weekly newsletter I receive from Shelly Miller about Sabbath, she is slowly working through the 23rd Psalm. This morning I opened her email and read these words: 

"He restores my soul." Psalm 23:3

Did those words stop you in your tracks and make you catch your breath, as they did for me? God restores my soul. He restores me. Those are comforting, encouraging, hope-filled words.

I was planning on just skipping over the next line in Ecclesiastes 3:3 - "A time to kill and a time to heal." In my initial reading of it there just seemed to be so much that is similar to what I wrote about verse 2 "a time to be born and a time to die", that I simply thought it would be redundant. That is, until I read the words above from Psalm 23:3. How can I skip over a verse about healing and restoration, topics that are dear to my heart?

Last weekend my church held our annual leader's retreat. We began our day with a passage of Scripture to reflect on with the practice of lectio divina (a way to reflect and meditate slowly on Scripture). The passage used was Luke 9:23-25, a very familiar passage about denying self and following Jesus. But the leader of this session used an unfamiliar version, The New English Bible.

"And to all he said, 'If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self behind; day after day he must take up his cross and come with me. Whoever cares for his own safety is lost; but if a man will let himself be lost for my sake, that man is safe. What will a man gain by winning the whole world, at the cost of his true self." NEB

It can be a good practice to read passages of Scripture, especially familiar ones, in different versions. Many times we hear or see something in a different light. In Jesus' day, to take up a cross was equivalent to a death march. The cross in those days was a manner of execution. In this passage the thing being executed is self. As I reflected on this passage at the retreat I thought about another passage where Jesus says we "cannot serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). There Jesus was contrasting the love of money and the love of God, but I think it can also be applied to anything that takes our focus and devotion off of God. So, here in this passage, it seems to be a question of mastery - who has control of your life, you or God? 

The next thing I notice is that Jesus says, "if a man will let himself be lost for my sake...". The words "let himself be" indicate two things to me. First, Jesus will not force us to give Him control of our lives. He prefers a voluntary sacrifice; an intentional devotion. Then I notice that these words also convey rest and trust - let yourself be - let go of control, loosen your grasp, release. Then lean on Jesus, depend on His control of your life. What do you gain by loosening your grasp on controlling your own self and turning control over to Jesus? Your true self. It is a burdensome weight carrying the yoke of our false self - the one trying to please the whole world, trying to gain more and more, trying to be more and more - more powerful, more successful, more beautiful, more accomplished, more _______ - you fill in the blank. Jesus gave us a glimpse of what life is like when we give Him control.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

When we release the burden of carrying around our false self and give up control of our life to Jesus, our load is light and we find rest. So, while we do need to die to self, as I wrote about a few days ago, we can take the steps necessary to do so knowing that God promises rest and restoration. Healing of our self comes as we place our-self before God and let our-self be lost in Him. He will heal and restore your soul.

Ask God to examine your heart and life and reflect on these questions:

• Ask God to reveal areas of your life where you may be clinging to control. Pray for His enabling power to help you let go and release control to Him.
• What needs to be put to death? What habits or attitudes?
• Where do you need healing and restoration?
• Where do you need to experience rest?
• What practices help you rest?
• Maybe you need to remind yourself today of places you have already released control and remember God's faithfulness in carrying you. What are those places? Celebrate them today.

Join Our Inspirational Facebook Group

Bernice Hopper, Valerie Sjodin and I are using one journal to record events, experiences and relationships and  to explore our word’s meaning in visual and fun ways. We are each blogging about our experiences and our art. If you would like to connect with others about creatively organizing your word, your ideas, thoughts, prayers, events, or your projects all in one journal, you are invited to join our Facebook group: Everyday Journals – Living Your Word of the Year.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/203309083575277/

Hashtags on Instagram: #everydayjournals2018, #livingyourword2018

Check out the other blogs:

Bernice: http://www.newlycreative.com/

Valerie: https://valeriesjodin.com/blog/

Colossian Words Day 6: Strength/Power

Day 6 ~ Strength/Power

Yesterday we saw that one of the ways we live in a manner worthy of and pleasing to the Lord is to live dependent on His power.

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience..." Colossians 1:9-11

As we live life based on God's will and the ways of Christ, we will face trying times. We will find at times that the road is not easy. We may even face opposition to our faith and experience suffering. These are all very real possibilities that are laid out throughout the pages of Scripture. Consider this:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

Struggling is inevitable for Christ followers. Living a life that is worthy of the Lord will require strength we do not possess in and of ourselves. Paul's encouragement is to continually grow in the knowledge of God so that you will be empowered with God's mighty power. Living dependent on God's power produces endurance, patience and joy in us, which Paul holds up as virtues of a godly life and James holds up as virtues of maturity.

It is to this end that Paul labors:
"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me." Colossians 1:28-29

Paul often reminds us that it is God's power that works in us, enabling us to live for Him:
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Philippians 2:12-13

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms..." Ephesians 1:17-20

"For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.' Colossians 2:12 NLT

I am reminded of the words of a Jeremy Camp song, Same Power:

"The same power that rose Jesus from the grave 
The same power that commands the dead to wake 
Lives in us, lives in us 
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks 
The same power that can calm a raging sea 
Lives in us, lives in us 
He lives in us, lives in us"

Please share your creative responses to today's word and Bible verses in the Words Facebook group or on Instagram using #colossianswords.

#foundonbrighton #everydayjournals2018