Category: Studying the Bible

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Not Hearers – Doers

The other day I was watching a show on television. The mother had given her son a chore that needed to be done. Quite a while later the mother noticed it still wasn’t done so she repeated the instruction.

The son answered, “I heard you the first time, I’ll get around to it”.

Oh my!

That attitude is so pervasive in our society, infecting adults as well as teens. “I’ll get around to it”. It’s not a new issue, the apostle James dealt with it in the first century with the Christians of his day.

“17 Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. 20 Anger does not help you live the way God wants. 21 So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.

22 Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.

26 You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. 27 The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.” James 1:17-27 ERV

This morning blog isn’t meant to be a thought that will inspire or encourage; it’s about DOING what we have already been taught. We should never stop learning, never stop receiving good teaching but it’s imperative that we LIVE what we hear.

What is one thing that you know the Lord wants you to do and you’ve been putting it off? For me it’s the instruction in verse 19 above. Be a better listener and slower to speak.

That’s part of the Heart to Heart Connection I was talking about yesterday. Listening to others, listening to the Lord.

Be a ready listener and then follow through and be a doer!

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Heart to Heart

Every morning when Dave gets up he comes to the living room, kisses me, tells me he loves me and then takes and fills my coffee cup. He’s been doing this for the past 9 years but for the past 50 years he has kissed me and told me he loves me – the filling my coffee cup is a new addition. One I never tire of.

I have a similar routine for my Bible reading and quiet time. Every morning I tell the Lord that I love Him, I even write it in my journal and then I open my Bible and have favorite verses I read which tell me of the Lord’s love for me and His commitment to walking with me each day.

I never tire of that either, it is a time that we share heart to heart.

This morning I want to encourage you to listen to God’s leading. Listen to His heart!

As you read the Bible if you come across something you don’t really understand then tell the Lord and ask Him to give you the insight you need to properly apply what you are reading.

God’s desire from the very beginning of time was to walk and talk to us and to tell us what was on His heart. He never changes so that is still His desire today. We just need to take the time to slow down and listen.

“But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross. 9 But as the Scriptures say,

‘No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.” I Corinthians 2:6-12 ERV

Trust the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of Christ’s way of thinking. He wants us to know His ways and walk each day directed by Him. He wants us to know the depth of His love.

He wants to share with us heart to heart.

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Wisdom and Success

The last two years that we were on the mountain we saw firsthand the result of hungry woodpeckers on our check-in station.

It often had campers asking us if someone had been shooting at the building in the winter months. No, just the woodpeckers retrieving their dinner of larvae and small insects from the wood siding.

Now, this year in the desert we are experiencing something different. Each morning we hear the sound of a rapid pecking, almost like the noise a nail gun makes, coming from the metal roofs and air conditioning units around us.

Woodpeckers!

We laugh and talk of the tremendous headache it must give them as they try to peck at the metal. Are there really that many bugs that draw them to the metal structures and draw them away from the trees?

Inquiring minds want to know – so, this morning I did an on-line search to see if I could find the answer. I found this answer on the avian control website.

“Woodpeckers peck wood for food, but they will also commonly drum away at plumbing vents, TV antennas, satellite dishes, drain pipes, gutters, chimney caps and metal poles or signs.

So why do they peck metal? Woodpeckers will drill their beaks on metal to attract a mate or establish their territory. 

The hard metal reverberates, making the sound carry farther than simply pecking on wood. Aluminum siding provides great amplification to carry their mating-song, so they often attract these feathered percussionists.”

I’m not sure who conducted that research but who am I to argue? If this is the case I need to ask another question. What type of cushioning must the Lord have put in their neck muscles to keep them from having a concussion or an extreme headache?

But before you wonder where I am going with this observation let me explain my thinking. There is an old saying that goes something like this, “I sometimes feel like I’m hitting my head against a wall”.

We work and we stress trying to figure out answers and solutions to questions and problems beyond our scope. Many times we repeat the same actions day after day with no success. Frustration and stress result.

Are we just making a loud racket or are we achieving a desired end?

“Search for wisdom as you would search for silver or hidden treasure. 5 Then you will understand what it means to respect and to know the Lord God. 6 All wisdom comes from the Lord, and so do common sense and understanding. 7 God gives helpful advice to everyone who obeys him and protects those who live as they should.” Proverbs 2:4-7 CEV

Seeking God’s wisdom and counsel will keep us from foolish ways and unproductive adventures.

“Turn to the Lord for help in everything you do, and you will be successful.” Proverbs 16:3 ERV

When we start our day seeking the Lord and His counsel it will keep us being like those silly woodpeckers who are banging their beaks against a wall.

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Living on Purpose

Did you wake up this morning and establish a purpose for your day or will you just “wing it”? Taking each day and giving it purpose is a rewarding way to live, even on those days when you seem to have no agenda at all.

This morning I would like to give you a few verses that came to mind as I was praying and hope that one of two of them will strike a chord with you. God’s word has a way of bringing direction even to the most common of days.

“This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. ” John 15:12 ERV

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

“It is good for people to be kind and generous and to be fair in business.” Psalm 112:5 ERV

“ I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!” Philippians 4:19 CEV

“Obeying your instructions brings as much happiness as being rich.” Psalm 119:14 CEV

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.” James 1:5 CEV

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 CEV

Now, I ask you to please take the time to read those verses over again. Let one or two stick with you throughout the day.

I hope you find yourself drawing from God’s word today – I promise, it will give your day purpose!

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New Thinking

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared the story of Mary and Martha with you? Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the “one thing” that was most important, listening to His teaching.

Each word that Jesus spoke, each word that was recorded, each word that is written in the Bible is for our instruction and benefit.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” II Timothy 3:16 NLT

Jesus was teaching a large group of disciples and He told them that He was the bread of life. They thought Jesus was teaching cannibalism and instead of asking Him to explain further they got offended and walked away. Jesus asked His apostles if they were going to leave as well.

“ The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life…66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” 68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:63-69 NLT

It would be easy to criticize those that walked away if it weren’t for one thing. I too have been offended at times by things I read in God’s word. Things like “judge not” or “how many times do I forgive, 70 x 7”. In my selfishness and hurt I have gone to the Scriptures to find justification for my actions and instead find correction – don’t gossip, forgive…again, be patient, love your enemies, be generous, don’t harbor grudges.

Sometimes we have to let God’s word simmer for a while. You know what I mean?

When I read a verse or a group of verses I don’t quite understand or that are pointing out an area of correction that I’m not quite willing to deal with, I let them sit in my heart and mind. I ask the Lord to give me understanding and insight and a desire to change. I want to be willing to let His word work the change in my heart that He desires.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:3-5,13 NLT

Focus on one thing today – thinking like Jesus! I can guarantee life will be fuller and more rewarding than ever before; it won’t be easy but it will be worth it!

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Did I Say That?

A new day – a clean slate! What we write on it will impact the people we love and even those that we have a casual association with.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

As a mother and as a kid, I heard and said “Watch what you say!” An admonishment I didn’t always follow and so my mother made sure that there were consequences for those improprieties. We learn to discern what are the right and wrong things to say and when to say them. But as important as the words we speak are the meditations of the heart.

What do we dwell on? The word meditate paints a picture of a cow chewing her cud; in the same way we meditate by going over and over things in our minds. So if we want to say the right things we need to be thinking on right things. That’s what Jesus told his followers.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

Our thoughts and our meditations will direct our lives and can bring us to a successful place or a place of turmoil. Think on what is good today.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9

When we keep our thoughts focused on the Lord we won’t have any trouble with our words.

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A Perpetual Harvest

I made mention yesterday that I don’t know how many bales of hay Dave and I produced while we were farming those few years in AZ. I kind of wish we had kept count. It was a staggering amount.

It was all about the good river loam soil and the type of alfalfa seed that was used.

Our specific alfalfa fields were planted by air. The seed was broadcast and then watered. When the growing season was just getting started, we would water twice and cut right before the alfalfa bloomed. This took about 28 days but when the weather got hotter, and the crop grew quicker we would cut every 21 days. We didn’t stop until we got the first frost which was normally the end of December or first part of January and would start again in March.

Alfalfa can continue to grow like that for seven years without being replanted. We would have a perpetual harvest. Rain or shine, it just kept growing and producing a crop.

“Jesus also said, ‘The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.’” Mark 4:26-29 NLT

I could physically watch the alfalfa grow. It was fascinating. Day after day the crop increased. It was a living example of the way God’s word will grow and produce in my life.

“The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others.” Mark 4:14 NLT

God’s word has been planted in my heart. His word about peace and not worry has produced an abundant crop. Seeds of grace, kindness, goodness, generosity, faith, hope, forgiveness and joy are producing.

All of these verses that were planted through teaching, preaching and individual study keep growing and making an impact.

“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 I praise you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees.” Psalm 119:11-12 NLT

Each day as I share these moments with you, I know I am planting seed and I pray that it is falling on good ground.

“ The rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there without giving water to the earth. This makes plants grow on the earth, and gives seeds to the planter and bread to the eater. 11 So My Word which goes from My mouth will not return to Me empty. It will do what I want it to do, and will carry out My plan well. ” Isaiah 55:10-11 NLV

I pray that you will always have a perpetual harvest of God’s word in your life.

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Bumper Crop

I hope you will bear with me as we continue with the teaching on good soil. You see that’s something that Dave and I know a lot about.

In the early 1980’s we farmed 900+ acres of alfalfa on the Gila River west of Phoenix. The ranch had perfect conditions for growing a bumper crop. Rich river loam soil, plenty of water and the warm AZ sunshine. That plus hard work, long hours all covered with prayer produced a crop that was hard to believe.

That’s when I learned first-hand the practicality of the principle Jesus was teaching His disciples on planting God’s word in good soil.

God’s word is called an incorruptible seed, our hearts are the soil and Jesus provides the “Son-shine” and rivers of living water to make the seed grow.

“And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” Luke 8:15 NLT

“You have been given a new birth. It was from a seed that cannot die. This new life is from the Word of God which lives forever.” I Peter 1:23 NLV

“The Holy Writings say that rivers of living water will flow from the heart of the one who puts his trust in Me.” John 7:38 NLV

Jesus worked continually to bring seed to the hearts of the people who followed Him. He would teach for hours and days to see that the seed of the Good News of the Gospel was planted in soil (hearts) that had been prepared to receive.

He encountered hard, stony and even thorny ground among his closest disciples but the longer he tended the soil of their hearts the more productive it became. The harvest in the life of the disciples was so productive that the seed sown is being used to produce a crop of faith in our lives.

Let’s look at what happened after Jesus preached this message. Luke 8:22-25 the thorny hearts of the disciples thought they were going to drown at sea. Luke 8:26-38 the good soil of the demoniac received his deliverance, but the hard heart of the pig farmers told Jesus to leave their area.

Luke 8:40-56 the seed of hope and healing was sown into the hearts of a woman who had a bleeding condition for 12 years and also in a father whose daughter was so sick she died. Both hearts reaped a harvest of healing and restoration.

Luke 9:1-6 the disciples’ hearts received the seed of God’s power and they went to the neighboring towns and cities preaching and healing.

Luke 9:10-17 Jesus was sowing seed in the lives of 5000 men and their families. Their hearts were prepared however, the hearts of the disciples were thorny and they let the size of the crowd steal the word, the seed, that Jesus gave them. But there was one boy whose heart was open and he shared his lunch with Jesus. Jesus prayed, the disciples served and a miraculous harvest took place.

Jesus was, and still is, the sower who sows the seeds of faith into the fields of our hearts. As we prepared our hearts, His seed will produce a bumper crop!

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Discover New Treasures

We had two of our youngest grandkids with us on Friday and Saturday. It’s always fun to see things through their eyes.

Dave and I took them in the side by side for a ride in the desert. We hadn’t gotten too far from the RV when we stopped to look for rocks and talk about the cacti. There we found a large number of quartz rocks and lava rock. Our granddaughter is particularly interested in volcanoes, so this was a real find for her. Our grandson is a learning sponge so everything we saw and explained was intriguing to him.

As we traveled down the road further, we discovered a catch pond filled with water. The road around the upper bank was narrow and rocky. I thought the kids might be a bit scared and I was ready with words of reassurance but then I heard our granddaughter giggle from the front seat and say, “Pappy this is fun”.

That’s how I feel when reading the Bible – it’s a new and exciting discovery!

“But there in these other lands you will look for the Lord your God. And if you look for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.” Deuteronomy 4:29 ERV

The Psalms which were written by David are filled with his life experiences and how he trusted God. He includes his successes and his failures. It was important to him that others could learn by what he had faced. This morning I was drawn to Psalm 34 and I read it from several different translations. I really wanted to put down the whole chapter here because it is all so good but am only going to share the first eight verses and you can read the rest in your Bible or an on-line source.

“I will always praise the LORD. 2 With all my heart, I will praise the LORD. Let all who are helpless, listen and be glad. 3 Honor the LORD with me! Celebrate his great name. 4 I asked the LORD for help, and he saved me from all my fears. 5 Keep your eyes on the LORD! You will shine like the sun and never blush with shame. 6 I was a nobody, but I prayed, and the LORD saved me from all my troubles. 7 If you honor the LORD, his angel will protect you. 8 Discover for yourself that the LORD is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad.” Psalm 34:1-8 CEV

Notice how the word LORD is in all caps. It means Adonai, all that God is – all of His attributes and power.

We praise the LORD because there is no one greater; we look to the LORD because there is no one with more power and wisdom; we honor the LORD because there is no one that deserves more reverence or respect. We discover the LORD and find that He is all loving, kind, merciful and gracious.

Take time to discover the LORD. Let Him reveal who He is and He can be all we need.

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Twinkle Twinkle “Like A Diamond”

Just a few days back I was unpacking some boxes from our move last year. Can you imagine how surprised I was to find a limited number of copies of my book, “Like A Diamond”.

If you would like to have an autographed copy of this book, please email me at kristi@arizonakristi.com. I will be glad to get one in the mail to you. All I ask is that you be willing to help with the cost of shipping and postage. Total cost is $5 each. Payment can be made through PayPal.

Here is a synopsis of the book:

“For years I dealt with wondering about God’s love and plan for my life. To be perfectly honest, I felt I had to earn God’s love and beg for His blessings. Little did I know how wrong my thinking was.

In 1978-79, I begin to hear glorious teaching from God’s word. I learned that God had a plan for Christian to live a victorious life, while we’re here on earth. His plan and purpose was for us to walk in a loving relationship with Him – each and every day of our lives.

As I began to study the Bible I saw that Christ provided a way for us to always be in right relationship with the Father and that our life, as Christians, has many facets. Each facet causes us to shine brightly in God’s kingdom, Like A Diamond.

In this book I cover some of those areas. Areas I have grown in and am still growing.

We are valuable…no, we’re priceless to our heavenly Father. He willingly gave the ultimate sacrifice to see that we could have a loving relationship with Himself. “

Since I only have a limited amount of books, I will let you know when my supply is gone.

Both of my books, “The Best Gifts of Christmas” and “Like A Diamond” are also available through Amazon, although those will not be autographed.

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