I once read, “We can get information on-line but wisdom comes from on High!” Proverbs 2:6 reads, “The Lord gives wisdom…” He gave us His word to read, study and apply to our life.
A great Bible study for you is to choose one topic, record as many verses in God’s Word on that subject and ask for wisdom to apply it to your life. I chose love. There are several columns of recorded verses on ‘Love’, ‘Loved’ and ‘Loving’ in the concordance of my Bible. I marveled at His love for me and saw my need to do my best to love as He loved. May I share some of the verses revealed to me? You can find others.

1. John 3:16–(My favorite) God so loved the world He gave His only son (for me!).
2. Romans 5:8–God loved us even when we were sinners.
3. Galatians 5:22– the fruit of the spirit is love…
4. 1 John 4:16–God is love.
5. Romans 8:28–All things work together for good to those that love God.
6. John 13:36—(God commands) Love one another as I have loved you.
7. John 14:15– If you love Me, keep my commandments.
8. John 15:13—There is no greater love than to lay down your life (Christ did this for me and you!)
9. Romans 8:38-39 – Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
10. John 15:9—Continue in His love.
11. 1 John 3:1—Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us!
12. John 5:42—The love of God is in you!
13. Matthew 5:19—Love your neighbor.
14. Matthew 5:44—Love your enemies.
15. Ephesians 5:2—Walk in love as Christ loved us.

You can add to the list of verses or do your own study. Maybe select ‘joy’ or ‘self-control’. Remember, He gives wisdom. Pray before you study.

Dottie

Physical exercise keeps us healthy, strong, and running smoothly. Spiritual exercises help strengthen and develop our Christian walk and faith.

“Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed.” 2 Tim. 2:15

Just the word exercise can send us all into a tizzy. It means hard work, dedication and usually that fresh pain when we start using muscles we have not used in quite some time. “No exercise seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Heb. 12:10. God has given us the exercises of the Spiritual life as a means of receiving His grace. The exercises allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us. Richard Foster in his book “Celebration of Discipline” challenges us to “be among those who believe that the inner transformation of our lives is a goal worthy of our best efforts.”

The rewards of physical exercise especially for women are often a slimmer waist, better health and possibly looking better in our clothes. I know I have persevered through physical exercise so I could achieve better health and a toner body. I have learned that I needed to put the same or more effort into my spiritual exercises.

The rewards of practicing the spiritual exercises are many and can be summed up by saying: We will have FREEDOM to know scripture to do God’s Will, to express the Character of Christ, and FREEDOM from ourselves (our sinful nature).

Are you ready to develop your walk and devotion to Christ? You may already participate in some of the exercises, are you open to learning new ones? Come along for a great journey as you “taste and see that the Lord is good” Psalms 34:8

LDJ

Here at KESWICK our motto is: Where God Transforms Lives. Oh, how true that is and what amazing transformations we see. Not only does God do mighty things in the lives of the colony men, but we also see it in conference guests and staff alike.

God uses at least 3 different catalysts to change us.

1. PEOPLE: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Prov. 27:17 Colony men help colony men, staff helps colony men, colony men grow and challenge staff, staff challenges each other and the dynamics go on. So it is in all other avenues of life – people either help us grow or they can be negative influence on our lives. Are you placing yourself around those Christians that can help you grow? Do you have a mentor or accountability partner? Are you surrounded by Christian friends that can help you through the ups and downs of life?

2. CIRCUMSTANCES: “And we know that all things work for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28 Another very true and powerful statement even if we don’t believe it when we are going through trials. I have a college friend that has lost 10 babies to miscarriages, still births, and twins in the first 2 days of their precious lives. No one knows why and at the time it was very tough, but in turn she has taken in special need foster children, has had 3 of her own and now has an amazing ministry to women going through the same trials. The circumstances were not good, but God turned them into good as she ministers to others.

3. EXERCISE: “Have nothing to do with Godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather exercise yourself to be godly. For physical exercise is of some value, but Godliness has value for all things.” 1 Tim. 4:7 As an athlete hardens their body, testing it to the limits, so that it will respond under stress; our bodies must be kept in Spiritual bounds to effectively serve our faith and be fruitful. I’d like to follow up on this devotional with several more on the various ways that we can exercise ourselves unto Godliness.

LDJ

Do you remember that song? It has become rather famous over the years. The great thing about that song is that it is very hard to sing it with a frown on your face. It is all about enjoying life and celebrating all those beautiful things in our lives. In the 80’s we had a song called “Celebrate” not so profound and it only talked about the good times.

God asks us to have Zipity do Dah days every day. He calls us to celebration and joy. Not just in the good times, but at all times. Phil. 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice”. Do we really apply that verse or just quote it? It is one of those easier said than done type of verses. I know personally it can be a real struggle when calling life joyful is rather difficult. The great thing about God is that he knows that so he tells us that it’s his joy that can be our joy when we need it. “The Joy of the Lord is our Strength” Neh. 8:10

St. Augustine wrote:

“A Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot.”

Check out these verses:

“Our mouth was filled with laugher, and our tongue with shouts of joy.”
Psalms 126.2a

“…continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”
Hebrews 13:15

“These things I have written to you that you Joy may be full.”
John 15:1

Are you filled with joy? Do people know that you have the joy of the Lord, or are you strung out from life’s pressures and struggle to experience joy? In Christ, we have so much to be joyful about. Remember that nothing happens today that God is not in control of and that nothing compares with the eternity we will spend with Him if Christ is our Lord and Savior.

LDJ

Quite awhile ago I was diagnosed with a muscle disorder that has changed my lifestyle and my reliance on God. I do not say this for sympathy, but until this came about in my life I was not in tuned to how much God works through our personal sufferings and struggles.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 are great verses which lay out some of the biblical reasons for suffering.

Vs 4: “who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” When we go through troubles it prepares and enables us to help others through their struggles. God is the God of all comfort; he provides all that we need to get through any storm. Rest in Him and Look to Him!

Vs. 5: “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” All consolation comes through Christ’s suffering for us. Thorough his pain
he understands our pain. The power he had to deal with his suffering, ridicule, rejection is totally available to us through our relationship with Him.

Vs. 6: “If we are distressed it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.” Oh the benefits we enjoy because we suffer. First we can find God and a deeper relationship with him. We also learn how to endure and it develops in us a greater level of patience. We do not learn these things unless we are put into situations that teach us to be patient and to look to Him instead of ourselves.

Vs. 9: “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. Are you ready to fully rely on God, who has the power to bring people back from the dead? We surely can not do that, so why not rely on Him. Once I realized that I could only face my struggles and pain to Him I was able to focus on what to do, how to respond and how to rest in Him.

Vs. 10-11: “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”
Through sufferings we learn the value of prayer, see the answer to prayers and can then give glorious thanks to God for what He has done. Answers do not always have the result we want, but they always have the result God wants for us and that is so much better. I know that God may always choose to give me my physical pain and limitations; however I have learned that God is using it for new service and ministry to others in chronic pain or even temporary pain.

It does not matter how or what you suffer – God will comfort and sustain you and you can grow through the experience if you choose to rely on Him.

LDJ

I want to close out our month together with yet another thought about our tongues. One of the verses God used to cause me to stop and think was Proverbs 10:19, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”

I had to learn that not every silly little thought that popped into my head had to come out my mouth. In fact, not every opinion I had needed to be shared, not matter how right I thought I was. As I have counseled numerous women, many struggle with the idea of “holding their tongue.” I hear, “I’m not just going to sit back and be quiet.” “I have a voice; I’m going to use it.” And “If I don’t speak up, he’ll never learn.” I am not suggesting that we never speak up or voice
our opinion, not at all. But I am learning we need to be women of discernment and discretion. There is, “A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3:7b)

We need to remember God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, of building up and encouraging, of speaking the truth in love. The Holy Spirit is at work, and He doesn’t need our advice and help. I believe that as women of integrity, honor and Christ-likeness we will learn
to “hold our tongue” when it is “a time to keep silence”.

Diane

God is all-knowing. He knows our need to communicate with Him. He allows us to talk to Him through prayer and adds His response to us as we read His Word. I once heard these words concerning prayer: “The power is His, the privilege is ours.” What a privlege prayer is to me;
and what power it has!

In Matthew 26:36-45 we find Christ, himself, praying to the Father before His crucifixion. In Luke 11 we read a model prayer He gave to His disciples – and to us. Philippians 4:6 instructs us that He is here for us in everything. Before opening His Word to read, pray. Ask God to make His Word clear to you.

Do you want to experience a special prayer time? Make on of thanksgiving. We often pray for wants and forget the thanks. When you come to Him with a thankful heart filled with love and gratitude, you will realize the blessings you have. We like to hear “thanks”; the Lord does, too.

Pray for people by name. During a past surgery, I had a trachea. I couldn’t speak and was having trouble adjusting to the respirator -trying to breathe on my own. God helped me to adjust in this way: I would let the machine breathe for me, and then I’d pray for five people by name. I would again allow the forced air from the machine, and then prayed for five more. If I knew you back in the late ’60’s, you probably were prayed for many times – by name! Today, I
breathe on my own, and still love to pray for requests by name.

Pick up your Bible and read: He speaks! For all your requests and thanks, pray: He listens! Communicate with the Lord today. What a privilege!

Dottie

Quite a few months ago I had to speak truth to someone. (At least that’s what I told myself.) I remember thinking “this is a good thing” because my friend “needs” to be shown this area of possible blindness in her life. It never occurred to me that the Lord wanted to show me about
a blind spot in my own heart as well.

Proverbs 15:33 reads, “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” The Lord showed me a pride in my heart that was lurking around the corner, out of sight, feeling pretty good about itself.

Roman’s 6:13 “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.”

That morning I offered my tongue as an instrument of righteousness rather than for any form of wickedness. In speaking to my friend as I had, I may have done a good thing, but I didn’t necessarily do the better thing. I had weighed a deed done, judged it, and spoken my thoughts concerning it. From Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:3 I read ,”Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance – for the Lord is a God who knows and by Him deeds are weighed”. Was it coincidence that all of this was in my morning devotions? I think not. Who am I to weigh the thoughts, deeds and heart of any other person?

Only God has the power to know the thoughts and intents of my heart or yours and His call is for us to daily examine our life for anything that exalts itself above the knowledge of Him.

My question for you:

Do you see signs in your own life of a prideful heart? What is the fruit that has been produced by it?

Stephanie

Like most people my spiritual growth occurred typically as motivated by events in my life. When various family members went through physical challenges in the 70’s my walk with Christ was established. Subsequently Christ, the Bible and living a certain way became a new part of my existence and thoughts. As a senior in High School and upon turning 18 my spiritual life took a new twist. During this time certain events had me doubting my faith and I was presented with opportunities to explore the social life common to my non-Christian peers. For two years my faith became stagnant and I played at being a Christian.

As a sophomore in college I realized that following Christ and really making him the Lord of my life was what would complete me rather than tear me apart. Thus, I began a steady growth spiritually and the integration of my faith into my life took shape. I have since had times of drought and even famine, but God has continued to work in my life and I have grown. As I have interacted with a variety of people it has become more and more evident to me that what is of utmost importance along this pilgrimage is keeping my “mind” stayed on Him. Living today in a time when what I see and hear can be so opposed to scripture I find it necessary to constantly
remind myself of the verses that challenge me to focus my “thoughts”.

Romans 12:1-2 ~ we are transformed and changed by our minds
Ephesians 4:17-24 ~ worldly thoughts equal a futile mind; in Christ we have focus and purpose
Phil 4:8-9 ~ think on that which is good
1 Samuel 16:7 ~ God looks on the heart (or mind)
Psalms 23:7 ~ our thinking determines who we become

So how is your pilgrimage going? Do you need to re-focus your thoughts? Today is the day to begin.

LDJ

On Friday, I shared about our mouth-member as an instrument of righteousness or unrighteousness. I want to continue with that train of thought. James 3:8-10, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” If you recall, on Friday I shared that every word we say is either accomplishing God’s agenda or Satan’s agenda. Here are just some of the ways we use our mouths as instruments of unrighteousness: Silence –
pouting, withdrawal, ignoring; Sarcasm (Proverbs 12:8); Gossip (Proverbs 10:13, 26:20); Nagging (Proverbs 19:13; 27:15-16); Deception (Psalm 38:12, Ephesians 4:25); Idle words and coarse jesting (Matthew 12:36-37); Making our point (Psalm 12:3); Misused humor (Ephesians 4:29); Grumbling and complaining (Philippians 2:14).

Now before you get too distressed, God has given us the grace to use our mouth-member as an instrument of righteousness to accomplish His agenda in the following ways: Speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), To encourage (Acts 15:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:18, 5:11, 14); To Edify (1 Thessalonians 5:11); Bless (Romans 12:14); Instruct (Proverbs 16:21); Build up (Romans 15:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:11); Exhort (Hebrews 3:13); Admonish (Colossians 3:16); Rebuke (Titus 2:15) and Comfort (Proverbs 12:25).

Let me close with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Beth Moore: “We are created in the image of God; therefore, His words are omnipotent, and our words are potent. Using our instruments inappropriately is an effective way to stay out of our promised lands.”(Believing God, pg. 115)

Diane