Elohim...Mighty Creator

This week I started a study on the names of God. The first name that we are digging into is “Elohim,” the Mighty Creator.  The author instantly sent us to Genesis 1 where we first see Elohim.  Every time I open the pages of Scripture to this familiar passage, God never ceases to amaze me. “He said, let there be….” and “there was….” God spoke the creation into existence. Who does that?  No one but God. That is why he is called the Mighty Creator.  This truth always stirs me to praise him and honor him for who he is and what he has done.

The author continues with this challenge: “God speaking (1:3,6,9, etc.) brought order and beauty from darkness and chaos (1:2). In what areas of your life do you need God to bring order and beauty from that which is dark and chaotic? Can you trust him to do this? What, in the creation story, encourages you that he will?” Oh, that question brought the Mighty Creator right into the center of my life. Of course there is darkness and chaos in life starting with a sister with cancer, grandkids with learning disabilities that break my heart, a friend in the hospital, another friend struggling with an auto immune disease, and the list goes on and on.  Darkness and chaos surround us daily. Our habitat is in a fallen world. But the author goes further and asks, Can you trust God to bring order and beauty into cancer and learning disabilities and sickness and loss?  At this moment, I paused and pondered. Can I trust the Mighty Creator to bring order and beauty from these things?

Upon further study, I glanced at Genesis 1:3-4, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” As I meditated on these passages, I thought about cancer. It is dark and ugly and hard, yet, in the middle of the awfulness of cancer, God shows up and brings light into the darkness.  Sometimes He heals; sometimes He takes the person home to be with Jesus.  But all of his actions are light. Then my mind wandered to why the young grandkids are struggling with learning disabilities. He created them just as they are, yet, in the mist of the struggle, he brings light into their lives and they see Jesus in ways that I never could.

As I continue to ponder on creation and the Mighty Creator in my life, my heart trusts him to bring order and beauty into the darkness and chaos of life. However, I continue to ask him to help me when I don’t fully trust. How about you? Do you trust the Mighty Creator to bring order and beauty where darkness and chaos reign?   Or are you trusting yet asking for more trust in the weakest moments?

Learning to trust,

Bev Bartlett

Hope of the World

Dear Sisters in Christ,

Instead of a writing post this week, here is a video to use in one of your upcoming 20 Minutes.  As you soak in the words of this song, use it for a worshipful experience...no one is watching, no one is judging.  Surrender everything to our Lord and King, our hope...the hope of the world! 

Click here for your time of worship!

Many blessings,
Beth Ann

Hiding God's Word in My Heart

Dear friends,

For one of the first seasons in my life, I have been consistently learning from God for 20 minutes most days. It has been a very blessed season. I crave his presence in my life, and as I’m learning, that always leads to change. So, before the beginning of the 2015 I was praying that the Holy Spirit would help me to see where I needed to grow. He’s been laying on my heart the need to memorize scripture.

I know a lot of scripture…well, let’s put it this way… I know the “just” of a lot of scripture. I know the “main idea” of a lot of passages. I “recognize” many verses. I can “paraphrase” a lot of ideas. These are all good and pleasing things to God, but the Lord has placed on my heart the desire to know the actual wordsof the scripture, where the verses are found in the Bible, the context of the verse,  and the author. ALL of that AND to be able to recall at the appropriate time. So many times I’ll be having a conversation or be in Bible study and think of something I want to share, but…I can’t recall where the scripture is, the talking point moves on, and I miss a chance to make a connection that could be helpful for someone.

I don’t have the history of being a good memorizer of scripture…or a good memorizer of really anything. I’m not the type to quote movies or even to sing the right lyrics to songs. I was also not “good” at AWANA as a kid. And truth be told Ikind of got annoyed with it. It had turned into a competition for me and I wasn’t winning. That bothered me, but mostly, it made me not go for the right reasons. So, this year I was convicted to tackle this challenge with a history of memorizing with the head and not so much the heart.

That brings me to my plan.

Small-Steps: I am currently memorizing 1 scripture, (yes, just 1) every two weeks for the next year.

Choosing Personally Meaningful Verses: I choose a verse that is meaningful for me and something that the LORD has beenteaching me in my quiet time. I write down possible verses in my journal from quiet time, sermons, and Bible study. Then I read through and see where there are patterns, or one that continues to grip my heart when I read it. I know that choosing a scripture that the Holy Spirit is leading me to will help me to learn it for the right reasons.

Lots of Input and Output: I choose a verse and read it in several translations. (Biblehub.com is a website that offers verses in a ton of translations and I choose which specific wording speaks to my heart.) I read it silently and outloud. I write it down several times. I’m a very visual learner, so I write it pretty on a notcard and begin to try to visualize my writing for recalling the verse. Then I try out reciting it in a low pressuresituation: usually with my husband at dinner.

Consistency: Every two weeks, I am going to choose a new scripture. I practice (or at least read) my new verse daily and review the ones I have memorized.

Accountability: Right now I am participating in a yearlong memorization challenge though Facebook. On the 1st and 15th of every month we post the verse we are memorizing. This group is hosted by Beth Moore and made up of thousands of women from across the country choosing meaningful scripture to memorize. Here is a link to the group:https://www.facebook.com/BethMooreMinistries.

I’ll leave you with these words, from God’s word, about His word.

Psalm 119:11-16

I have treasured Your word in my heart

so that I may not sin against You.

LORD, may You be praised;

teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I proclaim

all the judgments from Your mouth.

I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees

as much as in all riches.

I will meditate on your precepts

and think about Your ways.

I will delight in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

In Him,

Grace

A Prayer Journey Through ACTS

I don’t know about you, but I am constantly putting notes and special papers inside my Bible I intend to get back to and never seem to see them again.  I was cleaning out my Bible the other day and came across a slip of paper with “A.C.T.S.” written on it.  As always, God’s timing is perfect!  

While I have been fairly consistent with my 20 minutes a day with God, my prayer life just hasn’t been what where it should.  I felt like I was always asking God for something, yet never giving back to Him in return.  A.C.T.S. was just what I needed to refresh my prayer life.

*A.C.T.S. is an easy way to remember key elements of prayer. It’s simply prayer in four parts:

Adoration – “Praise be to God!” -Psalms 68:35
Tell God how much you appreciate Him. Express your love for Him. Praise His power and majesty. This is a great way to begin your prayer time.

Confession – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” -1 John 1:9
Tell Him where you have fallen short. Be specific. Thank Him for the forgiveness you have in Christ, and ask for help and strength to turn away from future temptations.

Thanksgiving – Always “glorify him with thanksgiving” -Psalms 69:30
We have plenty of reasons to be thankful. Thank God for His love, His faithfulness, and His patience. Express gratitude for what He’s doing in your life. Thank Jesus for dying on the cross for you. Thank the Holy Spirit for indwelling you and never leaving. Thank Him for being your conscience, your counselor, and that “still small voice.”

Supplication – “Make your requests known to God.” -Philippians 4:6
Tell God what you want, no matter how small it seems to you. Do you really think any of your requests are too big to God the Creator?

Why don’t you give it a try?

Susan

*Excerpted in part from Prayer Central

Are You Passionate?

    “For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?  Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.  May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you." 

1 Thessalonians 3:8-12

As I am reading in 1 Thessalonians 3 today, I am struck at Paul’s passion for the Thessalonians and his heart’s desire for them to stand firm in the faith. 

He has a deep yearning and a sense of desperation to see them again as well as encourage them to love one another. 

His passion for the Lord and his fellow believers is undeniable.

 I have to stop and ask myself...

 How passionate am I for my people? 

Am I desperate to see them again and to encourage them in their faith? 

 

My initial answer would be absolutely.  However, as I truly dwell on this, I realize how my passion can be lazy and lukewarm at times. 

As I pondered my lesson in Children of the Day, one of the things that stood out to me was my need and desire to be more diligent. 

It is not coincidental that I truly have to search my soul for an honest answer to the above question. 

 I do long to be more diligent and intentional with the time the Lord has allowed me on this earth.  I have many people in my life who don’t know Jesus. 

Oh, how I yearn for them to fall crazy in love with him. 

I know many of you love Jesus, too.  I earnestly pray you will stand firm in the faith. 

Women’s Leadership Team is so privileged to serve and represent women at Westwood.  We do have an opportunity to pray earnestly for each one of you. 

We pray for you by name because we sincerely love you.  It is our deep desire for you to stand firm in the faith. 

Paul inspires me to pray more and love bigger.  I believe this is a challenge to stretch and grow me in becoming more intentional in earnest passion and encouragement toward my sisters in the faith. 

What an amazing example given to us right in the pages of God’s great instruction! 

This truth encourages me to keep digging into God’s Word daily.  The more time I spend in his word and in prayer, the more passion I will have for Him and others.

What helps you stay passionate for your people and to be an encouragement to them when life is so full? 

If you have suggestions, please post and encourage each of us. 

I look forward to your comments.

In Christ,

Kathy

20 Minutes of Solitude

To my sisters in Christ,

 

I was blessed by this poem and wanted to share it with you. 

May you be encouraged to continue in your journey

of taking 20 minutes a day to seek God. 

 

Tread in solitude your pathway,

Quiet heart and undismayed.

You will know things strange, mysterious,

Which to you no voice has said.

 

While the crowd of petty hustlers

Grasps in vain and meager things,

You will see a great world rising

Where soft sacred music rings.

 

Leave the dusty road to others,

Spotless keep your soul and bright,

As the radiant ocean's surface

When the sun is taking flight.

 

from the German of V. Schoffel

Streams in the Desert
 

 

Now go and seek Him!  There is nothing of more importance!

 

With love,

Beth Ann

 



Matthew 5:6 Devotional

"You are what you eat." I heard that phrase countless times growing up when my food choices were less than ideal.  My "pear" body shape was always at risk to become a stout Bartlett instead of a slender Bosc.  Lately, however, this phrase has been in my thoughts not in connection with physical food choices but my spiritual food choices.

Matthew 5:6 tells us, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled." (satisfied)

To hunger after righteousness is literally to be starving for it.

By definition: to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire.

To be satisfied is to be filled with Jesus and content in His presence.  Just like eating a meal satisfies our physical hunger for the moment, feeding on the Word satisfies our spiritual hunger for the moment.  And just as eating a meal only satisfies us for that day, so it should be with our spiritual meal as well. 

We need physical food every day to give us energy and stamina to live life.  We need spiritual food every day to give us the wisdom, knowledge and discernment to live life righteously. 

The question I have been asking myself is:  Am I what I eat spiritually?  Am I starving for righteousness? Do I long to know Jesus so intimately that I can hardly wait for that next "meal" in His presence?

Do I come to bible study out of duty and because it is "the right thing to do" or do I come because I ardently crave His truth and want more of it?

Am I looking to be "satisfied as with the richest of foods?" (Psalm 63:5a)

I want to have the same passion for God that David expressed in Psalm 42:1-2: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?"

And again in Psalm 63:1

"O God, You are my God; Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

David voiced his deep longing to be in God's presence and to quench his thirst with the living water of God.  It was something he couldn't live without.

Is it something I can't live without? 

So how do I hunger and thirst after righteousness? How do I move from duty to delight? (I confess many times I am in 'have to' mode with my quiet time rather than 'get to' mode.)

1.  Check my heart motivation:

 Psalm 51:6,17

“Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place…The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

2.  Seek Him daily, asking Him to increase my passion for Him and His Word.  Come into His presence in delight not duty:

Ps. 119:10-16

“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from you commands.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.  Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.  With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.  I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.  I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.  I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

3.  Dwell on His love for me:

1 John 4:10

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.”

Zeph. 3:17

The Lord Your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you He will quiet you with His love He will rejoice over you with singing.

4.  Look with expectation for the new truth He has for me and respond as He leads through confession, prayer, meditation, and journaling.

Ps. 25:4-5

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Ps. 19:14

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

5.  Respond with praise and worship:

Ps. 145:1-2

“I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your name forever and ever.  Every day I will praise You and extol Your name forever and ever.”

Psalm 63:3-5

"Because Your love is better than life my lips will glorify You.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied (sated, be filled, fulfilled) as with the richest of food; with singing lips my mouth will praise You."

In conclusion, I ask:

Am I what I eat? Am I feasting on the "fruit" of righteousness and the "bread of life?" Am I thirsty for the "living water?" Does Jesus satisfy me above all else?  Is He truly all I need or want? 

My heart says no, not always; but it is my desire.  My challenge for myself is to keep seeking and asking for an all-consuming passion for Jesus.  My challenge to all of you is the same.  For God promises: "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)