All in God's Word
So I have a teenage daughter. I am learning new things by the minute. She is filling my life with laughter and terror all at the same time! It's a roller coaster, and I love it. This week I'm going to catch you up to speed with communication in the style of a teenager.
The incorporation of frugality into one’s life has its place. Greediness does not. Many of us make sure we get everything we have earned because we believe we deserve it. God’s Word surprises me, at times, because his instructions are very practical and specific. His divine approach is refreshing, especially when I see the subjects that are important to God through detail and repetition throughout the Bible. While reading Deuteronomy 24, I was reminded of the intricacies of Old Testament Law. God instructed the Israelites not to go over the branches a second time!
We live in a society today that is full of opinions. People jump at the chance to give advice and affirm choices whether they may be right or wrong.
With these words a 400-year silence of God was broken. Zechariah received God’s message from the angel, Gabriel, who announced the birth of a son filled with the Holy Spirit. He would be used of God to prepare the way for the Lord. Another message came from Gabriel shortly thereafter. He proclaimed to the virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God.
In the days before HGTV revealed the intricacies of home decorating, I naively decided to redo the wallpaper in our bathroom myself. Why hire a professional when I could do it, right? Little did I know how tricky it would be to remove the existing paper or how tired I would become before finishing the project.
When I was a child, there was a “Mr. Men” and “Little Miss” book series written by Roger Hargreaves. The characters in the stories had dominant personality traits that either caused them problems or showed another character how to engage in the positive quality. Everyone learned something through the moral lesson of story.
Correct, rebuke, encourage; challenge, warn, urge (MSG). Paul ends his passionate charge to Timothy by drilling down on teaching what God has to say, not on what man wants to hear—correcting/challenging false impressions, rebuking/warning against wrong actions, encouraging/coming alongside to urge others on to do all things for the glory of God. Man has such a tendency to twist the truth of the Word.
You cannot preach the Word, proclaim the Message, tell your story with God, unless you are prepared to do so. In fact preparation is the key to living, anyway you look at it. If you are going on a mountain hike you lace up your sturdy shoes, pack some water, grab your hiking stick, put on your sunscreen, check on the weather—you prepare as best you can.
Sensing this is his final letter, Paul sets out with even more than his usual fervor to impress upon Timothy the details of his calling. Not a word is wasted: preach the Word; or as the Message translation says: proclaim the Message with intensity.
I have a pair of my mother’s scissor. Years ago she wrote on them in permanent pen “new.” What was true the day she wrote that word is no longer true. The scissors are old and dull. Some things that are true today may not be true tomorrow. But where can you and I find truth that will stand the test of time? What truth can you build your life upon that will never crumble beneath you?
My friend has an interesting testimony of how she became a believer in Jesus. No one in her family was a Christian. A man began coming to their home once a week and reading his Bible to the family. He did nothing more than read, but the power of God’s Word transformed every person in that family. One by one they came to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I was desperate. Except it was really more like, “DESPERATE!!!!” My precious treasures were just toddlers.
My family recently visited the National September 11 Memorial and Museum where we took a self-paced tour guided by iPhones and earbuds.
The other day I was taking off my jewelry, and I must have pulled too hard on my ring. It flew off the end of my finger when I pulled it over my knuckle. I heard it hit the carpet. I immediately got on my hands and knees to look for my ring. I must have looked for 20 minutes before I decided to stop and try again later. After looking later, I still could not find my ring. I knew it was there, and I also knew that I would find it with continued searching.
I had no idea what to do with all the little bags that just kept appearing after every trip. Each draw-string bag contained smooth colorful stones my husband selected from bins in souvenir shops. I usually remind him that the stones do not necessarily come from that area but a distributor supplies them to the stores.
In the days before HGTV revealed the intricacies of home decorating, I naively decided to redo the wallpaper in our bathroom myself. Why hire a professional when I could do it, right? Little did I know how tricky it would be to remove the existing paper or how tired I would become before finishing the project.
It had been one of those weeks where several things in our home were breaking down all at the same time. The dryer quit working, our sink drain was overflowing due to blockage and our garage ceiling was showing signs of a leak in our attic. It was a week of problems and stresses on top of a full schedule.
It had been raining and gloomy for days. The girls and I played with every doll, conquered many board games and watched Doc McStuffins episodes too many times. We needed a break!
Watching my daughter climb up the stairs making her way to the zipline, I could feel my palms starting to sweat and my nerves becoming anxious. She would glance over at me as she made her way up each landing and I would wave and shout how proud I was of her. I could tell she was just as nervous, but unlike her Mother, she chose to face her fears.
