Sunday Scripture

 

 For Sunday Scripture posts currently, I'm using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus. This is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of July 7, but I am working ahead of you readers.  (I can hardly believe that in my own working on this book, I am 19 weeks into it.  Seems unbelievable.). So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this week-at-a-glance checklist first.  [Maybe you would like to use this same checklist if you are following along with us.]

This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Ministry-- VBS Monday through Friday., blogging, delivering Terry's casket, Sunday School lesson prep, preparing our cottage for friends to stay there.

2) Homemaking -- trying to catch up on homemaking tasks and decluttering both at home and camp

3) Etsy --  prepare some new listings, add to sale, ship any orders.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: Getting to catch up with a few things at home; getting to see my younger friend Jennifer each day at VBS; getting ideas for Christmas in July at my Christmas blog.

Worries: A few concerns regarding lending our cottage to friends for a few days -- mostly a concern that we won't have it ready in time.

Desires: That God will be glorified in the events of this week. To be a good testimony to Terry's kids.  To get a few new items listed in my Etsy shop.  To see children's lives changed at VBS.

Stressors: Unknowns that impact many situations.  The extreme heat.  The limitations of age.  Time and energy constraints.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of this week and all that it will hold.  You are able to handle each stressor and bend it to Your purposes.  You are in control of the weather and can cause the heat to abate ... and You are able to give wisdom to deal with it if the temperatures remain high.  You are aware of each of my concerns and you are able to resolve each one.

* Lord, I feel ... hot, sticky, not very well rested and not ready for this busy day.  Not complaining ... but it's a truthful account of how I feel.  But I also feel grateful for another day of life, for the open windows and birds singing, for this little cottage in the woods that You have blessed us with.

* Lord, help me with ... my attitudes this week.  I do have limited patience with unruly [for lack of a better descriptor] children.  Help me with staying cooler and with getting enough rest.  Help me with cleaning at our cottage and preparing it for guests.  Help me to catch up with email correspondence.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I'm impatient or speak hastily. . Times when I might be resentful about circumstances and fail to acknowledgeYour sovereign hand in them. For any times when I might tend to act in my own very limited strength rather than relying on Your mighty power.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.   l listed friends who have just lost their mom; a young couple seeking God's direction; friends driving from Missouri to New Hampshire

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, 2 Peter 1:3, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, though the knowledge of Him that hat called us to glory and virtue."  (2 Peter 1:3)

O= These words were written by Peter, "a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ" (v.1).  He was writing "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us" (v.1)..

In verse 2 Peter prays that grace and peace will be multiplied to these believers.  How will this happen?

"Through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our Lord."  (verse 2)

This can happen as a result of God's divine power having given to believers all things that pertain to life and godliness.  He provides these things though the knowledge of Himself who has called us through His own glory and virtue (verse 3).

Cross-reference for "divine power" -- "Who are kept by the power of God unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time."  (1 Peter 1:5)

Cross-references for "life and godliness" -- "For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ." (1 John 1:2)

"Because narrow is the gate, and hard is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."  (Matthew 7:14)

Cross-references for "who called us" -- "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you into His kingdom and glory."  (1 Thessalonians 2:12)

"Unto which He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:14)

"Who hath saved us, and hath called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."  (2 Timothy 1:9)

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you."  (1 Peter 5:10)

A= To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is divine.  He is all-powerful.  He is generous to give us all things that will equip us for godly living.  He is a God whom we can know.  He has called us to glory and virtue.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

As God's child, I have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness.  I've been given access to these things through the knowledge of God who has called me. That means it is possible for me to truly know Him, and it's important that I make the effort to do just that.  I have been called by God to glory and to excellence.

* Throughout the week, consider how these verses should affect the way you live.

I should live as one who has been called by God to glory and excellence.  I should live a thankful life in gratitude to Him who has given me all things pertaining to life and godliness.  I should spend good quality time getting to know God.

God has given us all things -- everything -- that pertain to life and godliness.  We have everything that is necessary for our spiritual growth.  Our heavenly Father gives us everything we need to live the Christian life and become godly people who glorify Him.

God's divine power is His omnipotence working in us and for us.  the means by which this power produces this life and godliness is through the full knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.

One writer noted, "Peter says that God’s power gives us what we need to experience real life in a way that pleases Him. God wants to affect every area of our lives—work, marriage and family, relationships, church, and community. How can you make God’s power operational in your experience? Peter says that it comes 'through the knowledge of Him who called us.' In other words, we must grow closer to Christ." 

P= "Lord, I thank and praise You for this powerful verse.  I thank You that You have given me all I need to live every area of  my life in a way that pleases and glorifies You, and that it's Your mighty power that provides all I need to live a godly life.  I praise You that it is possible to know You, the omnipotent God of the universe.   Help me every day to spend good quality time getting to know You better and better.  I thank You for how You will work in my life , in Jesus' name,  Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) The opportunity to have a brief visit with our friend Terry before she passed away in hospice.

2) Wisdom and clarity of thought in planning VBS snacks.

3) Good opportunities to reach out to people at the farmer's market.  The time flew by!

4) A blessed, refreshing time with friends and family on Independence Day.

5) Going out for a scrumptious lunch on the Tuesday and getting lots of errands taken care of

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on FASTNG. We were to consider what we could fast from this week and to make a plan for replacing our fasted item with the pursuit of God and His Word.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

 My answer: We do intermittent fasting daily, and I do use that time to pursue God and His Word.  This week we are spending several nights at our cottage.  That serves as a fast from internet and social media, and I also try to spend extra time in Bible study whenever we stay there.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

In Christ, I have everything I need to live a godly life today and experience eternal life forever more.

We can take this encouraging thought into the coming week and know that we have everything we need to live a godly life no matter our circumstances.

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!.