Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture lesson from Fix Your Focus!  In fact, this is the very last lesson from Fix Your Focus!  I can hardly believe I've worked through 52 weeks of this!  It's been good -- very good -- to get my focus fixed firmly on God and I may well consider making some of these disciplines a regular part of every week. 

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of May 11.  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 checklist first. 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  --  TWNE Monday and Tuesday; talk with Rebekah Thursday;  Sunday School and blog post preparation.

2)  Cleaning -- at our camp on Thursday.

3) Time with friends-- on Saturday.

[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 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 -- except maybe running out of energy! 

Joys: Ministry is always a joy, and if we can serve God's purposes here at TWNE, it is a huge blessing and joy to be used in this way.  It's always a joy to open up our cottage for the season, and it'll be a joy to spend Saturday with friends.

Worries: I try not to worry, as Jesus commanded us not to.  Certainly, I have concerns, such as health issues or things left undone at home, but I'm not worried about these things. 

Desires: That God will be glorified in the events of this week.  That I could be of maximum help at TWNE.  That we can be a real encouragement to our young friends on Saturday.

Stressors:  Time constraints.  Other people.  The aches and pains and diminished energy of aging.

🌿 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 of its events.  You are aware of every one of my concerns and stressors, and You are able to help me handle every one.  You are aware of how busy life is right now, You are with us in our busyness, and You are able to give me the energy and the wisdom to handle each task.

* Lord, I feel ... really, really tired by this point in May.  I feel overwhelmed by all that there is to do.  Yet I feel confident that You will help me to accomplish all that must be done and that You will give guidance as to what can temporarily be left undone.

* Lord, help me with ... all that needs to happen this week.  I know that in busy seasons I don't always eat with health or energy in mind, and I need Your help with that.  Help me to maintain the healthy habits that will impact my energy levels positively.  Help me in my interactions with people.  I've always disliked it when old people feel they can say whatever they want and be outrageously outspoken just because they are old.  Now I'm beginning to understand where some of them may have been coming from!  Honestly I am tired of tiptoeing around difficult people and choosing my words carefully so as not to offend.  I'm too tired to deal with all that.  BUT Your Word teaches me that You want me to be careful with my speech -- that it matters very much to You how Your people speak.  So I pray that You will help me with this.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I fall into emotional eating.  Times when I allow other people to stress me out.  Times when I don't take the care with my words that I should.

* Make a note of 4 or 5 people you are specifically praying for.  I listed friends dealing with a cancer diagnosis; another couple with health needs and medical testing related to those; a young mom and her kids dealing with a very painful situation.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, John 14:1, 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= "Let us, therefore, some boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."  (Hebrews 4:16)

O=    In the Amplified Bible, this verse reads:
"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]."

"Let us, therefore ... what is this word there for?  Looking at the preceding verses, we see the reminder in verse 14 that "we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God" and verse 15 adds that we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are."  It's in light of these wonderful, encouraging facts that we can come boldly to the throne of grace.

"We have a high priest who can relate to our weaknesses and has overcome all our temptations. Because of that unique relationship, we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence” to receive help whenever we need it–whether it’s grace when we suffer or mercy when we stumble."  -- Today in the Word

 Cross-references for "Let us come boldly" --"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water ."  (Hebrews 10:22)

"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw near unto God."  (Hebrews 7:19)

Cross-references for "boldly" -- "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus."  (Hebrews 10:19)

"In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him."  (Ephesians 3:12)

A= So as believers, we can come confidently to God's throne at any time of need in our lives, assured that He will extend mercy to us and give us grace to help any situation we may face.

The lyrics of Charles Wesley's traditional hymn Arise My Soul Arise say it perfectly: 

 Arise, my soul, arise;
Shake off the guilty fears;
The bleeding Sacrifice
In my behalf appears:
Before the throne my Surety stands,
Before the throne my Surety stands:
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears,
Received on Calvary;
They pour effectual pray'rs,
They strongly plead for me:
"Forgive him, O forgive, " they cry,
"Forgive him, O forgive, " they cry,
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

My God is reconciled;
His pard'ning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child;
I can no longer fear;
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And, "Father, Abba, Father, " cry.

"When entering the prayer chamber, we must come filled with faith and armed with courage. Nowhere else in the whole field of religious thought and activity is courage so necessary as in prayer. The successful prayer must be one without condition. We must believe that God is love and that, being love, He cannot harm us but must ever do us good. Then we must throw ourselves before Him and pray with boldness for whatever we know our good and His glory require, and the cost is no object! Whatever He in His love and wisdom would assess against us, we will accept with delight because it pleases Him. Prayers like that cannot go unanswered. The character and reputation of God guarantee their fulfillment." -- A.W. Tozer

An online commentator with Precept Austin wrote,  "In time of need (eukairos) does not merely mean 'when we need it' in a vague sense, but means God’s grace arrives at the exact strategic moment, neither too soon nor too late. It is seasonable help and perfectly fitted to the occasion. Think of it as 'just-in-time grace' or 'just in the nick of time grace!' God’s mercy and grace are not generic or 'cookie cutter' but personally tailored to arrive in the precise 'amount' and at the precise season of our trial. The sense is 'grace for timely help, at the critical moment of pressure, temptation, or weakness'.”

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 the King of Kings whose throne is a throne of grace.  He is a merciful God and the God of grace.  He is our Helper, always available to help His children in time of need.

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

I'm a sinner saved by God's grace, constantly in need of His mercy and help.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should bring all my concerns and petitions boldly and confidently to the throne of grace, knowing that I will obtain mercy there and will find God's grace to help me in any and every time of need.  I can be confident in this!

There is so much incredible truth, so many deeply meaningful words, in Hebrews 4:16 that any attempt by me to dig into it all will fall miserably short.  I encourage you to take some time and study this verse out for yourselves.

P= "Lord,   How I thank and praise You that You, our great High Priest, so tenderly relate to the feelings of our infirmities, having been tempted Yourself by the same things that tempt us

I praise You that because of these astounding facts, I can come confidently to Your throne and find the grace to help me in my times of need.

"I pray that You will help me to live each day in light of these marvelous, comforting truths.  Help me to bring every need confidently to Your throne of kingly grace, knowing that Your mercy will meet me there.  I thank and praise You 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) Wisdom and time to have a conference call with Delta regarding a complicated transaction involving SkyMiles and E-credits.  .

2) God providing the exact right agent to walk us through the transaction and achieve the best outcome.

3) Being able to attend our granddaughter's symphony concert on Mother's Day afternoon.

4) Time, insight and energy to set up an Etsy sale, even though it resulted in only one order.

5) A delightful Mother's Day, with supper out after the concert, then cake and ice cream for our son-in-law's birthday.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on FELLOWSHIP.  We were to plan a time to fellowship with friends this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

We planned a wonderful day with friends for the Saturday -- breakfast out at an iconic mountain pancake hours; thrifting in our town; then afternoon and a hot dog roast at our little cottage. 

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

In Jesus, I will find gracious help at the throne of God.

What a wonderful encouragement to take into the week ahead!  Whatever challenges come our way this week, we can come confidently to God's throne, where He promises us mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!