Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture lesson from Fix Your Focus!

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of May 4.  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, blogging, phone calls, tea with friends, work on brunch devotional; write missions report for annual church report..

2)  Homemaking/family -- try to catch up with some tasks at home before heading to TWNE again midweek.  Work with Joanna to purchase tickets for their family's visit here in August.  Attend Julia's symphony concert; celebrate Jim's birthday.

3) Correspondence/Etsy -- Email Judy; email missions team minutes and annual report; email Gail regarding brunch theme; set up Etsy sale and prepare 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 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.  Maybe somewhat of a fear of burning out, as I'm getting quite tired.  .   

Joys: Ministry is always a joy.  Family time is a joy.  Homemaking and my Etsy shop are joys as well, but it is just so hard to find time for them.

Worries: No real worries going into this week.  A few concerns.

Desires: That God will be glorified in the happenings of this week.  To be able to get my Sunday School lesson and Sunday Scripture blog posts finished up. To be of maximum usefulness at TWNE at a very busy time.

Stressors:  The limitations of time, energy, mobility, and aging.  The foibles of other people who aren't always easy to work with.

🌿 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 give me wisdom to order my days and the energy to carry out each necessary task.  You are able to expand my time so I can get everything done that needs to be done.  You are so good to provide times of relaxation at our little cottage.

* Lord, I feel ...  somewhat overwhelmed with all that there is to do this week ... a week we will spend partly at home and partly at TWNE.  I feel thankful that we got tickets ordered on Tuesday for our family's August visit.  I feel as if I will never get caught up on housework.

* Lord, help me with ...everything that must be done this week, especially my Sunday Scripture post and my Sunday School lesson, and the report I need to write.  Help me with using my time as wisely as possible, and to honor You in my interactions with people.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I have a fleshly response to situations.  Times when I speak before thinking.  Times of emotional eating.  Times when I fail to trust You as I should..

* Make a note of 4 or 5 people you are specifically praying for.  I listed friends dealing with a cancer diagnosis; other friends with serious health issues; a friend driving many miles in a rental truck.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Proverbs 18:10, 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= "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."  (Proverbs 18:10)

O= Cross-reference for "the name of the LORD" -- "And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with [Moses] there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

"And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

"Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children ... unto the third and to the fourth generation ."  (Exodus 34:5-7)

Cross-reference for "a strong tower"   -- "The God of my rock; in Him will I trust; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; Thou savest me from violence."  (2 Samuel 22:3)

"For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."  (Psalm 61:3)

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."  (Psalm 18:2)

"Blessed be the LORD, my strength ... my goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust, who subdueth my people under me."  (Psalm 144:1-2)

Cross-reference for "is safe" -- "The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee."  (Psalm 20:1)

A=  "God's name is like a fort that provides protection for the believer. Through this study, we will come to understand the significance of names like Jehovah Rophe or Jehovah Nissi. In each case, we will learn how understanding that name becomes a SPIRITUAL FORTRESS. For example, we will discover that Jehovah Rophe can bring healing, thus turning bitter experiences into sweet. We will find that Jehovah Nissi is a banner of protection that can give us spiritual victory. We will discover that Jehovah Jireh is a God of infinite provision who can meet every need of our lives. As we grow to understand the very nature and character of God we will find ourselves running to His name to find safety and strength. His name is like a strong tower! God's name stands for the manifestation of His presence in His revelation and His relation to His people." -- Kenneth Hemphill

The following lines are from an old hymn by John Newton:

"No strength of our own and no goodness we claim;
Yet, since we have known of the Savior’s great Name,
In this our strong tower for safety we hide:
The Lord is our power, “The Lord will provide.”
-- from verse 6 of the hymn Though Troubles Assail, by John Newton 

Charles Spurgeon explains that running into the name of the Lord means we have an experiential "acquaintance with the attributes of God, which are every one of them anchors to hold the soul from drifting in seasons of peril."

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 self-existent One who always has been and always will be.  The writer's use of the term LORD makes that clear.  His name alone is so strong and powerful that it serves as a tower of protection and safety which His righteous people can run to.

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

I am righteous, but only because of Christ's sacrifice and the imputation of His righteousness to me.  I am a person living in a world that is dangerous spiritually as well as physically.  I often need a place of safety to run to.  This verse tells me that God's name is that necessary strong tower.

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

 When I need a place of safety, God's name should be the strong tower that I run to.  I can consider and learn more about the various names of God and I can be so encouraged and blessed by all that they mean to me as a believer.  It would be easy to sort of gloss over or generalize a simple verse like this one, but in fact it is filled with tremendous, meaningful truth.

P= "Lord, How thankful I am for Your magnificent name -- for all that it says about You and for all that it means to me as Your child.  I praise You that Your name is a strong tower and a place of absolute safety that I can run to.  

  "I praise You too for the righteousness that You provide for me through faith in Christ.  I have no righteousness of my own, but when I trusted Him as Savior You imputed Your Son's righteousness to me.  Thus I have the privilege of running to the strong tower of Your name for refuge and safety.  I pray that You will help me to do just that when I feel overwhelmed or threatened.  I praise You so much for this privilege,  in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to us over the past week and to 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) Being able to enjoy breakfast out in the mountains with old friends on a snowy April morning!

2) Hearing our friend David's cancer update -- he is free of disease!

3) Wisdom and strength to plan meals for another week of ministry at TWNE.

4) Getting to spend an entire day with other friends -- breakfast out at a nifty spot, visiting a glass blowing factory and a fascinating museum, exploring a new-to-us city a little bit.

5)The tremendous blessing of being able to host our Ladies of Grace meeting at our camp on Saturday morning.

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

My plan for fasting: We do intermittent fasting every day, and it always frees up more time to spend in God's Word and in prayer.  Fasting at least partially from consuming news would also be a good idea, nurturing a greater trust in God's sovereignty, omniscience and power.  I believe that God would have us to be informed and aware, but He also wants us to fully trust in Him.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

In the mighty name of the LORD, I find safety.

This is an amazing  thought to take into the week ahead.  Reread what Kenneth Hemphill wrote about the name of the LORD, and be blessed and encouraged!

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!