Sunday Scripture

 

As promised, here is our first Sunday Scripture for December.  Remember, I am writing these posts from an Advent study that I did with Good Morning Girls in 2013.  The study, Keeping Our Hearts Focused on Jesus, is still available as a free download, so if you are interested head on over there and get it.  Scroll down and click on the book-like image similar to the illustration above, and the pdf should open right up.  This lovely study also includes recipes and meaningful Advent activities, so you might want to take a look!

Just a note too that I am also doing Sunday Scripture posts over at my Christmas blog, Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen -- and I am using different verses (from the same study) in those Sunday posts.  So if you really want some biblical encouragement during this Christmas season, you might enjoy reading at both blogs.

I've mentioned before that I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the studies from GMG use a very similar one.  I find this method a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, so I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or passage,  or praise for what it means to you.

Each week of this Advent study focuses on a theme: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace.  This first week's verses are focused on Hope.

For today's Scripture I chose to focus in on John 1:1-4.  In the actual study, this one was from December 2 -- just in case you downloaded the study and are following along with it.

S=  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
"The same was in the beginning with God. 
"All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
"In Him was life; and the life was the light of men."  (John 1:1-4)

O=  The theme of John's Gospel is the Deity of Christ.  These verses are part of a section on the subject of what C.I. Scofield has titled "The Eternal Word incarnate in the Son of God".  He writes, "In the Being, Person, and work of Christ, Deity is expressed."

Verse 1 makes it clear that Jesus has always been -- He is eternal -- and that He is, in fact, God.  Verse 3 plainly states that Jesus is the Creator -- all things were made by Him, and nothing was made without Him.  Verse 4 notes that in Him was life -- and to me this means He is not only the Giver of life, but He is the Source of eternal life.

A=  The fact that Jesus is God is crucially important to my salvation.   If He were not God, His sacrifice would not have been sufficient to pay for my sins.

As I contemplate His coming to earth for this purpose -- to be born as a human baby in the humblest of circumstances -- it is mind-boggling to think of it.  The Creator of the universe!  The embodiment of divine wisdom!  The self-existent One who has always been and always will be!  That He would come to this fallen world, to be born as a helpless baby, to grow up and die a gruesome death to atone for the sins of mankind -- it is beyond our understanding.  The love that would motivate such a plan is unfathomable.

P=  "Lord, I cannot even begin to thank You for Your love.  The words "thank You" are just woefully inadequate -- and even a life given back to You is such a small and insignificant offering in return for all that You have done for me.  I thank and praise You for loving me -- and all mankind -- so much.  I thank and praise You for Your sacrifice on my behalf -- a sacrifice that involved far more than I can even begin to comprehend.  Help me, I pray, to live my life in a way that counts for You, every day.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I hope that it has given someone some encouragement and some food for thought.