Sunday Scripture

 As I explained a couple of weeks ago, I'm shifting gears on my Sunday Scripture posts ... stepping away from the study of Psalms for awhile.  This is something God has placed on my heart to do, and I anticipate it being helpful to many of you, as well as to me.

I am using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which 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 March 10, but I will be working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 The first prompt 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:

"It does look like another busy week.  We're here at home for today but will head back to TWNE for the rest of the week.  Today will have a lot packed into it.  Meeting with my young friend R. this morning, a joy and privilege.  I just pray that God will equip and use me to meet her needs.  I'm so thankful that He knows exactly what those needs are and I can trust Him to equip me to meet them.  None of this is anything I can do in my own strength or wisdom.

"Today will also include grocery shopping, food prep and more planning.  We need to write some reports for our church's upcoming annual business meeting.  We'll also be packing food and personal items for the upcoming week.

"In the next few days Ill be cooking lunches for a work crew of 3 to 5 people and a supper for about a dozen people on Thursday night.

"The weekend will involve church responsibilities and also prepping food to share after a recital.  I'll also prep a meal for a friend with a new baby.  All service, all good.  I know that the Lord will provide wisdom and strength as we seek to do all to His glory."

I find that this journaling component is very helpful for me in dealing with the week ahead.  It's a way to spill it all out and then sort it.

🌿 The second 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 ...  fully in control of this busy week and of the slight vertigo I am feeling right now.  YOU are all-powerful and can stabilize my unstable body.  You are all-wise and able to provide the wisdom I lack in my humanness.

Lord, I feel ... completely inadequate for the week ahead of me. Yet paradoxically I also feel joyful and energized because it's a blessing to serve.

Lord, help me with ... keeping a good balance between work and rest.  I also need help with self-control as there will be yummy goodies around this week, and with motivation to stick with my exercise program.

Lord, forgive me for ... any attitudes that are not glorifying to You, and for times when I speak before thinking.  I thank You that forgiveness is available from You, in Jesus' name, Amen.

* Here we were also to make a note of 4 to 5 people we are praying for.  I listed two young couples, a housing need for one of them, a new mother, a bereaved acquaintance, and some old friends with serious health issues.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Psalm 34:8,, 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= "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusteth in Him."  (Psalm 34:8)

O= Here David is exhorting his readers (and us!) to taste and see that the LORD is good.  He also instructs them that the person who trusts in the LORD, this good God, will be blessed.

Cross-references for "taste" -- "If so be ye have tasted that the LORD is gracious."  (1 Peter 2:3)

Hebrews 6:5 speaks of those "who have tasted of the good word of God."

Cross-reference for "the LORD is good" -- "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations."  (Psalm 100:5)

Cross-reference for "blessed" -- "Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him."  (Psalm 2:12b)

"Trusteth in Him" is rendered in the ESV "takes refuge in Him."  One of the Hebrew words for trust signifies "to take refuge."

A= To help with my application for this verse, I did the assignments suggested in Fix Your Focus for Psalm 34:8

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

He is good!  He blesses those who trust in Him and take refuge in Him.

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

I am a person who has tasted and seen God's goodness in my life.  As a person who is learning to trust God completely, and has often taken refuge in Him, I have been (and continue to be) blessed indeed.

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

I am tasting God's goodness every single day.  I need to be faithful and also intentional to share His goodness with others.  I also need to trust Him fully every day.  It seems this verse has a special emphasis on trusting Him as a refuge amid the storms and stresses of life.

P= "Lord, I am so thankful for who you are!  Your goodness is only one of the many unfathomable facets of Your character.  I have tasted and seen Your goodness (as well as Your kindness, mercy, love, and longsuffering) in drawing me to You for salvation.  I see Your goodness throughout every day of my life,  and I am so thankful for that!  I pray that You will help me to trust You fully through every difficulty of life and to be faithful and intentional in sharing Your goodness with others who need to experience it.  I praise You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 The next prompt is for GRATITUDE.  We were encouraged to reflect on the ways God has shown His faithfulness to us over the last week, and then to list 5 things we are thankful for.  So, you who are reading along, do the same!

Here is my list:

* A subtle but beautiful sunrise -- lavender, periwinkle, peach, and gold with the occasional streak of coral.  Such a wonderful reminder of God's mercies every morning and His endless creativity.

* A day at home on Monday.   In God's providence one day was enough time to prep for ministry meals this week and catch up on laundry.

* The opportunity to connect with two younger friends this week.

* Our Ladies of Grace meeting last Saturday and the opportunity to return home for that.  It was a much-needed recharge.

* In God's strength, the time and confidence to work at my exercise program daily even there are some exercises I can't yet do for various reasons (a need for more equipment being one).  In my own strength and faulty thinking, I would simply give up on it. 

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next thing to consider.  As I mentioned earlier, there are four different aspects of this that we will be rotating through.  The one for this week is REST.

For this prompt, we were asked to think about what observing a Sabbath rest looks like to us and to make a plan to intentionally rest this week.  [And if you are one of my Sunday Scripture readers, please consider this challenge for yourself!]. Here is my plan:

Begin each morning with a time of quiet communion with God -- usually at least an hour.  I also can often find a few quiet moments in the evening to relax with needlework.  We are also planning an overnight stay at our camp on Sunday evening, which will hopefully be a quiet and restful end to a busy week.

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is next.  It 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.

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.

Lastly is 🌿 a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION to take with us through the week.  This week it was: "When I trust in God, I experience joy."  Short and easy to remember!

And there is our second Sunday Scripture using Fix Your Focus.  I know it's quite different from what we have been doing, but I trust the Lord will use it to encourage us!