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 June 2, but I am working ahead of you readers.  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'm finding it so helpful!

 For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Homemaking -- there's a lot I need to catch up with.

2) Etsy shop -- must put in some serious work on listings.

3) Ministry -- blogging, phone calls, Sunday School lesson prep.

🌿 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: It's always a joy to fellowship with friends, and we have a fair amount of that planned for the week.  It's a joy also to stay at our camp, and we'll be doing that at least once..  .

Worries: No real worries.  Just concerns for my hubby's health.

Desires: To begin to schedule some blog posts for Christmas in July.  To list some items in my Etsy shop.  To finish a few projects.  To have some staycation time.  To glorify God in all that is done.

Stressors: Time constraints, the limitations of aging, the foibles of people...

🌿 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.  You know all that it will hold, and You will be faithful and trustworthy to help me through it.  You are so good to bless us with Christian friendship and fellowship.

* Lord, I feel ... inadequate for this week.  In a strange way, I also feel energized for completing some projects and for starting new ones.

* Lord, help me with ... my hubby's dietary restrictions, planning meals, bringing a few projects to completion.  Help me to finish my Sunday School lesson prep and to live each day in a way that glorifies You.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I complain or become stressed.  Times when I fail to trust You.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed a young couple who need God's direction, our former pastor grieving the loss of his wife,  friends traveling this weekend, and a friend's MRI results.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Matthew 5:4, using the SOAP method, incorporating my answers to several questions.

S= "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

O=  This is from the Sermon on the Mount, from the section titled "The Beatitudes".  Matthew 5:1-2 introduces the sermon and the Beatitudes by setting the scene:

"Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.  And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying ..."

Our verse today is the second of the Beatitudes.  The first is "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".  (Matthew 5:3)

Rand Hummel says, "Remember, the "Beatitudes' are a series of seven connected steps -- one leading to the other.  Once you are overwhelmed with your spiritual poverty and understand the gravity of your own depravity, you will mourn.  You will weep over your sin.  When godly sorrow grips a heart, tears often flow."

Cross- references for "those who mourn"  --  

"[The LORD hath anointed Me] to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto those who mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified."  (Isaiah 61:2-3)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; an d ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.." (John 16:20)

"And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that, as you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation,"  (2 Corinthians 1:7)

"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death."  (2 Corinthians 7:10)  

 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." -- (Revelation 21:4)

"Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up,"  (James 4:9-10)

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

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

"Having announced that 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Ephesians 4:17), the King now, in the Sermon on the Mount, declares to His disciples the principles of that kingdom."  (C.I. Scofield)

He is the King of heaven.  He is a Master Teacher who seized teachable moments and opportunities to instruct His followers.  He is holy and unable to look upon sin, so he wants His people to mourn over and forsake their sin.  He is the Comforter who will comfort us and give us the oil of joy for mourning.  

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

I am a disciple in need of Jesus' teaching and instruction.  I am a sinner who should mourn over my sin, but I am blessed and comforted that God has made a way for me to be right with Him.

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

 Scofield notes that  "The beatific character and attitude described by our Lord in verses 3-12 are unattainable by self-effort, but are wrought in the Christian by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit." 

Rand Hummel says, "This list is intricately tied together in a logical progression.  Those who see their spiritual poverty will mourn because of it; they will relinquish control of their lives over to God; begin hungering and thirsting for God's righteousness, obtain mercy and purity; be used by God to reconcile men to Him and to each other; and be rejected and persecuted by those who recognize them as the children of almighty God."

He adds: "I grieve that my own sin sent my Lord to the cross.  The guilt and disappointment over my own selfishness is overwhelming.  Now our Lord reminds us that for those who mourn over their sinfulness, forgiveness is not only available, but offered freely by the very One we sinned against.   This is comforting!"

Kent Hughes writes that God's comfort "comes in the form of his divine companionship. He is our ally. He personally binds up our sorrows and consoles us. How comprehensive our comfort is! It is immediate. It comes to us alone. It comes personally in the Person of the Holy Spirit. And it is based on the forgiveness of our sins. That is why we are called "blessed."

F.B. Meyer notes that we should not limit the blessing of Matthew 5:4 only to mourning over sin.  He writes: "So comprehensive and far-reaching is this beatitude, that attempts have been made to limit its scope and diminish its range of blessing. Surely those only can be meant who sorrow with a godly sorrow that needs no repentance! It is remarkable how persistently men have interposed such reservations on the munificence and largeness of God's gifts. They assure one another that God cannot mean all He says, and that it will be a profound mistake to trust too absolutely in His assurances. But, in spite of it all, notice the calm strength of these words, " Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Surely it means that every sorrow carries in itself a clue to blessedness, and that there is no sorrow for which there are not healing and help in the Gospel of Christ. In this soil grow all the herbs which are suitable for the healing of broken hearts. For all mourning He has the oil of joy; for every heavy-laden spirit a garment of praise."

P= "Lord,  I thank and praise You for Your Word and for all that it teaches us.  I praise You for the truth of this verse -- that even though my guilt and sinfulness may grieve me and move me to tears, forgiveness is available!  Not only that, but God will give comfort and healing for every sorrow that we may face in life.  Help me to share these comforting truths with others and to live each day in a way that pleases You and shows forth your praise.   I thank You for all that you have done and are doing 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 joy of spending time with dear Christian friends on Memorial Day.

2) The blessing that our little cottage is to us personally.  

3) The added blessing of being able to use our cottage for hospitality.

4) Clear and organized thinking for preparing signup sheets for hospitality team at church for back-to-back events

5) The delight of having close friends who love and appreciate our grandchildren almost as much as we do!.

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

  We had breakfast plans with friends on Monday, so we made a plan for the rest of that day to also be a vacation day.  We drove beautiful scenic back roads in Vermont and New Hampshire.  So restful.  For Thursday, we  planned an afternoon/evening/overnight (with no alarm set) at our little cottage.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

In my mourning, I find joy in God's comfort.

We can take this encouraging thought into the coming week and communicate with God often!