Bible Study Archives • Page 3 of 3 • The Littlest Way

August 28, 2014 by Jenny

Day 3 on My Journey to Joy

Can I just tell you…I’m done. Like stick a fork in me and turn me over done. Chris has been out of town for the past three weeks, but almost home as I speak/write and Luke has been battling pneumonia for the past week. I haven’t slept a decent night one way or the other. And I’d be more than toast were it not for my big girls who are so capable to pick up my slack; I wasn’t at their age.

I sure hope I don’t cause any scandal, but I need an easy read of Philippians today. I’m reading Chapter one in the Message Bible. Sometimes it has the straight out, if not sometimes base talk I can handle in this state of mind. I’m not at a place of “Thee or Thou” right now. I’m not even at a “And then Jesus said…” Nope, I’m hanging on to, “And He was like…” I need Jesus. But more importantly right now, I need a friend in Jesus so I figure He’s ok with a pretty relaxed conversation between the Word and I.

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings
†Philippians 1:9

Please Lord, have mercy on me as I struggle with learning to love appropriately, to use my head and test my feelings. It has been easy, too easy, to slip into a slothful state with Chris away. Quick meals with no real family connection…Lord have mercy on me. It has been too easy to slip into a sleep deprived grumpiness that only a visitor can pry me out of because I wouldn’t want them to think bad of me…Lord have mercy on me. It would have been easy to consider and wonder at a gossip/slander or calumny shared because it would divert my mind off my menial problems and struggles…Lord have mercy on me (and thank God for a wise spiritual father).

I don’t know that I have loved much or well and I can’t really see any flourishing going on, unless it’s my children stepping in to help a poor mommma out, but I committed to this journey to joy and that has kept me accountable in these circumstances. It has kept St Paul’s Letter of Joy in the forefront of mind knowing I made a commitment to this little place on the web and you all. And for that I am grateful. God surely knows what He intends.

There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.
†Philippians 1:29

And I’m not even kidding myself thinking I’ve suffered for Christ. I’ve just rattled off a list of small, first world “sufferings for Christ” and not only have I not suffered well…that list is pretty dang small and wimpy.

But I have considered my trust in God more and more. So my next revelation…

August 25, 2014 by Jenny

Day 1 on My Journey to Joy

Today is Day 1 on my journey to joy. Did you print the free worksheet for this week as we read Chapter 1 of Philippians everyday this week? If not, go print it now.

Not only do I purpose to read Chapter 1 everyday this week, I also intend to study it. I really ~~want~~ need, this Letter of Joy to sink deep and settle in.

Yesterday, I printed off a copy of Philippians Chapter 1. I have seen on Pinterest these beautiful Bibles specifically marked word by word. I LOVE looking at how people mark their Bibles and this way seems very intriguing and a little more in depth than just running the highlighter over entire sentences, verses or paragraphs.

Here’s how I started. I chose a color to use to mark anytime Jesus or God were mentioned in Philippians 1. I chose yellow because it reminds me of the sun–Son..get it? Next I chose blue to mark any mention of prayer, green lines above to mark “joy” or “rejoice.” I made an orange little megaphone to highlight anywhere St Paul makes mention of the Gospel. Of course I used a red heart to mark “love” “affection” or “heart.” I used a green swirly to mark the words “life” or “living,” and a grey book emblem to mark where St Paul mentions the “Word.” Pink was my choice to mark words of gratitude. I also underlined the word “all” with two blue lines.

Here’s the deal, it does not matter what color or symbols you use. Here’s the cool deal; every time I went through with a different color pencil to mark a new word or words, I re-read the whole chapter! So far that’s five times through the day. Right now I’m not necessarily reading for depth and that’s ok. What I have so far is a page that instantly draws my eyes and attention to a particular word set of words.

Here’s a verse that has caused me some consideration as I kept passing it…

“I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel…” †Philippians 1:12

I would like to think I’d be calling my family and friends “beloved” were I in Paul’s situation, when it reality it would probably more along the lines of “Hey y’all!! Help! I’m in prison here!!” And then, although I’d like to think I would be spiritually minded and try to relate my sufferings and trials to some greater good…I would probably complain…a lot.

But not Paul. He speaks with a fatherly affection…something I think he learned from intimate time spent with our Lord. I think that kind of selfless love can only come from lots of quality time spent in the presence of Love Himself. And his recognition of his suffering serving for the good for the Church…again, another totally selfless act.

So my first revelation in reading St Paul’s Letter of Joy…

Joy exists where selfishness does not.

August 18, 2014 by Jenny

Inspiring Bible Quotes: The Letter of Joy

I’m needing some joy right about now…how about you? I don’t watch the news and try to avoid the goings on of the world. Please, no judgment, it’s a must for my sensitive soul. A thirty second news clip about some tragedy can cause me to lose my peace of mind and soul before the clip is even over. I can very easily slip into a dark place of fear and discouragement and clawing my way back out of that pit–even using inspiring Bible quotes–is much harder than just avoiding it altogether.

That being said, one doesn’t need to follow the latest headlines and read the in depth articles splashed across newspapers and magazines to know the world is in a very bad place. Death and destruction reign. People killing people, people killing themselves and people just trying to do the best they can to escape with only scrapes and injuries. Mail boxes are stuffed with bills we can’t pay, homes filled to the brim with the latest and greatest supposed to make us happy and content and fist fulls of antidepressants chased with food and drink in an effort to dull the pain. And it seems to my overactive imagination formed in the ’80s, not only did The Devil Go Down to Georgia but he’s dancing across the world, seeking whom he may devour.

Ready for some good news? Yeah, me too. Ready for some joy and contentment? Count me in! I’m going to purpose to read the book of Philippians–filled with inspiring Bible quotes about joy–over and over for the next four weeks. William Barclay, in his book Barclay’s Guide to the New Testament, calls Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, “The Letter of Joy.” It just so happens one of my all time favorite books, one of my life lines a couple of years ago, The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life, dovetails nicely with the book of Philippians; it’s based on Philippians 4:8. I will be reading it alongside my reading and re-reading of the book of Philippians.

Won’t you join me? Here’s my plan: I’m going to start on the 25th of August. I purpose to read chapter one of the book of Philippians everyday in its entirety, the 25th through the 31st of August–one week. In addition to the chapter in Philippians, I will also read 5-7 pages a day from The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life. September 1st I’ll start chapter 2 of Philippians; reading it everyday, in its entirety for the week and continue with 5-7 pages per day of The 4:8 Principle. If all goes according to plan, I’ll finish up around the 21st of September.

Bible Quotes

If you are looking for some encouragement, some joy, a solid anchor in an unstable world, I encourage to join me in reading the book of Philippians. You may read this post after the set time I outlined. Read it anyway. You can be sure I am. The book of Philippians, along with the Psalms are my go to books of the Bible–well and the Gospels. I have not found a more effective means of overcoming fear, anxiety, depression and general melancholy than to block out the noise of the world and take in the peace of the Word by reading, writing and memorizing inspiring Bible quotes.

Each day there is more encouragement and even some laughs over on my Facebook page. Head over and “Like” me there for more.

August 16, 2014 by Jenny

By Bread Alone

A few years ago, I was drowning in depression, fear, anxiety…I was scared of my own shadow let alone real life. It was during that time the Lord led me to a Christian counselor that taught me to see the Bible as a weapon in this battle I was up against. He taught me I could not live by bread alone. And it was during that time I realized, at the most, I had only been snacking on real, substantial nourishment found in the scriptures.

“A couple of years ago I realized I needed a mind overhaul. I was negative, scared and stuck in the habit of wrong thinking. I turned to my Bible…the dusty, unused, sat-on-a-bookshelf-like-a-wallflower-at-a-junior-high-school-dance…and started reading it. And God started gently speaking to me through His inspired Word.

God started teaching me, through His Word, how to think, behave when discouraged and use my words the way He intended. And it changed me’ well, changed sounds so definitive. Let’s say, “It is changing me.”
–The Catholic Child’s Teaching Bible

Just a couple years before those words were written, I needed the Word of God in my life like I had never needed anything before. It would not be an exaggeration to tell you picking up my Bible was my last resort. My last resort in the sense that I never read my Bible and in the sense that I was at the end of my rope with myself. I was mentally sick and tired and physically sick of being mentally sick and tired.

I don’t know why I thought I could live on bread alone.

I am in a season now, where although not scared and running for cover, I am scattered mentally, tired emotionally and spent physically. Feeling scattered, pulled and pressed on all sides should send me straight to the Word for comfort and nourishment. And I have read my Bible for spiritual and physical nourishment…or should I say I’ve nibbled from the Word. I’ve picked it up and read here and there and ended up fooling myself into thinking I’m nourishing myself. Actually I keep coming up malnourished and wondering what in the world is the problem. Why is God not working?

The problem isn’t with God, surprise–surprise, it’s with me. A little scripture reading here and there can no more fill me up than grabbing a slice of bread and calling it a meal.

Traditionally I would have read that verse from Matthew and gotten a more formal version about living by the Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. But I’m not in a season of “proceedeth” and “Thou” or “Thee.” I’m in a season of need.

See God’s perfect timing? He knows I’m in a season where I need to be intentional about what I think about and need to be intentional about spending good, quality time in His Word. He also knows I need to share His encouraging revelations to me with others; it’s just a part of how I process.

I know I’m flip floppy on blogging lately…start a blog–close a blog–rename a blog–go quiet. I have realized recently, I love blogging. As an introvert, blogging suits me; I love the interaction, the sense of community and the commitment to growing in closer in friendship with Christ alongside my sisters in Christ.

I’m going to take a wild guess you need His presence as much as I do. Coming together with each other here on the world wide web to read, study and meditate on His Word, will bring us into the presence of God. We will learn of Him as we learn alongside each other. We will find His Word to be a source of encouragement as we work to encourage each other.

My short break from a more communal blogging has led me to different blogs to read and ponder the scriptures in community. I’ve realized, it doesn’t have to be perfect or even pretty. I don’t need “St.” before my name or who knows what sort of letter combination after my name to encourage and share God’s Word with others. I need a deep desire to love Him more fully, spend time with Him more intentionally and intimately, and a love for sharing His good news with others. Check–check–and check.