Fear vs. Love

I John 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Fear says...

  I shun sinners since God hates sin and one day He will judge them.  You had better clean up before I can love you.

Love says...

  God loves this sinner just as much as he loves me.  Christ died for this person.  Even though their sin is wrong, I am going to go out of my way to show love to this person.

Fear says...

  I know the Bible says to preach the gospel, but I just don't have a bold personality.  What would my neighbors say if I mentioned Jesus?!?  How about I just try to be a nice person and let my life be my witness, I'll leave the preaching to the preachers.

Love says...

  How can I knowingly stand be and watch my neighbors and co-workers go to hell?  I will lovingly mention the work that Christ has done in my life and I won't care about rejection, for I know that I have planted a seed.  I will pray that someone will come along and reap the harvest.

Fear says...

  Don't talk to me about the rapture or end times or the tribulation, that stuff freaks me out!

Love says...

  God loves me and His word says, "I have never seen the righteous forsaken."  (Ps. 37:25)

Fear says...

  I'm going through _____________ (trial, sickness, etc.).  What have I done that God is mad about?  Oh God, forgive me, show me what my sin is.  I know you hate sin and you judge sin.

Love says...

  This hard time is an attack from the devil, because God's Word says that it is the thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came to give me life more abundantly!  This is NOT a punishment from God for a sin in my life, because I have been declared righteous once and for all by the blood of Christ!

Fear says...

  I can't believe that person just treated me the way they did!  I'm not going to take that.  I have a few choice words for them!

Love says...

  I wonder what that person is going through to be acting that way.  Perhaps I can give them a word of encouragement to lift them up.

Fear says...

  I can't invite so and so over because my house isn't as nice as their house.

Love says...

  God does not show partiality, so I won't either.  God looks at the heart, not on the outward appearance.

Fear says...

  I hate the way I look, I'm always afraid of what people are thinking of me, they're probably secretly laughing at me.  I wish I was skinny like so and so.  I wish I had her hair.  I wish my teeth were whiter.

Love says...

  God created me in HIS image and He loves me, it doesn't matter what others think (or what the media tells me I should look like)!

Fear says...

  I've got to look out for #1!

Love says...

  God is first in my life, others are second, and I am third.  God will take care of all my needs, I don't need to worry about it.

This is not something that I am perfect in, but it is something that God is teaching me and I am working on.  The verse above is not saying that you have to become perfect in love in order for your fears to be banished, but rather it is when you perfectly understand God's love for you and others that your fears will be gone!  Do you have fear in your life, do a study of God's love and it will go away!

Fear leads to strife, bitterness, envy, and hatred.  Love brings joy and peace.

For a greater understanding of God's unconditional love, I encourage you to check out Andrew Wommack's sermons, here.

Why Am I Here?

Do you ever get that feeling?  Do you know what your purpose is?  Unfortunately, most people don't have a sense of purpose and without it, we flounder through life.  You will find true joy when you find your purpose.

You will remember that I did a study with my son on what the Bible says about who we are, this spring.  After we finished that study we jumped into a study of what the Bible says about WHY we are here, why we were created.  This is what I came up with.

Why Am I Here?

First we realize that it's not all about us!

::We were created for God's glory.

Isaiah 43:7, I Corinthians 10:31, I Corinthians 6:20, Proverbs 16:4

::To love God

Mark 12:28-30

::For God's pleasure

Psalm 149:4, Psalm 147:11

::To worship God

John 4:23, Psalm 105:4, Psalm 113:3, Psalm 34:1

::To understand and know God

Jeremiah 9:24

Now, God wants to work in us and through us...

::To make us like Christ

Romans 8:29, Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 13:14, I John 3:2, II Peter 3:14 (NIV), Hebrews 4:11

::To develop character in us

Romans 5:3-4, II Peter 1:5-8, Colossians 3:12-17, Galatians 5:22-23

BUT, we must never forget that it is God developing that character in us and changing us into the image of His Son!

Philippians 2:13

Why is character so important?

So we can fulfill the next part of purpose...

::To be the light of the world

John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8-10

::To love one another

John 13:34-35, I John 4:7, I Corinthians 13

::To serve one another

Mark 10:35-45

::To bear good fruit

Genesis 1:28, John 15:16. Galatians 5:22-23

::To spread the gospel

Mark 16:15

::To do good works

Ephesians 2:10

::To do a job in the Body of Christ

I Corinthians 3:5-15, Romans 12:6, I Corinthians 12

Now, you may have noticed that the first portion  of this list related to God and the second portion is in relation to others.  We cannot love others and minister to others until we understand God's love for us and let him start to change us from the inside out.

Now, in relation to this earth...

::We are to have dominion over the earth (this is partially realized now and fully realized in the age to come)

Genesis 1:26

And finally, in the future...

::To rule and reign with Christ as kings and priests.

Revelation 5:10 & II Timothy 2:12

Now, equally important as our purpose is, is also what NOT to do.  We are NOT to seek after man's approval, our motives are just as important, sometimes more so, than our actions.  God looks at the heart.  

II Corinthians 10:12, 17-18

As I stated in our study of who we are, you can find more in the Bible to add to this list, but this is what I chose to study with my children.  Start a study to find out what your purpose is.  Need some help?  Check out The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren.

This article is also a follow-up of my challenge, to write down a list of my beliefs.  This list answers some of those questions.

Egyptian Plagues

I have been taught that each one of the plagues of Egypt were an attack against specific Egyptian gods.  I have not done the research to find out the specifics, but I did run across this link today that lists them.  I'm not sure of it's accuracy, but it is neat and gives you a starting point to research if you want.

Enjoy!

Feast of Weeks

Tonight at sundown, the 6th of Sivan on the Jewish calendar, the Feast of Weeks begins.  You may know the Feast of Weeks by it's Greek name, Pentecost.  Pentecost means "fiftieth."  Pentecost comes 50 days after Passover.  In Hebrew, the Feast of Weeks is called Shavout.

What do you know about Pentecost?  I encourage you to explore these links.  There is much more to Pentecost than you may have known.

Biblical Holidays - Shavout

Koinonia House - Feast of Weeks

Biblegateway.com - Book of Ruth (this is the selection that is always read at this particular feast.)

Bible in 90 Days

I completed Day 6 of the Bible in 90 Days reading schedule today.  I am really enjoying it.  The daily reading takes me between 45 minutes to an hour (I think I'm a slow reader).  It seems to be about 16 chapters a day.  Now I do notice it's harder to get in my time on the weekends, so it may take me a bit longer than 90 days.

Reading such a large amount each day gives a broader view.  Certain things stick out to me that wouldn't if I were reading a smaller portion.  (Of course, when you read a small portion, other details stick out to you.  There is a time and place for different types of Bible study.)

When I first heard about this fast-paced reading schedule, I was skeptical.  But once I got going, the thought occurred to me that I read Les Miserables in about 3 months.  (One edition is 1376 pages, can't remember how many my copy had.  This schedule, if read in the official Bible in 90 Days version is 1048 pages.)  Why is it that the thought of reading through the Bible, as I would a novel, seems so odd?  Perhaps it's because it really is different than a novel, there are so many depths, you can never really fully comprehend the Bible.  I will be reading it for the rest of my life and getting new revelations.  Les Miserables was wonderful, but I doubt it would require more than a few readings.

That said, I've had to train myself to read a little differently for this schedule.  I purposely don't stop and hunt down rabbit trails or dig very deep into study.  Otherwise I would be spending at least 2 hours a day on this schedule and I don't have that amount of time.  It feels a bit strange to be reading just to get to the end of the day's portion.  However, at the same time, I did not want to approach this with a, "let's just get through these chapters and check them off the list," attitude.  I am looking to learn something new each day and so far I have.  Even today, when the majority of the portion was all about details of the tabernacle and priestly garments.

That brings me to another point.  When you read about 16 chapters a day, you get to go through the "so-called" boring parts quicker.  :)  I say "so-called" because I am one that believes that every single detail in the scriptures is put there by design and is relevant and applicable to our lives.  But I admit, some of it isn't as entertaining.

I do think that you will get more insight and revelation out of the smaller bites that you take.  See Isaiah 28:10.  That is why I am keeping a certain few verses out to meditate on throughout the day.  I'm also still doing morning lessons with my children, so I have to study a bit for those.  (That study does me so much good.)  As a family, we read through one chapter of the Bible at dinnertime together.  We are currently in II Corinthians.  And, I like to listen to my favorite Bible teachers whenever I'm in the kitchen (which is a lot!).  So I feel that even though I'm skimming through the Bible in 90 days, I'm also getting those little bites throughout the day.

If you want to check out the schedule, click here.

Bible in 90 Days

I have tried (twice) to read through the entire Bible, using the One Year schedule.  Neither time did I complete it.  I did stick with it, both times, at least 90 days.

When I first heard about this schedule to read the Bible through in only 90 days I was quite skeptical, but now I'm excited.  Partly because now that summer is here (today was our last day of homeschool), I feel like I have extra hours in my day, I want to use that time productively.  And partly because I really feel the need to read through the entire Bible.  I know some don't.  I don't think it's important for everyone, but for myself, it is a goal.

Starting June 1st, Biblegateway will post the daily readings.  I found the schedule here, at Biblein90days.com, so I am actually going to start tomorrow.  That will give me a couple more days grace and I also need to be done a little early, since school will be in full force by the middle of August.  The schedule is for the New International Version (NIV), but I'll just read the same passages in my New King James Version (NKJV).  I'm not sure how long it will take to read each day's portion.  I may consider breaking it up into two to three portions each day.

To get the schedule for yourself, click here and then scroll down and find the Family Resources box.  The schedule is the last .PDF file, titled Bible in 90 Days Adult.

If you are also taking this challenge, I would like to hear from you.  I will post updates along the way and let everyone know how it's going for me.

Tonight

I am so excited to go to the Joyce Meyer Conference tonight!  I have been listening to her radio broadcasts lately, they have been awesome!  I encourage you to download her podcasts (download iTunes, if you don't have it).  You don't even have to have an MP3 player, you can listen on your computer or burn CDs.  Her most recent topic has been so great--Keeping God First.