Heart & Soul Bible Study Notes

Starting on 13 February 2008, we started a women's Bible study going through several women of the Bible. Here are the notes from the two studies we have already had. The first was introductory material and Creation/Fall/Redemption study. The second was a look at Creation and Biblical Womanhood.

Creation/Fall/Redemption

Creation and Biblical Womanhood

Continue On

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24


Continue On

A woman once fretted over the usefulness
of her life. She feared she was wasting
her potential being a devoted wife and mother.
She wondered if the time and energy she invested
in her husband and children would make a difference.

• 
  

At times she got discouraged because so
much of what she did seemed to go
unnoticed and unappreciated. "Is it worth it?"
she often wondered. "Is there something better
that I could be doing with my time?"

• 
  

It was during these moments of questioning
that she heard the still, small voice
of her heavenly Father speak to her heart.
"You are a wife and mother because that is
what I have called you to be. Much of what you do
is hidden from the public eye. But I notice.
Most of what you give is done without remuneration.
But I am your reward. Your husband cannot be the man
I have called him to be without your support. Your
influence upon him is greater than you think and
more powerful than you will ever know. I bless him
through your service and honor him through your love.
Your children are precious to Me. Even more
precious than they are to you. I have entrusted
them to your care to raise for Me. What you
invest in them is an offering to Me.

• 
  

You may never be in the public spotlight.
But your obedience shines as a bright light
before Me. Continue on. Remember
you are My servant. Do all to please Me."

by Roy Lessin

Christ Suffered and Died to Absorb the Wrath of God

This was an excerpt on a single piece of paper that I found in a church that I have been carrying for a few years now. I thought it was the most helpful thing for me in seeing sin as more than just "missing the mark" of a particular standard of living.

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'"
Galatians 3:13

"Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins."
Romans 3:25

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. "
1 John 4:10

If God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. Therefore his love is willing to meet the demands of his justice.
God's law demanded, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Detueronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is--dishonoring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences. Therefore, the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We glorify what we enjoy most. And it isn't God.
Therefore sin is not small, because it is not against a small Sovereign. The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect and admiration and loyalty. therefore, failure to love him is not trivial--it is treason. It defames God and destroys human happiness.
Since God is just, he does not sweep these crimes under the rug of the universe. He feels a holy wrath against them. They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4).
There is a holy curse hanging over all sin. Not to punish would be unjust. The demeaning of God would be endorsed. A lie would reign at the core of reality. Therefore, God says, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them" (Galatians 3:10; Deuteronomy 27:26).
But the love of God does not rest with the curse that hangs over all sinful humanity. He is not content to show wrath, no matter how holy it is. Therefore God sends his won Son to absorb his wrath and bear the curse for all who trust him. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13).
This is the meaning of the word "propitiation" in the text quoted above (Romans 3:25). It refers to the removal of God's wrath by providing a substitute. The substitute is provided by God himself. The substitute, Jesus Christ, does not just cancel the wrath; he absorbs it and diverts it from us to himself. God's wrath is just, and it was spent, not withdrawn.
Let us not trifle with God or trivialize his love, We will never stand in awe of being loved by God until we reckon with the seriousness of our sin and the justice of his wrath against us. but when, by grace, we waken to our unworthiness, then we may look at the suffering and death of Christ and say, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son the be the [wrath-absorbing] propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:10).

If anyone knows who the original author is, please let me know as it is unknown to me.

Hasn't it been awhile?

Well, it has been a long, long time!!! I have had many "blogging" thoughts in the last year. Frankly, though, I have wrestled with 2 points: 1) how much do I share in a public setting, and 2) how do I manage this into my tasks for the day when it is hard to get the necessities done. Well, I still don't have great answers to those points.

However, I will attempt to post more regularly, but this will not be an every day occurrence.

Also, I will use the following principles to filter what does get posted publicly.

• Proverbs 10:19 says it best: "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise. "
  
• Proverbs 17:28 "Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive."
• Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. "
  

My goals for posting on this blog will be to hopefully edify others and impart grace to the readers while attempting to avoid sin. If I could appear perceptive and wise would also be an added bonus!

What is truth?

Truth has become one of my life-long pursuits and passions. I yearn to know what is true (in all areas of life). But what is truth? Is it possible to really know what truth is any more?

Truth is “the state of being the case” or “the body of real things, events, and facts” according to Webster. In other words, it is what is real. Great! But how do I know if something is really “the state of being the case”?

The answer comes from God’s Word. Psalm 119:160 states the following: “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” (NKJ) God’s Word is truth. The Scriptures are truth—in its entirety. In other words, there is nothing that is in the Scriptures that is NOT true!

I understand this to mean the following:

© I cannot pick and choose what parts of Scripture I like or don’t like—which parts I will obey or not obey—which parts I will live or not live. Scripture is either all truth, or it is not truth at all.

© If Scripture really is the truth, then I must accept all of Scripture as the ruler or guide by which I measure all else. It must become the grid through which I filter EVERYTHING else!

© What Scripture states is what is real.

These facts are a great comfort to me. It is possible to know the Truth. I do not have to live my life in a constant upheaval of trying to determine my own reality or am not doomed to another person’s perception of reality.

These facts are also a great responsibility. I have the Truth readily available, therefore I am without excuse. I cannot but abide in the Truth. I have utter confidence in the words of Christ in John 8:31-32: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

An eternal perspective

I have been reminded once again of keeping an eternal perspective on life. It is so easy to focus on the problems I have each day, in the moment, without considering the eternal perspective and value.

Following are some question I have asked myself:

© “If I were to die today, how many people would miss me?” I was once told that one was in a very sad condition if people were glad you weren’t there or if they didn’t notice you were gone.

© “In what ways am I a ‘sweet-smelling aroma’ to others? Was I a draining or refreshing person to be around?”

© “When I die, will there be those who will have memories of a person who influenced them to become more like Christ? Or will I be merely a ‘fun person’ whose social entertainment will be missed?”

Although I do hope others enjoy being around me, I want to be a person who has utilized the time here on earth to bring glory to God by pleasing Him in all that I do through complete obedience and will have been used as an instrument to help others do the same (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Whether someone encounters me for a moment or engages with me for years, I want to have made an eternal difference in others’ lives.

If I put off until tomorrow what I should be doing today, I will not be “redeeming the time.” (Psalm 90:12) I will have made a foolish choice. There may not be a tomorrow.

It is a wonderful testimony how many lives Mr. Rehrer impacted in his time here on earth. Many of these lives were impacted for eternity. I know mine was.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Ephesians 5:15-17 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

All verses are from the New King James Version.

Mr. Bill Rehrer

On Sunday I received an e-mail regarding the sudden death of my high school principal, his wife and two daughters from a car accident. The family was on their way to help their son and his wife move into a new house. I attended Believers Academy in San Antonio, Texas and graduated in 1993. I have fond, vivid memories of Bill Rehrer.

Mr. Rehrer meant a lot to me. He was my principal, my music teacher, my choir director, my computer teacher, and more. I remember what a fantastic music teacher and conductor he was—he could get a small school, or a small church choir, to sound like a well-done, experienced chorale—and enjoy it along the way. I eventually went on to college to study music, much from the love of music I learned from Mr. Rehrer. I still remember the songs we sang at Believers for choir and in the singing group I was a part of (Justified). I also remember singing “Peter and John went to pray” in chapel with Mr. Rehrer crazily leading it—I have taught the song to my kids and they still love to sing it!

I think the strongest memory I have of Mr. Rehrer is the following:

I had planned to attend a Christian College, but needed to visit a couple to decide. I had to miss 2 performances with Justified. I remember Mr. Rehrer did not react well to me missing the 2^nd performance. However, I remember him later pulling me aside to speak with me privately to ask forgiveness for the way he reacted. He had told me that his desire had been that the students at the school would desire to go to a Christian College, and here he was actually being a stumbling block to the very thing he had wanted. I will never forget how he, a teacher, humbled himself for a student to confess sin against me. That was so different for me. It was the first time I had ever experienced Biblical forgiveness from anyone (that I remember). Mr. Rehrer was a godly man who sought to do what he believed was what Scripture taught—and he put his life into it.

What a wonderful legacy Mr. Rehrer left. The following links are more information about the accident and about the family.

The Amarillo Globe’s news article: http://amarillo.com/stories/071005/new_2318439.shtml

Master’s College: http://www.masters.edu/DeptPageNew.asp?PageID=2123 ; http://www.masters.edu/DeptPageNew.asp?PageID=2124/