Wow! I just realized it has been years since I wrote my last blog entry. In this crazy year of 2020, I feel inspired to return here and continue sharing what I'm learning. On Monday night, I felt blessed to join a ladies’ Bible Study group with Janet (thank you my friend for asking me to join) and her friends from her church. It has been too long since I was in a women’s small group studying the Bible together. It’s lovely to be around sisters in Christ who came from different backgrounds. One of the group members is young in age; however she is spiritually mature. Her desire to seek God wholeheartedly and studying Scripture every day reminds me of my younger self back when I was so zealous about daily Bible reading and studying. I learned so much and it’s great to hear different perspectives and explanations. I realized there are areas I’m lacking that I don’t know and I can’t wait to learn more with these special group of sisters for our next Bible Study together. We really dived deep into Scriptures last night. They normally don’t meet to study for 3 hours but we did on Zoom. Well, I have to get to know them as they got to know me. I also think with my added insights and questions that made it longer.
Here are my notes for tonight:
Started with Psalm 119:1-2, "Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." What does being blessed mean? What are these verses trying to say?
Blessed meaning highest form of happiness and joy achieve. It’s not a goal to gain feeling blessed to seek God; it’s more a byproduct. Our desire to seek God is be closer to him in so, we will be blessed. To find the highest form of happiness is to follow God and his statues (aka his laws which are found all over the Bible).
Read Matthew 6:25-34. Seek after God and his kingdom and his righteousness. No worries. The Lord provides for your needs. In human nature, we are naturally want to let fear and anxiety to run us. When we are children of God, we have the faith to trust in God and really know He will take care of it.
In Acts 17:26-28, we talked in depth about how God is aware of everyone and placed them in specific places and where they live.
Read John 4:23-24. We worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. We need to worship all the time. We want to worship him with our whole hearts and spirits. It’s not his job to chase after us to worship him.
Acts 17: 10-12. In Verse 11, we have to examine and study the Scriptures for we can’t always trust others to tell you what it’s about. To go back and study more to bring what you learn to others. Each of us gain our knowledge of God with our own private time studying the Word.
The 3 “E” that Regina shared with us: Eagerly Examined Every day the Scriptures. Be like the Bereans when testing the knowledge to make sure it’s the truth.
Read Jeremiah 29:11-14. God already figured it out for us. It’s our job to seek him to know the plans he has for us. When we go against his plans, we drift away and may face hardships. Seek him wholeheartedly for he got us and rescues us. He brings us out of banishment or exile.
Here are my notes for tonight:
Started with Psalm 119:1-2, "Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." What does being blessed mean? What are these verses trying to say?
Blessed meaning highest form of happiness and joy achieve. It’s not a goal to gain feeling blessed to seek God; it’s more a byproduct. Our desire to seek God is be closer to him in so, we will be blessed. To find the highest form of happiness is to follow God and his statues (aka his laws which are found all over the Bible).
Read Matthew 6:25-34. Seek after God and his kingdom and his righteousness. No worries. The Lord provides for your needs. In human nature, we are naturally want to let fear and anxiety to run us. When we are children of God, we have the faith to trust in God and really know He will take care of it.
In Acts 17:26-28, we talked in depth about how God is aware of everyone and placed them in specific places and where they live.
Read John 4:23-24. We worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. We need to worship all the time. We want to worship him with our whole hearts and spirits. It’s not his job to chase after us to worship him.
Acts 17: 10-12. In Verse 11, we have to examine and study the Scriptures for we can’t always trust others to tell you what it’s about. To go back and study more to bring what you learn to others. Each of us gain our knowledge of God with our own private time studying the Word.
The 3 “E” that Regina shared with us: Eagerly Examined Every day the Scriptures. Be like the Bereans when testing the knowledge to make sure it’s the truth.
Read Jeremiah 29:11-14. God already figured it out for us. It’s our job to seek him to know the plans he has for us. When we go against his plans, we drift away and may face hardships. Seek him wholeheartedly for he got us and rescues us. He brings us out of banishment or exile.
In Acts 8:26-39, we examined the Ethiopian official’s desire to find God and how Phillip helped him to access the Lord and baptized him. Take note that this man literally traveled to Jerusalem to worship God; he also carried with him The Book of Isaiah where he studied and trying to understand. In my thoughts, he was humble enough to seek help to understand and Phillip mature in his faith was able to explain the passage. Phillip was also ready to baptize a new believer when the Ethiopian man said he was ready for the next step.
A good question the man asked, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” about the passage found in verse 32 (originally from Isaiah 53:7-8, thank you to the person who shared notations where the OT Scriptures are when mentioned in the NT). This is a great side lesson to learn which I should get to it one day.
Read Matthew 7:7-8. Go after God. Ask and you will receive. Getting help from God shows our humbleness and understanding that he is the answer. By the way, these verses remind me of my childhood, feeling safe and so excited about learning about God at church in my Sunday School classes. Every time I read these verses; it just brings me back to that moment as a child learning this lesson on seeking Jesus with a simple knock.
Now by sharing, I feel like I’m zealous of sharing what I learned with you all, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope sharing these important stuff in what was learned from the Scriptures last night on seeking God with your whole heart. I really feel like this women’s group is blessing me and encouraging me to stay the course in seeking God wholeheartedly.
A good question the man asked, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” about the passage found in verse 32 (originally from Isaiah 53:7-8, thank you to the person who shared notations where the OT Scriptures are when mentioned in the NT). This is a great side lesson to learn which I should get to it one day.
Read Matthew 7:7-8. Go after God. Ask and you will receive. Getting help from God shows our humbleness and understanding that he is the answer. By the way, these verses remind me of my childhood, feeling safe and so excited about learning about God at church in my Sunday School classes. Every time I read these verses; it just brings me back to that moment as a child learning this lesson on seeking Jesus with a simple knock.
Now by sharing, I feel like I’m zealous of sharing what I learned with you all, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope sharing these important stuff in what was learned from the Scriptures last night on seeking God with your whole heart. I really feel like this women’s group is blessing me and encouraging me to stay the course in seeking God wholeheartedly.