All Scripture is God

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (Common English Bible)
16 Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character,
17 so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.

Last night was bible study night, a night I truly look forward to sharing with my brothers and sisters in Christ. It is awesome to be in the presence of so much pure joy as the Word is revealed to us through study.
We are a small group of people who are trying to find our way as Christians in this fast paced world. We are each trying to do what “doth says the Lord” in our own lives. We are each pursuing one or more ministries in our quest to fulfill the “Great Commission” and our bible study time is our refueling station.

1 Peter 3:13-22 (Common English Bible)
13 Who will harm you if you are zealous for good?
14 But even if you suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed! Don’t be terrified or upset by them.
15 Instead, regard Christ as holy in your hearts. Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it.
16 Yet do this with respectful humility, maintaining a good conscience. Act in this way so that those who malign your good lifestyle in Christ may be ashamed when they slander you.
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good (if this could possibly be God’s will) than for doing evil.
18 For Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. He did this in order to bring you into the presence of God. Christ was put to death as a human, but made alive by the Spirit.
19 And it was by the Spirit that he went to preach to the spirits in prison.
20 In the past, these spirits were disobedient—when God patiently waited during the time of Noah. Noah built an ark in which a few (that is, eight) lives were rescued through water.
21 Baptism is like that. It saves you now—not because it removes dirt from your body but because it is the mark of a good conscience toward God. Your salvation comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who is at God’s right hand. Now that he has gone into heaven, he rules over all angels, authorities, and powers.

In the past I would not have been able to believe that I could find comfort, excitement and inspiration in the Old Testament. Like many Christians today I felt that the Old Testament was irrelevant lists of rules, battles and genealogy that I had to suffer through in our annual reading of the bible. What could it possibly hold to inspire me?
I am amazed now at my eagerness to study the prophets, to find the threads that weave the New Testament and the threads that guide my own life today.
I am thrilled to find comfort, inspiration, guidance and joy in the study of God’s workings in a people long past and so very different from me.
The great differences now are the presence of the Holy Spirit in all that we do and a leader who not only “rightly divides the Word” but encourages and teaches us to do so.

Philippians 2:1-2 (English Standard Version)
Christ’s Example of Humility
1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

I so wish to encourage you, if you are not in a fellowship that nourishes your spirit, find one as quickly as possible. Nothing functions well without refueling.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!