Saturday, January 4, 2014

Day 2: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Overview, Part 1

LOOKING THINGS UP (THE PRIMARY SOURCES) FOR YOURSELF

One of the most important things I think we can do is look things up for ourselves regarding the Bible and other things in life. We should never trust man to quote things or understand the quotes correctly. People are sinful and make mistakes. This includes pastors, Bible study leaders, and writers or commentators. So, let’s listen to what they say, but verify. We should look at the primary source for ourselves.

There is yet another reason why we should look up things in the bible for ourselves. It’s because we can then look at the context and at least four verses before and after the verse or passage (Multiple verses) we are studying, even if we go into another chapter or book when we look at the context. It will help us more fully grasp what we study.

Another reason why we should look things up, the primary sources, for ourselves is so we see it with our own eyes and grasp it with our own minds. It helps us to learn it when we see it for ourselves.

But, there is another reason to look at the primary sources for ourselves. In the case of anything regarding life and following Christ is the Holy Bible. It is the Word of God. Psalm 1:2 states:

Psalm 1:2 EXB

2 They love [delight in] the Lord’s·teachings [laws; instructions],

and they think about [meditate on] those ·teachings [laws; instructions] day and night.

We are to be in the Word of God, the Bible, morning, noon, and night, 24/7/365. This will help us to do so.

So, do not trust what I am telling you. I am a human and am sinful. So, look things up for yourself. Make sure that I am correct. Look at the context as well to double-check what I say and teach. When you do this, you are in the Bible and claim it even more for yourself and your life. This leads to a strong and firm faith.

LOOK AT MULTIPLE VERSIONS OR TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE

Let’s be honest. Each of us has our favorite translation or version of the Bible. It’s the one we own and is the one we turn to first and foremost. This is a good thing and definitely is not bad or wrong. We need to find the version which speaks to us the most. However, in order to get the absolute most out of the Bible, we need to study all the versions of the Bible in the languages we read.

Why? You might wonder. Why do we need to study all of the versions?

If we study as many translations of the Bible as possible, it broadens and depends our understanding. We learn more of what God intended and meant. Therefore, it’s the most accurate understanding.

So, when we read the Word of God, we should read a verse within context and read several translations in order to get the most out of it and it will then be also the most accurate. Therefore, dear reader and fellow Christ-follower, I ask that you always keep context in mind and read multiple versions of the Bible. Do so not only with this study, but with life in general.

THE FOCUS VERSES OF “40 DAYS TO A STRONG AND FIRM FAITH: A DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY” ARE 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14

Today and tomorrow, we are going to study this passage of Scripture as a whole and look at it as an overview. Then, for the next 40 days, we will look at every verse and breakdown each part of the verse. Today, I have included four versions or translations of these verses and tomorrow, I’ve included three.

Let’s look at each version or translation on its own and prayer journal about them. Then, let’s look each version against one another and learn from these differences and similarities.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT

13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.

-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

PRAYER JOURNAL AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS FROM 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14 NLT

1 Write down any thoughts and questions you have.

2 What jumped out at you the most and why? In other words, list three different things at least which jumped out at you and caught your attention, along with the reasons why.

3 What do these verses mean for your life?

4 What do you want to apply to your life? Why? How? Make an action plan on how to do so.

5 How can these verses help you have a strong and firm faith?

6 What did you say to God about these verses?

7 What did God say to you about these verses?

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 HCSB

13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong. 14 Your every action must be done with love.

-- HCSB: Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

PRAYER JOURNAL AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS FROM 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14 HCSB

1 Write down any thoughts and questions you have.

2 What jumped out at you the most and why? In other words, list three different things at least which jumped out at you and caught your attention, along with the reasons why.

3 What do these verses mean for your life?

4 What do you want to apply to your life? Why? How? Make an action plan on how to do so.

5 How can these verses help you have a strong and firm faith?

6 What did you say to God about these verses?

7 What did God say to you about these verses?

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 GW

13 Be alert. Be firm in the Christian faith. Be courageous and strong. 14 Do everything with love.

PRAYER JOURNAL AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS FROM 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14 GW

1 Write down any thoughts and questions you have.

2 What jumped out at you the most and why? In other words, list three different things at least which jumped out at you and caught your attention, along with the reasons why.

3 What do these verses mean for your life?

4 What do you want to apply to your life? Why? How? Make an action plan on how to do so.

5 How can these verses help you have a strong and firm faith?

6 What did you say to God about these verses?

7 What did God say to you about these verses?

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NCV

13 Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

PRAYER JOURNAL AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS FROM 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14 NCV

1 Write down any thoughts and questions you have.

2 What jumped out at you the most and why? In other words, list three different things at least which jumped out at you and caught your attention, along with the reasons why.

3 What do these verses mean for your life?

4 What do you want to apply to your life? Why? How? Make an action plan on how to do so.

5 How can these verses help you have a strong and firm faith?

6 What did you say to God about these verses?

7 What did God say to you about these verses?

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FOUR VERSIONS OF 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14

1 What were the similarities between each of the versions?

2 What do those similarities teach you?

3 What were the differences between each of the versions?

4 What do those differences teach you?

5 How do the differences deepen and broaden your understanding of the verses?

6 How can these verses teach you to live a stronger, firm, and bold faith?

7 What did you say to God about these verses?

8 What did God say to you about these verses?

Day 14: A Review Day

TIME

I will be honest and upfront here. A Review Day is best spent all day and night long. It’s best as a retreat where we can spend as much time as possible in the review, so we can savor it fully.

I’ll confess. I’ve been known to spend more than one day on a Review Day. In fact, more often than not, I devote several days (two days to seven days) in order to do the best review. If you are doing this on your own, you might consider doing the same. After all, no one ever said you have to finish this in 40 days. The only concrete must, and requirement for this Devotional Bible Study, is to do this study every single day for forty days at the minimum.

But, do what you can today and in the future. It’s okay to return to all of this after you finish Day 40 and do more of a review at that time and as time allows. Also, review this study, and your prayer journal of it, every year or more. Again, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

RE-READ DAY 1.

Re-read Day 1 and the parable. Prayer journal anything that comes to mind. Then, in your prayer journal, answer this: How am I coloring each moment and each day of my life? How have I colored each day over the last week? Then, write day 8, day 9, etc. and say how you’ve colored that day. Was it a dark one? An invisible one? Bright? Full of experiences and memories, so really bright and colorful, regardless of whether the moments were good ones or bad?

RE-READ REVIEW DAY 7’S REVIEW AND PRAYER JOURNALING

Then, re-read your Review Day Prayer Journaling, and I mean all of it, you did for your last review.

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read day 7 review and prayer journaling both:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each word, sentence, paragraph, page, AND day that jumps out at you from your day 7 text and your prayer journaling from day 7.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

RE-READ DAYS 8-13.

Re-read Days 8-13 and as you do, prayer journal about anything that jumps out at you, even in you prayer journaled about it before. What you write this time will be different than what you wrote last time, even if you write down something again. (The key is to notice those differences when you re-read your prayer journal.)

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read days 8-13:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each word, sentence, paragraph, page, AND day that jumps out at you from your daily readings.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

RE-READ YOUR PRAYER JOURNAL DAYS 8-13

Re-read everything in your prayer journal, including things you wrote today. And, as you do prayer journal about anything that jumps out at you. As you do, prayer journal all of the questions below for everything you write in your prayer journal:

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each word, sentence, paragraph, page, AND day that jumps out at you from your prayer journal.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

BIBLE VERSES

What are the top seven Bible verses that spoke to you the most this week? Write them, word for word, in your payer journal and answer the following:

Things to prayer journal and contemplate as you re-read:

Instruction: Make sure to answer each question below for each of the seven verses.

What jumps out at you? Why does it jump out at you?

What questions do you have?

How does this inspire and motivate you?

What does this mean to you and your life?

How can you apply this to your life—starting today? Write out an action plan to apply this to your life.

Why is this important to me to remember?

What am I saying to God?

What is God saying to me?

Take your time and be through as you re-read and prayer journal.

MEMORY VERSES

Practice your memory verses and prayer journal about them. What is God saying through them? What can you apply to your life and how? What are you saying to God?

SUMMARY

Now, write a summary for everything you’ve prayer journaled today. The longer a summary you write, the better. After all, once again, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.

PRAYER

Write out a prayer to God about the last six days, plus today. Make it a lengthy prayer. Pour out your heart to Him. Then, listen to Him for an hour or more after you finish saying your prayer.

Make sure to prayer journal all of this. Prayer journal your prayer and everything He says to you.

Day 13: The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength, Part 2: Colossians 1:11

Welcome to the second day of looking at how we can make the joy of our Lord our strength for this next year.

Let’s look at this passage of Colossians 1:3-14. Verse 11 is the key verse, but we need to look at the context of the verse so we can understand it fully. Let’s read this now and prayer journal about it.

Colossians 1:3-14 HCSB

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace in the truth. 7 You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful servant of the Messiah on your behalf, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. 14 We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS OF COLOSSIANS 1:3-14

1 Prayer journal any thoughts and questions which come to mind at this time. Be thorough.

2 What can we apply in our lives to the next year? In other words, how can we live these verses? Be specific. List as many actions as you find.

3 Find three from #2 you would like to apply to your life the most and list those. Then, make an action plan on how to accomplish the feat.

4 Verses 11-12 are the key verses here. What did you learn through them specifically?

5 What did you say to god about these verses?

6 How can you apply verses 11-12 in your life? Be specific and thorough. Then, make an action plan on how you want to apply these verses to your life over the next year.

7 What did God say to you about these verses?

COLOSSIANS 1:9-12 NASB

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

This passage of Scripture teaches us a great deal of what we should do for our fellow believers in prayer and how to pray for them.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS REGARDING COLOSSIANS 1:9-12

1 Write whatever jumped out at you most. List several things and be specific and thorough.

2 When was the last time you prayed for all of the believers in your life?

3 When was the last time you prayed these verses over them?

4 When was the last time you prayed these verses for yourself?

5 What do you learn about joy and strength in these verses?

6 How can you apply these verses to your life so they will make the next year in your life great?

A Little Reminder…

Don’t forget your yearly Bible verse or your memory verses. Pray them back to God at this time, whether by memory or by looking at them.

Day 1: A Strong and Firm Faith

Welcome to:

40 Days to a Strong and Firm Faith:

A Devotional Bible Study

What I really wanted to call this blog post series and book was: “Bold, Strong, Firm, and Unashamed Faith,” but I was afraid that title was too long. As it is, strong and firm might be a bit much. But, is it really?

WHY DID I WRITE THIS BLOG POST SERIES AND BOOK?

I do not know about you, but my daily prayers seem to include: “Mature me and strengthen me in my faith, Lord.” After all, I do not want to have an anemic or weak faith. Just the thought scares me. But, let’s be frank. I’m sure we have high tides and low tides in our faith each and every day. Some moments, we will have great faith, other moments, not so much. This is why I thought it would be a good idea to write this book. It’s to help us to grow in our faith.

How do you develop a bold, strong, and firm faith and what does that look like? That’s what we’ll cover the next forty days.

PRAYER JOURNALING

Before I continue, I think it’s important for me to mention why this book is called a Devotional Bible Study. It’s because it’s part a daily devotional, to bring you closer to God and into His presence. But, it’s also a Bible study in that it brings you into the Bible and helps you read it study it, learn it, and apply it. Put them both together and make it a Devotional Bible Study and you get a way to bring you closer to God and His Word—through digging deep and taking your time—allowing things to simmer and contemplate them all day and night—not just when you read the day’s lesson.

In order to accomplish all of these feats, it’s important to interact with the material I write (and have put in this blog post series and book), with the Bible, and with God Himself through prayer. The more you interact with those three things, the more you’ll get out of this Devotional Bible Study. In fact, there is a simple rule of thumb: The more you put into this Devotional Bible Study, the more you’ll get out of it.

Through doing these things, you’ll develop a strong and firm faith.

Hence, it’s important to prayer journal. In fact, I would say it’s a requirement. If you want to develop a strong, firm, and bold faith, you’ll prayer journal.

Why?

1 It helps you interact with my writing, the Bible, and God.

2 It forces you to slow down so you don’t read so fast and so much that you don’t take the time to digest what you have read and learned.

3 It forces you to think.

4 It brings you to listening and talking with the Lord.

5 It helps you to remember what you have said to God.

6 It helps you remember what god has said to you.

7 It helps you remember what you’ve learned.

8 It helps you remember what God has done in your life, around your life, and through your life.

9 It helps you apply the Word to your life.

10 It gives you something to reflect on later in life.

11 It helps you analyze where you are, what you think and feel, along with what you think and believe. It helps you to see if you are on the right track.

12 A million other reasons I won’t mention at this time.

In short, prayer journaling is by far the most important thing you can do each day, and with your life, as you pray and are in the Word of God.

So, please start to prayer journal. Answer every single question I ask in this blog post series and book. Yep. All of them. Again, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. That’s the rule of thumb here.

WHAT IS A BOLD, STRONG, FIRM FAITH?

Prayer Journal and Contemplation Question: How would you define it?

It’s reflected on the inside AND on the outside. It’s both being and doing. It’s an active and intentional faith at all times. It’s making the choice each day, every moment of the day, to be and act as a person of faith. It’s making God our priority.

We will make sure to let people know if we disagree with them. We will do it out of love as a mere opinion. We will not attack them or be rude, but will just state as a simple fact of how we disagree and why. We will respect their stance and what they do, but we do not have to agree. This is having a bold, strong, and firm faith. It’s living in this world, but not being of it.

Moreover, the most important part of all, regarding having a strong, firm, and bold faith, is this: Everyone will know that we are Christian. It’s not because we are in their face about it, but we allow our way of life to reflect it. We will not allow ourselves to get by with mediocre living and will do our best and work for the Lord in all we do.

Colossians 3:23-24 is how we will live our lives:

Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Prayer Journal your thoughts.

How can you apply this verse to your life so it will help you have a firm, strong, and bold faith?

What is God saying to you about this verse?

What are you saying to God about this verse?

Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Prayer Journal your thoughts.

How can you apply this verse to your life so it will help you have a firm, strong, and bold faith?

What is God saying to you about this verse?

What are you saying to God about this verse?

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

1 What jumped out most at you today in what you’ve read, studied, and prayer journaled? Why?

2 How will you live a strong and firm faith?

3 What are you applying to your life?

4 Find one verse from today’s lesson you would like to memorize, if not more.

5 What did you say to God?

6 What did God say to you?

7 Write a final summary prayer about today.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Day 12: Philippians 4:4-8, Part 2

This is a new year and a new beginning in our lives. It doesn’t matter, once again, if you are reading this on 01 January or the 30 July. Therefore, we’ve worked the last eleven days on how to apply the Bible to our lives to plan to make it the best year yet.

Philippians 4:4-8 has become near and dear to us (or at least I hope it has). Let’s do one more round of studying it and gleaning the most we can out of it.

Let’s look at some verses which should help us know what to pray and how to pray for the next year and our new beginning. With each verse listed after this section, prayer journal these 7 things about EACH version of this verse:

1 What jumped out at you and why?

2 What did you learn from this verse?

3 How did this verse differ from the others and how does that difference deepen your understanding of the verse?

4 What did God say to you through this verse?

5 What does this verse mean to you and your life today, this week, this month, this quarter, this year, etc.?

6 How will you apply this verse to your life from now on? Make an action plan.

7 Write out a summary of everything that you’ve learned and what jumps out at you most from your journaling and from the different versions of this verse, Psalm 90:12.

Philippians 4:4-8 GW

4 Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: Be joyful! 5 Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near. 6 Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. 7 Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.

Philippians 4:4-8 NKJV

New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:4-9 MSG

4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Philippians 4:4-8 (NCV)

4 Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy.

5 Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. 6 Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. 7 And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.

Philippians 4:4-8 NASB

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

1 How will you apply these verses to make this the best year yet in your life?

2 How will these verses help you keep the proper perspective and keep your priorities in order this year?

3 Write a summary.

4 Write what God has said to you.

5 Write a prayer out to God.

Current and Upcoming Writing Projects (In Order)

Here are my current and upcoming writing projects and in order:

1 My main focus right now is this one:

2 The second book in the series will be this one:

3 The third book will be:

4 The fourth will be:

Day 11: The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength, Part 1

SAY YOUR OWN OPENING PRAYER

Fellow travelers on this road of life and faith, I am writing a very personal prayer today. Therefore, if you are going through a similar thing, claim it as yours. If not, please, pray your own prayer. Write it in your prayer journal.

OPENING PRAYER ABOUT A LIFE CHALLENGE

Lord, You know everything on my heart right now, which is plenty. Thank You for always being here, even when I wander and am stubborn. Thank You for Your grace all day and night long. I know I sure need it. Thank You for getting me through a life challenge, which I am still in the middle of. I know I am only going to get through it with you, as You give me strength and as I cling to You and Your Word. In Christ alone.

HOW CAN THE JOY OF THE LORD BE OUR STRENGTH?

It’s rather ironic. (Actually, it’s God’s providence and hand.) This topic has been planned for me to write for several days now. God has put me in the perfect place to write this. I’m not in a peachy, life-is-so-wonderful, frame of mind. That’s for sure. I’m going through a life challenge. It’s a doozy. I’m heavy in spirit, but not sad. Just heavy.

My husband and I have a fourteen year-old Beagle named Zack. For you dog or animal lovers out there, I am sure I do not need to continue. But, I will.

He’s getting up there in years. He’s been such a faithful companion. The best dog ever. He has the sweetest personality and loves people, smelling things, sleeping, and food. It depends on the day as to his priority order.

Zack has doggie dementia. So, he’s on medicine and it is mostly controlled. But, he has his bad days and/or nights. He darts. That’s the best way to describe it. He also forgets his name and his commands. But, he sure still loves to be loved. He may not know who we are at the time, when he has one of his spells, but he sure trusts us still.

But, last night, it wasn’t his dementia that kept my husband up all night. We got maybe two hours of sleep. He was suffering. Maybe heartburn. Not sure. So, he got extra special love from both of us. It’s just miserable watching him suffer. He still seems blah this morning, but he seems as though he can finally rest at least a little. He’s eating, drinking, doing the outside thing… I’ll keep a close eye on him today. We are going to make a vet appointment. We needed to take him in any way for some bloodwork. So…

Why do I share all of this?

It’s not to get your pity. Your prayers would sure be appreciated, though. But, there is another reason. It’s because of this:

HOW can the joy of the Lord be our strength—through good times and challenging times?

Right now, I’m fresh out of answers, but I sure know here to turn. And, that’s to the Word of God, the Holy Bible. It’s always the Answer, for He is.

Before we go there, though, allow me the privilege to share one more story with you.

I LOVE HOW GOD WORKS

You need to know I am a nut. I do some crazy things and am a little crazy. When you get to know me, you’ll agree, but it’s in an endearing way—most of the time.

I say I am a nut because this year, I have two perpetual calendars. One is of Mary Engelbreit and one is a Thomas Kincaide Bible Verse a Day calendar. Well, both apply to what hubby (whom I will call B) and I went through last night.

Mary Englebreit’s says, “Have faith.”

Amen.

The Thomas Kincaide one is of this verse:

Psalm 27:1 HCSB

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom should I be afraid?

Talk about a hug from God.

\Why don’t you prayer journal about that verse. Take a moment and hang out with God and absorb this verse. Don’t rush through it. Open yourself to His Word, this word, and to Him.

Again, why do I share this verse and this story? (I hope you are starting to see I say and do everything in this study very deliberately. I have my reasons. God has given them to me and it’s meant to reach you where you are—and reach me where I am for that matter.) One reason is to show God is at work. Another reason is to remind us to look for God working at all times, not just in the good, the challenging, or the indifferent times, but at all times. For, He is always working (see John 5:17-21, particularly verses 17 and 19—and prayer journal about these verses).

Now, let’s really look at how the joy of the Lord can be our strength, after we look at our memory verses.

REVIEW YOUR MEMORY VERSES

Write them in your prayer journal without peeking. No cheating. See how far you get. Then, after a couple of minutes of trying to find the words, then peek and write out the rest and make corrections as necessary.

Then, prayer journal your thoughts today, right now, on those verses.

They are: Philippians 4:4-8 and Psalm 90:12.

WHERE DO WE FIND JOY?

Yesterday, we learned something very important about joy. Do you remember what it was? Write your answer, or lack thereof, in your prayer journal and please do not read ahead until you do.

We learned what about joy yesterday? Where do we find joy?

It’s found IN THE LORD.

That is how we can make our joy in Him strength. Because He is our strength.

Let’s look at some verses which should help us know what to pray and how to pray for the next year and our new beginning.

1 Samuel 2:1 NCV

Hannah prayed:

“The Lord has filled my heart with joy;

I feel very strong in the Lord.

I can laugh at my enemies;

I am glad because you have helped me!

What a verse.

Prayer journal your thoughts.

Then prayer journal about these things:

1 What did we learn about joy?

2 What did we learn about strength?

3 How can you apply this to your life? Then, make an action plan and do it.

4 What did you say to God?

5 What did He say to you?

6 Add this to your memory verses. Find your favorite version. So, we now have: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; and 1 Samuel 2:1.

Now, let’s look at another version of this verse.

1 Samuel 2:1 NLT

Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!

The Lord has made me strong.

Now I have an answer for my enemies;

I rejoice because you rescued me.

Prayer journal your thoughts and then answer the following questions:

1 How does this version differ from the last?

2 How does this version add to your understanding of the previous version?

3 What did you say to God?

4 What did God say to you?

1 What jumped out at you and why?

2 What did you learn from this verse?

3 What did God say to you through this verse?

4 What does this verse mean to you and your life today, this week, this month, this quarter, this year, etc.?

5 How will you apply this verse to your life from now on? Make an action plan.

Nehemiah 8:9-10 NASB

9 Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Prayer journal the 5 items listed previously.

Psalm 28:7 GW

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield.

My heart trusted him, so I received help.

My heart is triumphant; I give thanks to him with my song.

Prayer journal the 5 items listed previously.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

1 What did we learn about joy today?

2 What did we learn about strength today?

3 What does this mean for us and our new year and new beginning?