http://spurgeon.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/crucified-with-christ/
Living Love by Dr. Gary Chapman
Strong Words It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save. —ISAIAH 63:1 The religious leaders thought they had finally trapped Jesus. Perhaps smugly, they brought out a woman who had been caught in adultery. They exposed her sin publicly, knowing their law required the death penalty for such a woman. Yet Jesus said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." At that, the leaders began to walk away, and only Jesus was left with the woman.He said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?""No one, sir," she answered."Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus said. "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:7-11).Jesus had every right to wield his power and boast of his perfection that day. Yet consider the kindness in his words. He helped the accusers gain a bigger perspective: Every one of us is a sinner. It is not our place to judge another person. God is the Judge. Then Jesus spoke words of kindness to the woman. He did not condone her sin, but he offered her a chance to choose a better life. Jesus's words were quietly powerful because of the love behind them.We can learn a lot from Jesus's example. If we wait until the people around us rise to a higher standard before we speak words of kindness, we may never speak. But if we take every opportunity to show the power of kind words, God can work through us to change lives.
Thought When you are tempted to think kindness shows weakness, remember that God shows his power through kind words.
The Daily Reading Bible
The Daily Reading Bible is an all-in-one resource and a good way to get started or keep going in your daily reading of the Bible.
This 3rd volume contains 60 readings looking at Genesis 1-11, 2 Thessalonians, Hebrews 1-7 and the topic of ‘Jesus, the Coming One’. Each reading is designed to take around 15-20 minutes, and contains:
- the full text of the Bible passage for that reading
- some questions to get you thinking
- some ‘points to ponder’ and
- some ideas to get you started in prayer.
It's all in one booklet that you can take with you anywhere—on the train or bus, to uni to read in between classes, to work for your lunch break, to the park or at home.
If you would like a copy of this book talk to your bible study leader or visit Pilgrim Books (3 Church St, Bathurst). If you struggle with reading the bible or getting into a routine maybe you could ask a friend or 2 to meet up with you during the week and read the bible and go through the questions in this book over a cup of coffee. It's amazing how the bible can transform your life and how much closer to God you become when you actually read His word!
Prayer at Bible Study
Bible study starts up again this week. Jeff's group is going to start with a study on prayer this Thursday night.
I've noticed I often pray for the same thing each week at bible study because it's easy and it means I don't have to go into the details of what I really need prayer for. This year I'm going to challenge myself to think of different prayer points and to share them instead of the mundane everyday things that I have been saying each week. And if I can't think of anything I need to ask God for I want to thank Him for the good things in my life – for the sun coming up each day, for a friend, for my job, for the opportunity to talk to Him and the freedom we have in doing so, for His love and for the relationship we can have with Him because of what Jesus did on the cross. And if I can't think of anything to pray for, have I really been listening and taking in what bible study was on that night? There should always be something to pray for after studying the bible for an hour and a half!
I'm looking forward to learning to be a better pray-er. What about you? Do you want to join me in my challenge?
Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, LORD,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Bible Study
Bible studies are starting back next week. Have a chat with your leader if you want to change groups or if you have any suggestions etc. If you haven't already you'll probably hear from your leader in the next few days about whats happening.
We're all tempted to do something other than go to bible study. You may be tired or have an assignment or you've had an offer to do something else, but it would be great if people could make a commitment to coming each week, a commitment to preparing for the study and turning up on time and join with each other to worship and study God's word.
So have a think and a pray about where you're at with bible study and see where God leads you.
Our Small Groups underpin the way we try to build community at church. They are a key part of the way we seek to care for and get to know people within our church family. They are a way for us to reach out beyond our usual age/stage/lives. They are also an important forum for feeding on God’s word in a more in depth manner than Sundays
Bible study is a great way to learn more from God's word - to dig deeper into the bible, to develop relationships with other Christians, to be encouraged and to encourage. If we all went to bible study with the attitude of wanting to get something out it then it probably wouldn't work as a ministry. But if you change your attitude and ask yourself what can I put into the group, how can I help others, we will all probably get more out of the study time.
We're all tempted to do something other than go to bible study. You may be tired or have an assignment or you've had an offer to do something else, but it would be great if people could make a commitment to coming each week, a commitment to preparing for the study and turning up on time and join with each other to worship and study God's word.
So have a think and a pray about where you're at with bible study and see where God leads you.
The Power to Love
I receive an email called Living Love by Gary Chapman every couple of weeks. He writes about different ways we can love each other because of the love we have been given by Jesus Christ. Gary Chapman wrote the book The Five Love Languages as well as The Love as a Way of Life and The Love as a Way of Life Devotional. I thought today's email was very appropriate..... Galatians 2:20.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. —GALATIANS 2:20
Most of the world's religions are based on human effort. Some religions encourage editation and the repetition of mantras designed to free the mind of selfish desires. Other religions emphasize giving alms or repeating prayers or making a pilgrimage. But as Christians, we know that we can never do good and love others in our own power. We are morally flawed, and left to our own devices, we will be inwardly focused. We will seek our own happiness and not what is best for those around us.Knowing the reality of our weaknesses, we can find great freedom in realizing that the key to becoming a loving person lies not with us but with God. It is God's love that we seek to share, not a love manufactured on our own. It is God's Spirit who pours love into us and enables us to give to others (see Romans 5:5). And it is Christ's life, death, and resurrection that give us a new perspective on life. That radical perspective focuses not on self but on our Creator. We have more than enough love to offer others because behind everything that exists in the universe is a personal God who loves us and wants to express his love through us.
Prayer Holy Spirit, I want to receive your love and express that love to others.
The Right View
I listened to a sermon series a little while ago on money called The Right View. It was talking about financial wisdom and the view of the ownership of money. With money you can buy cars and houses and clothes and games and toys and a lot of other things. All things that we can so easily be jealous or envious of.
But if you read Psalm 24:1 it says "The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” This includes money. It is the Lords; we’re just the managers of it. If we think we own our money we’ll use it for our own purposes, but the truth is it has your name on it, but God owns it. So what are you using it for?
Stanley said money was never meant to be an idol or a tool of power, prominence or prestige. It’s simply a medium of exchange. It can’t buy you peace, love, joy, forgiveness or eternal life. These are the things we actually want in life – they will make us happier than power and popularity and possessions. And we can have all of these because Jesus bought them for us with His life. His life!! Not silver and gold but His life. How amazing is that!!
Stanley gave some wisdom on how to manage and acquire money.
First of all and most importantly he says you need to work for it. “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest.” Exodus 34:21. He said we shouldn’t sit around doing nothing and wait for the Government to give us money. We need to go out there and get jobs and work hard for the money we earn. He also talked about investing your money, accept money as gifts and saving your money, but his main focus was on working for it.
It can be hard to not be envious of other people’s money and to not compare how much you have with them. Maybe God is seeing how faithful you are with a small amount before he gives you more. God wants us to be generous with our money, to use it to glorify Him. There is a lot of talk out there about tithing and whether you have to give 10% of your money to the church. I’m not saying I agree or disagree, but I believe it is important to be giving towards God’s work, such as in the offering at church.
SSS
Don’t forget SSS is on this week. It is a great opportunity to spread the true and good news of Jesus Christ to the people of Bathurst. If you have some spare time in the mornings this week you could go to the showground, have a coffee and a chat – maybe you could take a friend along and introduce them to some other Christians too!
Pray for open hearts and minds and that people might come to understand the love of God. Pray for energy and patience for the team as it is a long week that often gets harder as they get more tired. Pray for safety for the team and the kids and teenagers. Pray that many adults will attend the events on Tuesday (men) and Thursday (women) nights. Pray that Christians in Bathurst will remember that this isn’t a church event for themselves but that they will remember it is an evangelistic week and they won’t be scared to take a friend along with them.
We would both love to be praying for you too, so if there is anything please let us know!
Bible Gateway
I receive an email from Bible Gateway each day with a Verse of the Day. When I get to work each day I read it and it gives me something to think about. It also makes me want to read on from that verse. This is today's verse.
Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age...
If you're looking for a Bible reading plan to start this year there are a few different ones available here. All you need to do is put in your details and it will email you each day with the reading. Now is a good time to start! If you know of any other good reading plans please let us know in the comments because different plans suit different people and yours may be better for someone rather than the Bible Gateway ones.
My prayer today is that you and I may say no to ungodly and worldly passions so that we can live better lives – self controlled, upright and godly lives – for Christ.
Prayer
Psalm 40:1-3
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
Hey all! Hope you had a great Christmas. Many are the wonders that God has done in Jesus Christ!
Prayer points:
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
Hey all! Hope you had a great Christmas. Many are the wonders that God has done in Jesus Christ!
Prayer points:
- This week Ben Smith is doing his last talks at Bathurst Presbyterian. Please be praying for him and his family
- Continue to pray for Bron and Bec who are serving overseas
- For the new year - safe celebrations and that we would be thankful that out great God is 'not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with [us], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.' 2 Peter 3:9
Live for the Kingdom
This is a song we sing at the church I go to on Sunday mornings. It's a song to encourage and excite us to live for God; to repent and believe, to follow Him in everything, to fight and sacrifice, to love and care for one another, to carry our cross, to be strong, to bless and to seek God's righteousness, to pray the Lord's prayer each day and ask for God's strength while living on earth so we will work toward The Day when sin and death will pass away.
There's so much in it to make you think about life as a Christian. How am I living? For the Kingdom??
1. Hear the good news, repent and believe |
Merry Christmas!
Hey guys,
Merry Christmas
Have a wonderful day rejoicing in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Merry Christmas
6 For to us a child is born,Isaiah 9:6-7
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Have a wonderful day rejoicing in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Where's the line to see Jesus?
My Grandpa sent me an email with a YouTube video of a Christmas song called "Where's the line to Jesus?" A man wrote this song after an experience with his Grandson:
While at the mall last year, my four year-old grandson saw kids lined up excitedly to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of God’s son; with the innocence of a child, he asked his mom, ‘Where’s the line to see Jesus? If Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, why don’t we see Him more?’ As his grandpa, I was so happy that little Spencer understood the meaning of Christmas at such a tender age, and then the words for a song were jotted down in just a few minutes. The song was inspired by my grandson, and the message was inspired by my Savior. Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults cannot understand. Hopefully Spencer’s observation and our song will cause people to reflect on the love of Jesus, and the certainty that one day we will all stand in line to see Jesus.
I encourage you to watch the video and listen to the words. Are we more excited to see all the presents under the tree on Christmas Day or to see the small baby Jesus, the most special present of all, lying in the manger in the nativity?
Prayer
Hey all!
There's heaps of stuff going on in our church and in our world that we can be praying for. Here's just a few:
If you have any prayer points, please add them as a comment to this post so we can be praying for each other :)
There's heaps of stuff going on in our church and in our world that we can be praying for. Here's just a few:
- For the Christmas season, that people over the world wouldn't be blinded by the commercialism and consumerism of Christmas, but instead would soften their hearts to their Creator and Saviour!
- That as God's Kingdom Christians all over the world would be shining lights for the gospel
- The Christmas services that are happening at Bathurst Presbyterian and surrounding districts (Carols at Turondale on Wednesday night, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services), that people in Bathurst would be challenged and encouraged by the gospel and give their lives to Christ
- For Ben and Bec Smith as they prepare to leave Bathurst, that they would be trusting in God's providence for their family. Also giving thanks for the Church family they are going to in Cronulla. Pray that they might lean on his strength for building new relationships
- For Tristan and Claire who have moved their stuff to Bathurst. Pray that God would be preparing their hearts and minds for their service in Bathurst
- For Bec Young who is over in India. Praise God that she has been able to start building relationships and that she has been able to witness some of the work that is being done in the name of out great God in this country. Pray for continued health and safety for Bec and more opportunities to spread the Good News!
- For Bron Lee who is preparing to go to Asia with a few other girls in late December with Destiny Rescue
If you have any prayer points, please add them as a comment to this post so we can be praying for each other :)
About this Blog
Who we are?
We are two young women who are learning to live every aspect of our lives for Jesus Christ. Emily is in her last year of a social science degree at Charles Sturt University and Hannah is in her second year of a graphic pre press (design) apprenticeship. We are soon going to be sisters-in-law! Both Hannah and Emily are the female bible study leaders for our groups and are trying to think of new ways to encourage and lead not just on Thursday nights but everyday.
Why this blog?
We decided to start this blog so we could have conversations with each other about life, church, faith, bible study and prayer. We want to encourage you to add your prayer points to the comments box so we can pray for you in whatever situation. If you don’t want it to be public we are both happy to share our email addresses if you haven’t already got them.
Why the name?
We chose the name ‘galatians 2:20’, because we loved the idea of Christ living in us, and our body-lives lived by faith in Jesus Christ who loves us with an incredible love. The description of no longer living but Christ living in us is a great reason why we should do everything for Him. It’s not our works that will save us, but our faith in Him, and because of that faith and all that He has done for us we give Him the glory and show Him honour by living for Him.
We are two young women who are learning to live every aspect of our lives for Jesus Christ. Emily is in her last year of a social science degree at Charles Sturt University and Hannah is in her second year of a graphic pre press (design) apprenticeship. We are soon going to be sisters-in-law! Both Hannah and Emily are the female bible study leaders for our groups and are trying to think of new ways to encourage and lead not just on Thursday nights but everyday.
We don't want to pretend that we have all the answers, because we are far from that! We would love to hear from you and for you to help and encourage us on this walk too.
Why this blog?
We decided to start this blog so we could have conversations with each other about life, church, faith, bible study and prayer. We want to encourage you to add your prayer points to the comments box so we can pray for you in whatever situation. If you don’t want it to be public we are both happy to share our email addresses if you haven’t already got them.
Why the name?
We chose the name ‘galatians 2:20’, because we loved the idea of Christ living in us, and our body-lives lived by faith in Jesus Christ who loves us with an incredible love. The description of no longer living but Christ living in us is a great reason why we should do everything for Him. It’s not our works that will save us, but our faith in Him, and because of that faith and all that He has done for us we give Him the glory and show Him honour by living for Him.
We hope that you will travel through the ups and downs of life with us as we learn to follow Jesus Christ, trust in His word, talk to Him and be encouraged by one another.
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