What Are You Learning?

Are you still reading your Bible everyday? I know I haven't checked up on this in a while and also I haven't given you guys any of the past 3 months reading plans... I'm sorry about that:). But my question is, what are you learning? If you are reading your Bible everyday, you should be learning something. If you aren't, I understand why. There have a few times where I read my Bible just because I'm supposed to, not because I need to. I've gone through my Bible reading time without focusing on it and when I was done couldn't even remember what I had just read. With school it can be easy to do that... we are too busy focusing on upcoming tests, or homework we have to do last minute, or, for me, I have soccer game and I'm so nervous I can't focus. None of those things are bad necessarily but Satan can use them to distract us from focusing on God and His Word. I just want to encourage you to read your Bible with a purpose and be learning something every time you open God's Word. Have a great day! :)

Psalm 1

Ok so we're going to start going through Psalms. Now this is going to take a really long time because there are so many chapters but we will get through it.... eventually:). So for right now we're going to go through each verse and find out how we can apply that to our own life.

Psalm 1:1-6

• 1 ~ "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners." This verse is basically telling is that we will be blessed if you follow Christ instead of taking the wide path of sinners.



• 2 ~ "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night." This verse is telling us that we should love reading God's Word. It is also telling us that we shouldn't just read it, but we should meditate on it all the time. You can do this by making verse cards or memorizing verses, etc.



• 3 ~ "He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water; Which yields its fruit in its season." I'm not exactly sure if how I take this verse is how it was meant but I'm gonna tell you what I think. Saying He will be like tree firmly planted means that He is strong. The second part I guess means that He is fruitful in His work.


• 4 ~" The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away." Sinners aren't strong like God. Instead, they are like dust that just gets blown by the wind.


• 5 ~ "Therefore the wicked will not stand in judgement, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous." People who don't follow Christ on earth will get sever punishment. They will not be allowed to even be with the righteous.


• 6 ~ "For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish." Those who choose the follow Christ will know Him and He will know them. For the wicked it is opposite, He doesn't not know them and they don't know Him, and they will perish.

I hope this encourages you. If you have any comments or even questions I would to hear them! Hope y'all have a great day!

When Trials Come

Some people like talking about their trials. Some people like to keep it to themselves. Some people just like to go to their happy place and pretend that they don't have any trials. Now I'm not saying that if you aren't going through a trial right now that you are crazy. What I am saying is that if you are truly a Christian and you are trying to follow Christ, you will have trials and if you don't have one now be sure there will be more to come. So far all I've managed to do is basically put you all down in the dumps because you're either crazy or you have problems but if you keep reading it will get better. I promise! Since we are going to have trials, where do we get comfort? Where can we get strength? Where will we find help? The answer to all these questions is the Bible. Now that's a pretty broad answer so let's narrow it down a little bit.

We're gonna start out with Hebrews 13:5. It says, "Keep your like free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."" Now the first part of this verse is important but when you're reading it I want you right now to focus on the last part of it. Now let's move on to our second verse. It is in Deuteronomy chapter 31 verse 6. It says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Again He states that He will never leave you. When you are in the middle of a trial I want you to remember these verses. They will hopefully help you get through your trial.

*I sort of combined this post with another I was going to do about God never leaving you but I think I covered that subject pretty well with this post. I hope this encourages you. I have other verses to go along with this lesson but I think it would be a good Bible study for you to do especially if you're going through a trial currently.

"Stuff"

I don't know about you, but I LOVE "stuff." I love new clothes, office supplies, and pretty much anything new. Unfortunately, I am probably to attached to my stuff. I can't imagine if I had to live without a lot of the things I have. But Matthew 6:19 and 20 tells us, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." This Scripture really convicts me that I need to be more concerned about my heavenly treasure and less concerned about my earthly treasure. One day, I will no longer be on the earth and the things I have here will no longer matter. So, with these things in mind, I need to have an attitude of thankfulness for the things that I do have, but I shouldn't be so attached to them that they consume my life. I recently got a new cell phone and it has been a really great thing to have, but I think I enjoy it a little to much. I text pretty much all the time and don't leave time for the things that are really important. These verses have convicted me that I need to spend less time texting and more time reading God's Word and praying. I hope this post encourages you to store up many treasures in Heaven.

Another New Year's Challenge

Happy 2011 everyone!!!! I know that I have encouraged everyone to make New Year's resolutions, but I have gotten a great idea from another blog. I was reading the Lies Young Women Believe Blog the other day, and they had a great idea. They challenged everyone to start the New Year off by reading their Bible. For many people, that is a given. But, I thought that it was a great idea, because it will keep my resolutions (hopefully) focused on Christ. So, it is my challenge to y'all (and of course, me) to take the month of January, and think more about reading your Bible than your resolutions. I'm not saying not to do them, but to think about reading your Bible first. That way, when you think about your resolutions, you will think about them more through Christ's point of view. I thought it was really cool that I read this on another blog, because my resolutions almost always end up not happening. This way, I will know if they are really important. I am still doing my other New Year's resolutions, but reading my Bible is my first priority. I hope that this will encourage you to be focused on God's Word this month, and for the rest of the year!