Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....January 10, 2022
We continue our teaching this week on why God has made you for a purpose and what that purpose is...
As Children of God we are founded, consecrated, sanctified, & ordained. What great purpose that gives us. Can we live up to such a great calling?
We can, because we have help!
- God is with you to carry out His purpose.
- The greatest desire God has for mankind is for us to be His children.
- With that knowledge comes the next phase of our purpose.
- Walking with “Father God”
- When it comes to doing any kind of work, the job is so much easier when we’re
walking alongside someone who already knows the job.
- Often When we’re contemplating our purpose we immediately disqualify ourselves
from a certain task, or job.
- Let’s pick back up, from last week, with Jeremiah now:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
- Jeremiah was formed just like a child of God is formed, with a purpose.
- Think about the Words God used, you will go where I will send you.
- God didn’t say you’ll specifically go here or there, but what He said is, you’ll be
ready to go where I send you. The Lam's, James and Mona, are perfect examples of this theology...
- There’s a saying that says:
> The will of God will not take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
- When we begin to stop & question what’s my purpose in life, or what’s my direction.
- We ultimately are looking for a destination at which we can say we’ve done
something.
- That’s actually a very limited view on how great our purpose could be.
- Jeremiah was between the ages of 16-20 when he began his ministry for God.
- He is known as the weeping prophet, because very few listened to him, & for the
most part was alone (not allowed to take a wife).
- Yet the book of Jeremiah is widely quoted today.
- verse 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee...
Chapter 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
- Jeremiah probably never thought that 2,400 years after his life we’re studying what
God told him.
- But That was God’s Purpose for him!
- God’s still using him, because He raised him up at just the right time & place.
- The same God that made Jeremiah, made you & me too.
- Now, go back to this 16 year old boy.
- God says, I ordained you to be a prophet to the nations.
- I can just hear the 16 year old saying, What! Me! I can’t speak! I’m just a child!
- We often think I can be good at something, but I couldn’t make an impact to the
nations, or to the world for that matter.
- Well, That limits the power of God, & that limits our purpose.
- The thing that limits God’s power, & our purpose is, we, ourselves.
- Jeremiah said I twice.
- He was right, he couldn’t go out & speak. God was the One who was
speaking, & the One who was directing him.
Do you see how it goes back to trusting God?
- That’s the second part of our purpose, we allow God to take control of our lives.
- We follow Christ wherever He is going to lead us, because throughout it all He will
never leave us, & He will accomplish what He desires.
- Something That ruins so many people is failure.
- I’m not talking about sin! I’m talking about goals we set, that actually are not
what God sets.
Are those failures moments to give up on our purpose?
- No, Paul had desired, on his second missionary journey, to go southwest into the
province of Asia, but Listen to what happened, & then what happened next.
Acts 16:6-7:
6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
- Twice the purpose that Paul, & His companions had thought was theirs God rejected
it.
- You’ve failed twice, or been denied twice!
Is that God saying I really can’t use you?
- No, it’s quite the opposite!
- God’s saying, My plans are greater than your plans!
- If Paul would have continued his plans, & went on into southwest Asia. He
would’ve only reached what is now modern day turkey.
- Instead, Paul went from these two moments to Macedonia, which is modern
day northern & central Greece. Historians give credit to Paul for spreading the
gospel to Europe & then the West.
- God’s plan is perfect!
Isaiah 55:8-11
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
- God is going to accomplish His plan.
- Jesus came to save lives, set the captives free!
- He did that!
- When we’re willing to listen, & give heed to His leading, we’re living up to His
purpose.
- When we’re willing to trust that Jesus is enough, our purpose has begun.
John 10:27-30:
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
- If you watch sheep in Israel, you see them huddled together & going towards the
sound of their shepherd.
- The Shepherd only wants what is good, & best for His sheep.
- That’s our second part of our purpose.
- We Are Not Alone! Christ is with us!
- When we have Him as our Shepherd, He will always be there!
Read verse 8 of Jeremiah 1: again:
Jeremiah 1:8
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
- The Shepherd says follow Me, trust Me, I am here.
- In my closing thoughts, think about where the Shepherd is standing in your life right
now.
Is He in front of you, leading the way, or is He a little off course shouting this is the
way?
- Being off course doesn’t always mean you’re sinning.
- What it means is, you’re not living up to your purpose.
- Here’s our life, we have sin that corrupts us, & ourselves that disappoints us
What hope do we have?
- Let me give you an insight into sheep:
Sheep are fearful, insecure animals. They are afraid of many things - even running water will scare them. That is why Psalm 23 reminds us that a good shepherd will take the sheep beside the still waters.
Most of the people who listened to Jesus knew that sheep only drink from still water because sheep are afraid of noises.
If sheep don’t like the noise of running water, you can imagine the panic they feel during a thunderstorm.
The only thing that calms a sheep down is hearing the voice of the shepherd. A loving shepherd will talk and sing and play instruments so that the sheep can hear that their shepherd is near.
- In this moment the Shepherd is singing.
- Calm your heart from the storm raging in your heart & come to the Shepherd. To do this, you have to be still and know the God is near. I love you all:)
We continue our teaching this week on why God has made you for a purpose and what that purpose is...
As Children of God we are founded, consecrated, sanctified, & ordained. What great purpose that gives us. Can we live up to such a great calling?
We can, because we have help!
- God is with you to carry out His purpose.
- The greatest desire God has for mankind is for us to be His children.
- With that knowledge comes the next phase of our purpose.
- Walking with “Father God”
- When it comes to doing any kind of work, the job is so much easier when we’re
walking alongside someone who already knows the job.
- Often When we’re contemplating our purpose we immediately disqualify ourselves
from a certain task, or job.
- Let’s pick back up, from last week, with Jeremiah now:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
- Jeremiah was formed just like a child of God is formed, with a purpose.
- Think about the Words God used, you will go where I will send you.
- God didn’t say you’ll specifically go here or there, but what He said is, you’ll be
ready to go where I send you. The Lam's, James and Mona, are perfect examples of this theology...
- There’s a saying that says:
> The will of God will not take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
- When we begin to stop & question what’s my purpose in life, or what’s my direction.
- We ultimately are looking for a destination at which we can say we’ve done
something.
- That’s actually a very limited view on how great our purpose could be.
- Jeremiah was between the ages of 16-20 when he began his ministry for God.
- He is known as the weeping prophet, because very few listened to him, & for the
most part was alone (not allowed to take a wife).
- Yet the book of Jeremiah is widely quoted today.
- verse 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee...
Chapter 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
- Jeremiah probably never thought that 2,400 years after his life we’re studying what
God told him.
- But That was God’s Purpose for him!
- God’s still using him, because He raised him up at just the right time & place.
- The same God that made Jeremiah, made you & me too.
- Now, go back to this 16 year old boy.
- God says, I ordained you to be a prophet to the nations.
- I can just hear the 16 year old saying, What! Me! I can’t speak! I’m just a child!
- We often think I can be good at something, but I couldn’t make an impact to the
nations, or to the world for that matter.
- Well, That limits the power of God, & that limits our purpose.
- The thing that limits God’s power, & our purpose is, we, ourselves.
- Jeremiah said I twice.
- He was right, he couldn’t go out & speak. God was the One who was
speaking, & the One who was directing him.
Do you see how it goes back to trusting God?
- That’s the second part of our purpose, we allow God to take control of our lives.
- We follow Christ wherever He is going to lead us, because throughout it all He will
never leave us, & He will accomplish what He desires.
- Something That ruins so many people is failure.
- I’m not talking about sin! I’m talking about goals we set, that actually are not
what God sets.
Are those failures moments to give up on our purpose?
- No, Paul had desired, on his second missionary journey, to go southwest into the
province of Asia, but Listen to what happened, & then what happened next.
Acts 16:6-7:
6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
- Twice the purpose that Paul, & His companions had thought was theirs God rejected
it.
- You’ve failed twice, or been denied twice!
Is that God saying I really can’t use you?
- No, it’s quite the opposite!
- God’s saying, My plans are greater than your plans!
- If Paul would have continued his plans, & went on into southwest Asia. He
would’ve only reached what is now modern day turkey.
- Instead, Paul went from these two moments to Macedonia, which is modern
day northern & central Greece. Historians give credit to Paul for spreading the
gospel to Europe & then the West.
- God’s plan is perfect!
Isaiah 55:8-11
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
- God is going to accomplish His plan.
- Jesus came to save lives, set the captives free!
- He did that!
- When we’re willing to listen, & give heed to His leading, we’re living up to His
purpose.
- When we’re willing to trust that Jesus is enough, our purpose has begun.
John 10:27-30:
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
- If you watch sheep in Israel, you see them huddled together & going towards the
sound of their shepherd.
- The Shepherd only wants what is good, & best for His sheep.
- That’s our second part of our purpose.
- We Are Not Alone! Christ is with us!
- When we have Him as our Shepherd, He will always be there!
Read verse 8 of Jeremiah 1: again:
Jeremiah 1:8
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
- The Shepherd says follow Me, trust Me, I am here.
- In my closing thoughts, think about where the Shepherd is standing in your life right
now.
Is He in front of you, leading the way, or is He a little off course shouting this is the
way?
- Being off course doesn’t always mean you’re sinning.
- What it means is, you’re not living up to your purpose.
- Here’s our life, we have sin that corrupts us, & ourselves that disappoints us
What hope do we have?
- Let me give you an insight into sheep:
Sheep are fearful, insecure animals. They are afraid of many things - even running water will scare them. That is why Psalm 23 reminds us that a good shepherd will take the sheep beside the still waters.
Most of the people who listened to Jesus knew that sheep only drink from still water because sheep are afraid of noises.
If sheep don’t like the noise of running water, you can imagine the panic they feel during a thunderstorm.
The only thing that calms a sheep down is hearing the voice of the shepherd. A loving shepherd will talk and sing and play instruments so that the sheep can hear that their shepherd is near.
- In this moment the Shepherd is singing.
- Calm your heart from the storm raging in your heart & come to the Shepherd. To do this, you have to be still and know the God is near. I love you all:)
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
I have been asked to share, how I go about studying God's Word so here is my process:
As you begin to study the Bible, determine your goals, methods, and resources. If you simply want to be a more careful reader of the Bible, perhaps begin by reading a small portion of the text daily with a Bible reading plan. If you want to put serious effort into learning the Bible, you will need to make a greater commitment. Such an approach may involve several hours a week of focused study and the use of resources such as commentaries. If pursuing this level of Bible study, you will benefit from acquiring at least one Bible dictionary and two kinds of commentaries—one-volume Bible commentaries and commentary volumes corresponding to individual books of the Bible are both valuable. Using these as you study the Bible passage by passage will provide you with some of the same help you would get if you were to study the Bible in an academic institution. There are also some basics that apply.
Take seriously the importance and quality of the book you’re studying.
Although we may wish the Bible were entirely clear, students of literature would never expect that from other important books. When it comes to the Bible, it should be obvious that we have to study the Bible to understand it.
Some writing—a newspaper story, for example—might be understood by almost any mature reader. Other writing—such as a Shakespearean play—might require readers to consult dictionaries, study guides, and other aids because of the nature of the language and the subject matter. Yet other writing—a calculus textbook, for example—might require years of prior study as well as patient, focused effort to understand even a single page. The Bible contains literature at all these levels: some parts any reader can follow, some parts that require help, and some that are difficult enough that even seasoned scholars struggle to comprehend them.
This is to be expected. A book claiming to be authored by the one whose thinking and communication can range from the simplest level to far above human understanding should require serious effort from seekers of its truth. It is naïve to think that the Bible differs from other literature in being automatically comprehensible, or that our good intentions and love of God will overcome our need to study in order to appreciate the quality of the ideas He has put into writing for us.
Respect the Bible’s genres.
No serious Bible student can ignore the various genres in the Bible. Ten predominate: narrative, law, wisdom, psalms, and prophecy in the Old Testament; and gospel, parable, Acts, letter, and apocalypse in the New Testament. To understand and appreciate the Bible’s content, each of these genres must be read differently.
Consider two examples: Parables are stories told to willing students, not those who refuse to bother with what seems irrelevant to them (Matt 13:10–17). Thus, they resemble puzzles, containing punch lines that help willing readers see a truth they might have otherwise missed. Western culture is not used to parables, but with reasonable study, the parables of the New Testament reveal a great deal about the nature of God’s kingdom.
Similarly, proverbs, part of Old Testament Wisdom Literature, frequently present life’s choices in a semi-riddle fashion, which require that readers take time to understand them. Those who work out the meaning of a proverb often read it repeatedly and thus learn its content while trying to understand its point.
Respect the format.
The format of the Bible requires appreciating it as an anthology of many books, each of which has its own integrity: Readers of the Bible must start by recognizing the genre of a given book and then reading it as both a unique piece of literature and one that contributes to the overall message of the anthology. The Bible is an integrated and univocal text that benefits the reader at both the individual book level and as a whole.
Respect the historical sweep and context.
In one sense, the Bible is like a world epic: It covers the sweep of history from the very beginning of creation to the end of history when our universe is radically transformed. Biblical books always deal with something that is part of this very big picture—the story of God’s creation, its fall, His ongoing redemption of it, and/or the ultimate consummation of all the hopes of God’s people for a permanent establishment characterized by God’s goodness. Few other books, even other religious scriptures, resemble the scope of the Bible.
Respect the multidisciplinary nature of careful study.
There are several different ways to look at any piece of literature. In the case of the Bible, it pays to look from every angle that might yield a payoff. It is convenient to think of 11 such angles, or steps, in the study process:
1. Text—Seeking the original wording to avoid treating a scribal error that accidentally crept into the text as original. (Translations and study notes already depend on this scholastic research.)
2. Translation—Studying how to best convey in a modern language the concepts conveyed by the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. (Consulting multiple translations and study notes aids in this process.)
3. Grammar—Analyzing the language of the passage under consideration to be sure it is not misunderstood. (Even one-volume commentaries will often explain these issues.)
4. Lexical content—Seeking the correct meaning of individual words and phrases found in a passage. (Study notes, commentaries, and Bible software aid in this process.)
5. Form—Studying the literary category and the characteristics that make any passage special. (Study Bible articles on genre serve this process.)
6. Structure—Analyzing the way that the elements of a passage are ordered and how that affects its meaning. (A careful reading of the biblical text, especially with the aid of commentaries, makes this possible.)
7. Historical context—Studying the milieu in which the Bible was revealed, which helps yield the point of its contents. (One-volume commentaries and study notes, like those of Faithlife Study Bible, are designed to reveal this.)
8. Literary context—Studying how a passage fits within the book of which it is a part and how that affects its meaning. (Examining how a passage relates to those before and after it, and to the book as a whole, helps with this interpretive step.)
9. Biblical context—Analyzing what a passage contributes to the Bible as a whole and what the rest of the Bible contributes to understanding the passage. (Reading through the Bible as a whole, and reading passages that are cross-referenced, help with this.)
10. Application—Seeking to conform beliefs and actions to the guidance the Bible imparts. (Act on what the Bible says.)
11. Secondary literature—Examining the wisdom and diligent study of others as they have put it into books and articles. (This step should be used throughout study, but is usually best to do after attempting to draw your own conclusions, and is best done in conversation with other believers in Jesus.)
Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, and don’t go it alone.
As you read through the Bible, look up anything you don’t fully know or understand. Make use of the many good resources available to help you be a better student of the Bible than you would be on your own.
Bible dictionaries give an overview and a brief analysis of virtually any topic mentioned in the Bible, and they also connect that information to the various books and major doctrines of Scripture. Likewise, Bible commentaries explain Bible passages from an expert angle. Reading with a good study Bible provides additional help. Such resources introduce Bible books and special topics, and provide aids that explain the particular verse or passage under investigation.
Take notes, like a good reader should.
If you rely entirely on your own memory, you’ll eventually lose many valuable insights. But if you develop an external memory—your notes of observations or what you’ve learned—you will preserve them. Writing down what you have learned also forces you to express your thoughts more cogently and carefully than if you merely relied on memory. Memory fades with time, but written notes provide you with an element of stability and continuity for what you’ve learned in Bible study.
Respect the difference between words and concepts.
Most people are not aware of the difference between words and concepts, yet respecting these differences is essential to accurately interpreting the Bible. For example, in Luke 10 when Jesus illustrates what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself,” He tells the story of the Good Samaritan. This account does not include the words “love,” “neighbor,” or “self,” but the story richly includes the concept of loving neighbor as self and shows how that concept works in an exemplary illustration.
A significant aspect of Bible study is understanding the words used in the text. But even more important is understanding the concepts used—the point, significance, or meaning of a passage, verse, statement, or word.
Pray for help and study with other Christians.
Ask God for help and guidance in your Bible study. God will empower you with the desire, patience, and discernment to recognize the simple truths of the Bible and understand the complicated concepts. In addition, read the Bible in Christian community, as that is a critical component of growing as a Christian.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
As we take our shortened version of each Book of the Bible, this week we look at the Book of Exodus...
Author:
Not confirmed but generally attributed to Moses
Date:
Approximately the mid-1400’s BCE
Synopsis:
God delivers His people, the Israelites, from slavery in Egypt. He also gives His people the Moral Laws He wants them to live by…The 10 Commandments
Verses from Exodus:
Exodus 3:14 New Living Translation (NLT)14 God replied to Moses, “I am who i am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.”
Exodus 8:1 New Living Translation (NLT)Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go back to Pharaoh and announce to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me.
Exodus 12:13New Living Translation (NLT)13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Exodus is the story of redemption as God rescues His people from slavery in Egypt. In the same way Jesus redeems us from sin
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou