Love one another as I have loved you

Hello, I am so glad you have come back to A Good Bible Study!

Things always go better if we begin with prayer, so let's get the most out of our time together:

Lord, thank you for Your Bible. I am so glad we don't have to go through life wondering what is the right decision, worrying that we don't have all the answers, or expecting to enjoy our lives only when everything is going our way. Please give us the ability to love and to love well, today. If any of us is unsure of Your love, give it to us abundantly and let there be NO uncertainty about Your passion for our hearts! In Jesus' name, amen.

In The Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, by Joyce Meyer, which inspired this study, we are asked to compare our lives with that of Jesus'. Now, I know, no one is going to measure up, so what's the point, right?

Jesus is not the standard by which God judges our worthiness. If that were so, we would all fail. Jesus led a perfect life and was completely blameless when He went to the cross. He did this for our benefit, not for His own. He did this knowing a sacrifice had to be made for all the sin, pain, anger, revenge and murder in our thoughts and actions and He knew none of us, not one, was capable.

Who else could be held accountable for all the ways we hurt each other and ourselves every single day, no matter what our good intentions? Only a perfect God who was free of sin. But think about it: If we cannot save ourselves, and cannot even spend more than a few seconds without in some way harboring selfish thoughts or resentments, then how in the world are supposed to ever deserve salvation (heaven)?

We don't deserve it. We can't. But, I'm so glad God does not judge us by our imperfect lives or expect us to live in perfection. Instead, He considers our hearts.

Let's be clear: we can't even get one foot in the door unless we first understand we are granted entrance because of His love, His worthiness, His payment of the price, not our own. People-focused religions tell us we must sacrifice and earn salvation, but God tells us it is His to give, not ours to earn.

So, ask yourself: am I even aware of my need for a Savior, since on my own I know I do not deserve salvation (living with God in heaven for eternity after an earthly life)?

And equally important: Have I accepted the gift of Jesus' sacrifice on my behalf? In other words, do I accept God's love? Read John 3:16; Galatians 2:19-21; 1 John 4:9-11; and John 15:12-13.

If you haven't been aware, until now, of your need for a perfect Savior and you haven't accepted Jesus' gift of His earthly death in exchange for your heavenly life, do it now:

"Jesus, thank you for paying the price that I deserve. I am so sorry that I have been living my life as if You were unimportant. You promise to forgive me when I ask, and I am asking. I want You to take over my life and fill me up with your Love. I accept your gift of salvation and I want to live in heaven when this earthly life is over. I know that you alone made it possible for me. In Jesus' name, amen."

If you prayed this prayer, the bible says that angels in heaven are rejoicing right now!! There is a party with your name on it in heaven - isn't that cool? If you want to find out more about being a Christian, follow this link to the Joyce Meyer website for scripture and resources. Welcome to the family!

Now, the question is, if we love God, does our life reflect that love by the way we treat others?

It's hard to know how to love, especially when most of the people we come across aren't always loveable. Luckily, we have a model. Pick one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and find some examples of Jesus responding with love. Record the verses that spoke to you, below:
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When Jesus was attacked and criticized, He took his time to respond. He was thoughtful, using wise and kind words. He realized many people hurt others when they are scared, feel their beliefs or lifestyles are being criticized, have been hurt by others, or don't understand our good intentions. He responded based on His own integrity, not in reaction to the integrity of others.

When He was struck, He refused to strike back, instead telling His attackers that they didn't know any better, even praying for God to forgive. When asked for help, He found a way to do so, even if it meant traveling out of His way or changing His plans.

Jesus was kind to everyone, even those with whom He disagreed or meant Him harm. When others were hungry, He didn't evaluate their political beliefs before feeding them, or making sure they had warm clothing and shelter.

How does your daily behavior compare?
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One thing I was reminded of by Joyce Meyer in The Revolution, was that in our society we are taught to value financial success, popularity, doing nothing unless it is great and powerful, seeking public praise for anything we accomplish, and being well-known and well-liked in our schools, community, and churches.

What does Jesus say is greatness? Read Mark 9:35
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Commit to some ways you will seek to be "the greatest" in the Kingdom of God, as defined by Jesus:
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How much of a struggle is this going to be? How will you respond when the opportunity to LOVE comes along and you really don't want to be inconvenienced?

Some good options are to pray and ask God to help you respond in love; be silent until you can respond in love; and apologize when you haven't responded in love (remembering you are really making an apology to God to whom you have committed to change, not to the person to whom you feel deserves no apology.)

Tell me how this message affected your life in the comments section. If you became a new Christian today, please share about that in the comments, as well! Love, Karen

Photo by Dan, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Faith in action

Hello, I'm glad you are back with me - it's so good to know we are on this journey together.

Let's begin with prayer so the Holy Spirit can move powerfully in this study, giving us insight and gentle nudges in the right direction: Lord, thank you for bringing us together to study Your Word and Your ways. We ask that Your Holy Spirit direct us in this study. Let each time we meet and seek You in this way, be a life-changing spark of joy, wisdom, and change! In the name of Jesus, amen.

Have you made changes in the way you treat others as a result of this study? I really want to hear about it. There is a comment form at the end of each post, please share with me and if you like, with all of us!

 Today we are going to put our growing faith and knowledge into action. Galatians 5:6 says that it is faith that enables us to put love into action! Sure, anyone can do a good deed, but often it is done in the expectation of getting something in return. Many Christians are kind to others and give to the church and the needy in expectation of a heavenly reward, or earthly blessing. God is very clear that these are "works of the flesh," meaning for ourselves, not for him (no matter our good intentions) and that we are not saved as a result of good works.

Read Ephesians 2:8-9.

Doing good to please God might seem like a tight-rope walk. On the one hand, we know God desires us to help people and it pleases Him for us to do so. However, God strongly warns us that He is most concerned with our motives behind the help, not with the act itself. It is about who we are, not what we do.
Read 1Corinthians 13:1-3.

Look, God can end poverty on His own, in fact, He promises to do so for all eternity when He brings His plan for humanity to fruition with the return of His Son, Jesus Christ. In the meantime, He is not without compassion, but works in each of us to desire to help others out of love.

So, is the good you have done out of selfish motives wasted? Well, no, someone still got helped. But like any good parent, God loves us and is training us to mature in our motives, to have compassion as a function of love for others, not for ourselves.

Look at it this way: if your spouse, child, or friend is always doing great things for you then expecting or demanding you do something in return, do you appreciate (or even want) their good works in the future? No, because no one likes to be manipulated. But, when someone calls you up and says, "I was thinking about you today and I really want to spend some time with you. Can I take you out to lunch and just pamper you today? It would really make me happy to show you some appreciation!" That would just make your day, I bet.

So you say, but I want to obey God and do good things (works) to help other people! If that is your true motivation, great - God loves obedience just like parents love obedience. But, He wants you to obey out of love and respect for Him, not only because He is our authority and we do what we are told.

What about helping other people because it is the "right" thing to do? That's fine but you are doing it to obey a "law" not out of love.

What about doing good works because I can't stand to see other people suffering? Also good but done to make yourself feel better, not out of love.

What about doing good works because God says in His Word that we need to support those who are "feeding" us the Word of God , and making their life work be preaching, teaching, and acting as a "storehouse" to distribute resources to the poor, the orphans and the widows? Also good, important, and necessary, but God says good acts done without love certainly help people, but do not earn favor with Him.

Lastly, what about promises that our financial gifts, our tithes, will be re-payed us ten-fold? I spend a lot of years giving every extra cent to good churches and charities because I not only wanted to please God, but also believed this "prosperity preaching" that was popular until recently. There's more to it, but it leads us to assume God is obligated to reward us financially for any financial gifts we make to a ministry.

Now, who doesn't want to be prosperous? The problem is that I am aware of nowhere in His Word  that God promises financial reward in exchange for every financial gift. Scripture is sometimes, I fear, taken out of context.

Yes, God instructs us to "lay something aside" for the support of ministers and the church work (1Corinthians 16:2 and Romans 12:13); to give to the poor (many verses including Luke 3:11 and Matthew 5:41-42); to visit orphans and widows (the original meaning of this Greek word is "oversee," meaning to look after - James 1:27).

Yes, historically God has prospered multiple people who have obeyed his instructions and followed His ways. However it is important to remember that we were created for God; God was not created for us, or to serve us, or bless us in the way we demand. What we can depend on is that God promises to all of us rewards of His choosing; blessings of His definition; prosperity (financially or spiritually) in His timing. We get into trouble when we think we can manipulate God, even with the best intentions.

Read 1 Samuel 16:7b "For the Lord does not ___ as man sees, for man looks at the __________ appearance, but the Lord looks at the __________."

So, does that mean we are not supposed to try and please God? No, dear heart, it means faith must fuel our desire to be loving, not a desire to get anything in return from people or from God. I want my husband to help me because he loves me, and it pleases him to see me happy, not because he wants me to be obligated to him. Do you feel the same in your relationships and friendship?

Has anyone ever been nice to you in order to manipulate you? Tell me how that felt:
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Are you getting yet that God wants your heart, your love, and your passion, not just cold obedience?

In The Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, Joyce Meyer asks us to consider what we would do if we had that kind of intensity in our love for God, which then cannot help but be translated into a pure love for other people. I completed this portion of the study a while back, and here is some of what I wrote:

The creative things I'd do to accomplish my goal of being passionate about helping:

1. Create a bible study for others based on my own study of God's Word, in easy to understand terms and personal transparency - this is it!

2. Include my family in bible study, welcome their questions and interruptions, so they can see being in God's Word is a joyful, family activity, not something I do alone. It feels good to know I am building their love bank with my kindness, and allowing them to see bible study does not take me away from them, it gives them a nicer me.

3. Submit (willingly give) myself daily to be helpful first to my own husband and children, and then also to others. It is so easy to forget that our loved ones should have our most loving behavior - not our most inconsiderate expectations - and I want to show my love first to those I love most.

For me, this means intentionally being kind to my husband, even when I feel aggravated by his requests. I honestly don't have the same love language as my husband so some of the things he enjoys from me I find silly. But, that is only because I value different acts of love. God has led me to realize that if I love my husband, I will learn to get pleasure from doing things that make him happy, not just those that are easy for me to do.

God has also prompted me to take an attitude of "why not" towards my kids. In other words, unless I have a really good reason to say no, then "why not?!" For example, "Mom, can we move the swing set to the front yard where there is shade and out of the hot, sunny backyard? Why not." "Mom, can we paint (making a mess on the kitchen table and floor that I will probably have to help clean up)? Why not." "Mom, can we invite friends over? Why not." Get the point?

4. Call or write people I care about, and be less "busy" when they want to talk to me. If someone needs help, and I can help, do it. This doesn't mean getting out of balance and never saying no, it means for me being less self-centered and seeking to show my love by being able to be inconvenienced more often.

5. Be kind and focus on my relationships when I am getting things done. I really need God's prompting here, because I am a task-oriented person, not a relationship-oriented person. Because of my upbringing, and my personality, I feel worth and validation from accomplishing tasks. Cross it off my list, survey all of my completed work, and sigh with satisfaction, that's me!


Sometimes that leads me to be less-sensitive to the feelings of others than I could be. It's not about being mean, I say please and thank you. It's just that when I get into task-mode, I make a plan, and let everyone know how to proceed to accomplish things in the most productive way (my husband calls it "barking orders"). I just want to get it done and get on with it! It's frustrating for me when others hold up the train with petty disagreements, balking at having to help out, or in other ways have to talk about their feelings about it all. Argh - can't we just get it done and talk about it later???

Some of you are right on that train with me, am I right? Well, the problem is that my way can really step on the feelings of people like my husband, who are relationship-oriented, and for whom resolving the conflicts about a situation is necessary before they are ready to take action. It's about believing someone else's needs are just as important as my own. Does he ever step on my toes? Don't get me started. But, the more I focus on love, the less I get offended.

What will you do now? If you don't have a Field Journal, write it here and share it in the comments if you'd like:
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Remember that I told you that of the 10% of people who achieve their goals, 90% of them wrote them down? Don't be surprised if you take a look back in a week or two and find you have most of your list accomplished!

Let's say goodbye for now with prayer:

Father, I am so excited about the changes you are making in me and in the lives of everyone in this study! It feels so good to do things that make the people I love, feel loved. I see more and more that I am being blessed ten-fold, in far better ways than just financially. In fact, I feel like I have more money now because I am able to give to others without counting my possible return!

Lord, You do promise that if we seek You instead of worrying about having enough money, enough food, and enough clothing to satisfy our desires, that not only will we find You, but lo and behold, You will make sure we have all those other things as well. Lord, give each of us the faith to stop worrying about the future, and instead seek a deeper relationship with You. Give us the ability to trust You to take care of our needs here on earth. Help us to value what You value: love. In Jesus' name, amen.

Love, Karen

Why prayer goes unanswered

Hello again, I am so glad you are with me today sharing the Word of God!

Let's begin with prayer: Lord, thank you for this chance to be blessed by your Word. I am thankful that you are working in all the areas of my life, and I can let go of my concerns for now, and give you this time. Let me be sensitive to the ways in which I have held up the answers I so desperately need to my prayers. Let me be open to your leading, Lord Jesus, amen.

Have you ever prayed and prayed about a situation, and it just didn't seem like anything ever happened? I sure have and it can be so discouraging. I've often wondered if there is something I need to be doing different? Is God saying, "No," or "Wait a while," or is He saying, "You've got to pray more, or with more belief, or with more humility," or what??

During the St. Paul conference with Joyce Meyer, I listened to a teaching on just this subject. Seven possible hindrances to prayer were discussed and the first one might surprise you. Of course there are more than seven, and not all seven will apply to your situation, but let's pay attention because if I am doing something to hold up my blessing, I want to know about it, don't you?

The first hindrance was to simply not ask for what you want. Think about it? How often do you just boldly ask God for what you want? I think a lot of time we feel foolish for speaking aloud what we really want to happen (like He doesn't know.) I know I sometimes feel I shouldn't want some things, or may be I should just suffer with a "glad heart," do you know what I mean? Often, we act like "Well, if God wanted me to have it, He would give it to me."

Look in the back of your bible, and find all the verses in which God tells us to ask. I'll help you out with a couple, then you find some, as well.

James 4:2 "You do not have because you do not ask."
Matthew 21:22 "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Now it's your turn:
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Do you ever tell your children, "If you want something, just ask?" I do. Mostly I say it in frustration when they've climbed to get something out of reach and then fallen, or gotten into something without permission that I was saving, but other times, I find out they had a real need for something and didn't ask for it. It might be some new socks or underwear, or it might be one of my rough and tumble young'ns fell and didn't tell me they were really hurt.

My precious nine year old son recently fell and broke his arm at camp (Lake Beauty Bible Camp, Long Prairie, MN) and didn't tell anyone how bad it was hurting for two full days afterwards, because he was afraid he would have to go home and miss out on the rest of camp. By the time he spoke up his wrist was swollen so much he couldn't hide it anymore. Luckily it only took an hour and a half to get it casted and get him back to camp, but it amazed me that he could go so long in need and let his assumptions about what might happen stop him from asking for help.

Do you ever do that to God? Assume you know what the answer will be so you just don't bother asking? Yup, sometimes I just scratch my head that my kids won't tell me that their underwear are falling down around their knees, but will ask me all day long to buy them a sugar-filled Popsicle that is only going to harm their teeth (but it tastes goooood, Mom.) Priorities differ, I suppose. 

I might say no to another Popsicle, but I will jump to get them something good for their hearts, minds or bodies, and I bet you are the same. It makes us feel good to give our children good things, and God tells us He feels the same way.

Read Luke 11:9-13 and record what insights you gain about your own beliefs about what you "should" and "should not" ask from God.
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God says He delights in giving us good things. Some of you might worry about abusing God's generosity. Don't. I think it is safe to say that you can pray all day long about a new Ferrari and chances are, one is not going to appear in your garage. I could be wrong - God might want to bless you in just that way, but over all, we can go ahead and ask, and trust God to judge what's good for us. I know my kids ask two or three times a day to play Playstation, even though they know I'm only going to allow them to play once a day, most times. If they've had enough, I just say no. But once in a while . . . So go ahead and ask. If He says no, you're no worse off today than you were yesterday.

Do you want to make sure every prayer you pray gets a resounding "Yes!"? Then, look up the following verses in which God tells us exactly which desires are always granted.

James 4:3 (in fact, just read that whole paragraph starting with 4:1-6. Really, that whole book is chock full of good advice.)
Matthew 6:1-15

Find out what God says is important and worth praying about, and pray that. Jesus promises that if we pray in God's will, our prayers will be answered. Secondly, believe.

You must make a decision to believe God is working in your situation. He hears your prayers or He doesn't. He loves you or He doesn't. He is Good, or He isn't. Make a choice, and stick with it. The phrase I took home with me from the conference, one that stuck, was "I believe God is working on this situation."

I can't tell you how many times over the last week that I have been tempted to start worrying over a situation again, after I have prayed mind you, and that phrase pops up in my mind. As soon as I say it aloud, "I believe God is working on this, I have prayed about it, God heard me, and He is working on it," well, instantly I feel at peace.

I want you to try that today and let me know what happens. And please joinme tomorrow for the remaining prayer hindrances. Let's pray together:

Dear Lord, thank you for sharing your heart and your Word with us today. Change me from the inside out, Father. Let me pray prayers that are in Your Will; give me desires that You would have me want; give me the strength to believe You are working in my situation today, amen.

Links to bible study posts:
A good bible study - intro
Something can and must change - day one
The rest of the story, or the 6 missing hindrances - day three 

Photo by Gina Smith, courtesy of photoxpress.com