Greetings Barnabas Ladies, from rainy South Lake Tahoe! We are having a nice time so far but it rained off and on all day Monday and we were forced to run for the hills (uh, the nearest motel) due to a leaky tent. Better now than at the end of the week! :)
First off, I found a book that I'd like to use when we start up ladies' class again. It's called Our Father in Heaven...Teach Us to Pray by Casandra Martin. I will be ordering a book for everyone who wants to participate, so please let me know if you're interested. I think it will also be a valuable study for you even if you aren't able to meet with us, or if you're not sure how often you'll be able to come, so don't hesitate to tell me! By the way, I am considering a return to a weekly study. I think we will just have too much trouble getting through the book if we only meet every other week. If there's a different time besides Thursday evenings that works better for everyone, let me know, and if we can get a consensus then I'm open to moving the date and/or time of the study. I am still planning to start up in mid-August.
So today I went to a class taught by Cindy Colley, and the topic was Hope. She made reference to a passage that I'd like to bring to your attention.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,
"FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 NASB)
Satan loves to throw roadblocks in front of us. Sometimes they are easily able to be dealt with, like rain on a camping trip. But sometimes they are the sort that will devastate a family, and make you despair for your future. God is still near, even when it seems like you'll never be close to him again. NOTHING can separate you from the love of God, and the spiritual blessings that come through him, except you yourself. So don't be afraid, and keep moving forward. The battle is already won, through Jesus. And this was no marginal victory. No, we overwhelmingly conquer, through Him who loved us. There is always hope.
See you all soon!!
In Christ alone,
Elena
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Barnabas Letters, part 10
"How much thought do you give to being holy?" That is a sentence from
lesson 7 of the material that we have been using in ladies' Bible class,
and I think it's a striking one. How much time do you spend in trying
to be holy: speaking holy, acting holy, thinking holy?
1 Peter 1:15-16 says:
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
When we got to that question in class, I think we all felt a little guilty--at least I know I did! I know I spend more time thinking about how to do the right thing, which is a component of being holy, but it isn't all there is to it. There's also a bit of worldly negative connotation with the idea of being holy, as evidenced by the phrase "acting holier than thou."
So what does it mean to be holy? The Hebrew word for holy is defined as being set apart. And we know that by being Christians, we are already set apart to be God's chosen people. But this is not the kind of thing that we can mark off on a check list and say we've completed it, we need to be holy in all we do. We need to be continually setting ourselves apart from the world.
The best way to continually be holy is to regularly be a consumer of God's word. If you don't already have a plan for daily Bible reading, there are tons of resources out there that don't cost a penny. YouVersion has a great list of daily reading plans here, and you can read on your computer or using an app for your smartphone. If you'd like a printable plan (so retro! haha) to put in your Bible try here or here.
Sing it with me!
"Take time to be holy, Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, And feed on His word.
Make friends of God’s children; Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek."
In Christ alone--
Elena
1 Peter 1:15-16 says:
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
When we got to that question in class, I think we all felt a little guilty--at least I know I did! I know I spend more time thinking about how to do the right thing, which is a component of being holy, but it isn't all there is to it. There's also a bit of worldly negative connotation with the idea of being holy, as evidenced by the phrase "acting holier than thou."
So what does it mean to be holy? The Hebrew word for holy is defined as being set apart. And we know that by being Christians, we are already set apart to be God's chosen people. But this is not the kind of thing that we can mark off on a check list and say we've completed it, we need to be holy in all we do. We need to be continually setting ourselves apart from the world.
The best way to continually be holy is to regularly be a consumer of God's word. If you don't already have a plan for daily Bible reading, there are tons of resources out there that don't cost a penny. YouVersion has a great list of daily reading plans here, and you can read on your computer or using an app for your smartphone. If you'd like a printable plan (so retro! haha) to put in your Bible try here or here.
Sing it with me!
"Take time to be holy, Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, And feed on His word.
Make friends of God’s children; Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek."
In Christ alone--
Elena
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