Bible Study July 17, 2025

Colossians 1:9 – 11 (ESV)

“Spiritual Growth”

9 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”

Where do we get the knowledge of God’ will? It is not a feeling but a deep conviction of the heart that comes from His Word. In other words it is revealed to us as spiritual wisdom with understanding on how it is applied to our daily lives.

We can only attain this wisdom if we are to “walk worthy” which means we walk in the footsteps of the One who offered freedom in the first place. When we do this we will produce spiritual fruit which is mentioned often in the scriptures.

John MacArthur says it this way. “Spiritual fruit is the by-product of a righteous life. The Bible identifies spiritual fruit as leading people to Christ (1 Cor. 16:15, praising God (Heb. 13:16), giving money (Rom. 15:26 – 28), living a godly life (Heb. 12:11), and displaying holy attitudes (Gal. 5:22 -23).”

Spiritual growth cannot occur apart from knowledge.

MacArthur goes on to say, the evidences of spiritual growth include a deeper love for God’s Word (Ps. 119:97), a more perfect obedience (1 John 2:3 -5), a strong doctrinal foundation (1 John 2:12 -14), an expanding faith (2 Thess. 1:3), and a greater love for others (Phil. 1:90).

Lot’s to decipher. God Bless.

Bible Study July 15, 2025

Colossians 1:1-8 (ESV)

“Thanksgiving With Prayer”

1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.  3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”

Paul writes to the church in Colosse specifically addressing the “saints.’ Who are these “saints’ He is writing to? They are those (us) who have been set apart to God and free from sin. This word saints is used exclusively in the New Testament to refer to the faithful.

Paul uses a familiar greeting to the church he says, “Grace and Peace from God our Father.” In fact he uses this phrase in all the thirteen epistles he wrote to the churches. This Sunday I am focusing on Matthew five once again but from verse twenty-one forward. The theme is love and Paul mentions that here. Love is a fruit of the Spirit that separates us from other people.

“The hope laid up for you” that is the Good News it is a similar term used in battle when victory has been secured, it is the same as our victory over sin through the blood of Jesus. But is not only victory over sin it is victory over death.

The Good News is intended for everyone not just the Jews of Jesus line. When the Jewish people rejected Jesus He went to others in the hope they would find peace through Him.

Offer the Good News to someone with an act of kindness, or an expression of love.

God Bless.

Bible Study July 14, 2025

“Rising Waters”

Matthew 5:43 – 45 (ESV)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

At our worship service yesterday prior to communion I mentioned the flood waters in Texas on the Guadalupe River. My point was during the rising waters of that river and the lives that were lost  “God was there.” I do not know why these things happen in our world but I do know God is there for us when the waters rise in our lives. We can offer opinions on why things happen but they are only opinions.

When the waters rise in our lives we should also rest assured that God is there with us. After spending my career in the insurance field and in insurance polices we see the term “act of God” for catastrophes such as we saw in Texas. I always wondered why these are not labeled “acts of Satan” after all these types of occurrences are a result of the fall of man. True God is sovereign and allows all things to happen we still wonder – Why?

I have asked the “Why” questions in my life and I still do not know but I do know God is there with me in all that comes along. Along with the above verse He has also told us “I will never leave you nor forsake you”  which is a quote from the Bible, specifically Hebrews 13:5 and Deuteronomy 31:6. It’s a promise of God’s unwavering presence and support, assuring believers that He will not abandon them. The verse emphasizes that God’s faithfulness is a constant, even amidst life’s challenges and uncertainties.

Let’s put out trust in knowing He is always with us in both the good and bad and leave the outcome to Him. We may not like the outcome but we know He knows what is best for His children.

God Bless.

Bible Study

Roams 8:28 – 29 (ESV)

“Circumstances”

28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Those of you that know me fairly well believe know that I do not believe everything is perfect. In reading the above verse one might believe that everything is always perfect in  a broken world. Verse twenty-eight is true if you apply verse twenty nine that we being brought into the image of God.

Cancer is not good, death is not good, homelessness is not good, financial ruin is not good that is part of “everything.” Not all things are good.

Circumstances can change us for sure. You can get out poverty if you choose to work and better yourself, you can find a home. There are some thing we can do. You can avoid bad habits and save your heath. But, I understand things still happen to good people. I do not have the answer as to why – I wish I did. I do know God loves His creation and even sent His Son for it.

I mention to share a bit about something that happened to Cindy and me recently as we embarked on a visit to see our handsome one year old grandson in Florida. I took us three hours to get from our home to the Illinois side of the river normally no more than forty-five minutes. Stuff happens thankfully we love each other and had a wonderful time talking. I still have no idea what was wrong with the traffic other than it was Illinois.

Circumstances can make us or break us it is up to us. We can choose to move forward or we can choose to languish in defeat, God created us to be victorious over our circumstances. “Choose victory over defeat in your life.” (My quote).

God Bless

Bible Study June 30, 2025

“Happy, Happy, Happy or Am I”

Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ‘

Rejoice. The joy that Paul calls for is not a happiness that depends on circumstances but a deep contentment that is in the Lord, based on trust in the sovereign, living God, and that therefore is available always, even in difficult times.

I read an article on the happiest Americans and they are not who we might believe they are.

“Teenagers of  today were asked what they most wanted out of life. Here is what a recent Pew Research poll titled “Teens’ Future Plans and Goals” found that 86% of teens say it’s extremely or very important to them to have a job or career they enjoy. Sixty-nine percent say close friendships matter deeply. And 58% say it’s very important to make a lot of money.

With high school and college graduation season nearly over, most commencement addresses will likely reflect advice helping a young person to think about flourishing in one of these areas. “

Although these are good and something to look forward to they do not provide real happiness.

What about marriage? Just 36% of teens say getting married is very important.

“This shift may seem unremarkable in a culture that increasingly values autonomy, financial success and self-expression. But there’s a glaring problem: none of those things — on their own — actually lead to human flourishing. “

According to Dr. Brad Wilcox, a leading social scientist and director of the National Marriage Project, the happiest Americans aren’t the wealthiest or the most successful in their careers. They’re not the ones with the largest Instagram following or the most adventurous travel resume. They’re not even the ones with the tightest circle of friends.

The happiest Americans are married, churchgoing and often parents. In fact, the happiest within this group are those who report being in a good marriage.

To say this out loud in today’s world feels almost rebellious. We tell young people to chase dreams, prioritize independence and keep their options open. But we rarely tell them that committing to another person and building a life of shared purpose could actually be the surest path to happiness.

Marriage isn’t always perfect. No relationship is. I read this the other day. A man asked his wife what would she do if he won the lottery. Her answer “I would take half and leave.” The husband “I won twelve dollars here’s half stay in touch.”  

We live is a society that is interested in what it can get out of today. But long term happiness is about God, family, and relationships.

God Bless.

Bible Study June 27, 2025

“Exceeding Courage”

Genesis 1:26  (ESV)

“ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Over the past week I have shared some Bible characters that have shown courage. There are many more such as the twelve disciples who all but one died a martyr’s death only John dying of natural causes.

Joshua, Easther, Gideon, and David were all courageous but the most courage shown was that of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Jesus the incarnate Son of God conceived and born of the Virgin Mary. What courage she had to be pregnant and unwed.

He is the Son of God who was crucified and raised from the dead for the salvation of all who trust in Him. Jesus is our Messiah (Christ is the Greek translation of Messiah), the fulfillment of the old testament promises that God saves his people.

If you were to be asked who Jesus Christ is how would you answer that question?

For Christians, He is the unique Son of God, fully God and fully human, the Savior of the world, who came to take away the sins of the world. that’s the short answer. most people only take it that far.

Bur He is so much more: healer, forgiver, sanctifier, care giver, care taker, our hope for tomorrow (as well as today) What can you add?

How do you explain Jesus to someone?

Keep it simple and loving. you can share the gospel in ten words: Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave. Tell them how repenting and following Jesus changed your life!

What is your Jesus story? – write it out and memorize it if you are leading others this is a great tool to help in sharing the Good News.

God Bless.