James. .Week 4. .Discussion

WOW!! It seems like just yesterday that the kids were headed back to school and we were all fired up to begin a new adventure in God’s word beginning in 1 John. .
I wasn’t sure what the study would bring. .
or how my life would change!
What a ride!! The things that we have read and learned. .
I have loved this method of study. .
Though the typing gets tedious. .
because I always have so many words to say. .
Other than that. .it’s been OK. .
The discussion this week is in answering the questions. .

     Read the book of James in a version that you haven’t read it in be prepared to share what version you used for the last 4 months of your study. .
and which version you chose this week to look at

I used the English Standard Version this week, along with my New Living Translation. .
sometimes the meanings to me are better stated in one version over another. .
or easier for me to conceptualize. .
I hope that you have become familiar with biblehub.com over the last 4 months. .
any time that you question the verse or one translation to another. .
I encourage you to look it up on that site to see all the translations paralleling that particular verse. .

How will book of James CHANGE who you are??
Not just. .what SHOULD I change. .
what WILL I do. .to be in accordance with the will of God. .

The book of James. .
will always impact me forever more. .
about the message of being someone who hears a message. .
and then internalizes it to see how I can change my life to be in tune with the desires of Christ. .
so that I can become an effectual doer. .

Do I see the value in becoming a Doer of God’s word rather than just a hearer??

For sure. .that being said. .
I think it is IMPERATIVE. .
that we remember that GOD is the one who does the changing in our hearts. .
because if we rely on ourselves to make the changes. .
we will always fall. I also think it will be important for us to SEE ourselves in the mirror of the truth of God’s word. .
and identify WHAT needs to change. .
and then keep God in the solution of the changing by way of reading, praying, and keeping ourself abiding in Him! And sometimes, in my own life anyway. .
I can acknowledge what needs to change. .
but God chooses to attack/work on another area of my life first. .
by situations or studies or sermons etc. .
Always listen to God with your heart. .
in addition to with your ears. .there IS a difference!

Am I ACTIVELY making steps to changing my behavior (this is different than just ACKNOWLEDGING what I need to change) 

I think that I am actively trying to make changes. .
There are also still times when I KNOW in my heart how I should act or behave. .
and in my human stubbornness. .
flat refuse God. .and handle it in my flesh!
I’m guessing that THAT will be an issue for life. .
but not an excuse!!
Continuing to be a part of women’s groups and be in the word regularly. .
will be steps that I must take to continue to propel myself forward. .
and to not be as likely to stagnate!! 

FINALLY. .The new year is a time for resolutions. .
and BREAKING resolutions. .
What do I resolve to do in my personal time to grow in Christ in 2014 (stay in an active study, join a different study, subscribe to a podcast teacher, read so many chapters or time per week, etc)?? And what steps will I take to be sure that I don’t BREAK that resolution (stay in an active study, solicit a friend in Christ to be accountable to WEEKLY in church or a study or via email etc)

This is the most faithful studying that I have ever undergone. .
and it was a study, not guided so much by some author. .
as it was guided by my soul and my heart. .
And that was the biggest difference of all. That was an incredible experience to me!!
I not only learned a ton about the things within the books studied. .
I learned so much about the Old Testament and how closely it correlates. .
which was a good step for me!! 

My goals for 2014 include. .
a new audio study that I started last month in the gospel of John. .
the continued Sunday School women’s group learning our way through Genesis (which has been an incredible journey too. .if ever anyone wants the name and information as an idea I’ll gladly give that over!!) 
 I intend on taking a 1-2 month break from the intensive book by book studying. .
that will give me time to read through some other books that I have ordered. .
as well as to read some others areas of the bible that I have neglected the last 4 months. .
and give me a little time away from the intense research and typing habit that I have developed. .
Our youth group is on the verge of some really cool things coming up. .
We did a mission trip a few weeks ago to OKC. .
which I thought was AWESOME!!
And we will be continuing on kind of a mission oriented theme for the next couple months. .
I have been using this extra time to help them plan a 30 Hour Famine taking place in February. .
We have learned that 9500 CHILDREN die. .
Every. Single. Day.
From HUNGER related causes. .
WOW!!
The kids. .
And ME. .
are each trying to raise money in a partnership with the great thinkers of World Vision. .
And our end of the deal. .
includes taking 30 hours out of our own lives to abstain from FOOD!!
We are hoping to do some service projects around our own little community to take the edge off of our hunger. .
And use the time to pray and worship our Lord in song and fellowship!
I'm not really sure who has really been reading and following these posts. .
especially in this last month (it's always the hardest!)
But. .
if you feel led to help our team out with a donation. .
please click on this link below. .
it will take you to our team page. .and you can either click on a team member's name to donate to their personal goal. .
Or just click donate at the bottom of the team page. .
which will go toward our total team goal!
http://support.worldvision.org/site/TR?fr_id=2540&pg=team&team_id=65588&captid=1452974
100% of the money goes to fight hunger across the world in some very awesome ways!!

I think it will be a great way to understand in a very small way. .
how it feels to go to bed hungry. .
and the stomach pangs that people in underserved areas across the world experience very regularly!! Stay tuned for that!!
In the event that God has gifted you with the gift of prayer for others. .
Mark your calendars for February 22. .
That will be when our famine will go underway! We'd take ALL the prayer we can get. .
We'd also take lots of prayers in the fund raising process. .
Fundraising is always hard. .because our goals. .
aren't always that important to others. .
EVEN when it means making the world a better place!!

 Finally. .

one of the girls from our email study and I are headed to an Extraordinary Women conference in Tulsa at the end of February. .

I always LOVE that type of experience. .

it is sooooo good to be in an auditorium of thousands or hundreds or even TENS of women. .

all praising God. .singing from their hearts. .

and listening to God’s word and the experiences and teachings of Godly and scholarly women!!

 If you might be interested in meeting us there. .let me know. .

You’ll not regret it, I know THAT!  

 

I think by the first full week of March, we will be ready to start in on the book of Ephesians. .

I am thinking maybe a 3 month study at that time. God is really leading my heart to a study in the gospels. .

Initially I figured it would take me a good 3 months to study each gospel. .

times 4 gospels. .that will take me a year. .

A written plan is pretty essential to the way that I operate. .

when I am left to fly by the seat of my pants (which I CAN do by the way if I HAVE to)

I tend to go in circles.

So THOSE goals. .

take me into the year 2015 J

God willing as we have learned from James, right?

 

Please comment or message me if you might be interested in going from blog study. .

to email study. .

There will likely be only a few of us that will start into the new study in March. .

It has actually been a month now since the email study has ended. .

and I am missing the extensive study TERRIBLY!!

I have gotten some other books read. .

and continue to be in the Word many times in the week. .

But it just hasn't been the same!!

 

I DO hope. .

that if you have benefitted from this online study. .

That you prayerfully consider jumping into the next one as well. .

I haven't decided about posting the next study to my blog. .

But certainly will if someone lets me know that they would prefer to study via that link in technology!!

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your responses this week. .
And I thank you ALL. .
for being a part of this study!!
Have a great weekend!!
Love Melanie

James. .Week 4. .Fast Fact

Good morning! It’s our last fast fact. .
some have been fun and silly. .
and some quite thought provoking for all. .

All I have today. .
is a link to an article that I came across in my study. .
I know that some of you will appreciate the read. .
The article links together the scriptures used from the old testament that he quoted and referenced as he wrote the book of James. .
as well as the teachings from Jesus found in the New Testament. .
In this season of my growth. .
the detailed way the entire bible meshes together. .
just mesmerizes me!!
It’s also been incredible to be studying in depth, the book of Genesis right now. .
and find that the first book from Moses linked so intimately into the books that we have studies over the last 4 months!!
 Anyway. .for those of you that might be interested on a little deeper level. .
this article is for you!!
Enjoy it. .

http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/james/background/biblical.htm

On to the FINAL fast fact!!

I have a feeling that this fact might not be as fast. .

Read into it however you would like. .

but it is rather insightful into your inner person. . 

What is one thing you would like to be known for. .

There are a lot of things that I would LIKE to be known for. .
Some that I may achieve someday. .
and some that I likely never will!!
I think, though. .
that I would like to be known as an encourager and a leader for Christ. .
encouragement has never really been a strong suit of mine. .
but I see the Lord changing some aspects about me where that is concerned. .
I want to be known as someone that can (and will) use my weaknesses to encourage others. .
Funny thing. .
is that I remember ONE funeral of an elderly patient of mine who had a very strong faith. .
and I was pretty new to my own faith at that time. .
I just remember all the wonderful things that people remembered about her. .
that demonstrated her love for Jesus, and how Christ-like she was in her own life and attitude. .
For some reason. .that just stuck with me. .
and I always hoped that I would lead a life that would impact people as she did!!
(I know, I know. .you’re all thinking that ALL funerals end like that. .but this was WAY beyond any funeral I had attended before, or to this day really)

So there ya have it. .the last answer. .
to the last Fast Fact. .enjoy your week!!
 

James. .Week 4. .Assignment

Welcome to your last week of Bible study. .
I hope you have learned a ton. .
and grown in your relationship with the Lord, as well as your knowledge of His Word and how He wants it applied to your life. .
Don’t be tempted to give up early. .

In my studies over the last month. .
I had noted many places to talk about how the epistle of James echoes the teaching of Jesus in his first public ministry teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. .
found in Matthew chapters 5-7. I finally made some time to read through those chapters in Matthew.  I also, was able to observe some of the correlations. .

I found a listing of them online, taken from an ESV study bible. .
and thought that, if you didn’t have time to read in Matthew this week for yourself. .
that I would share those here. I missed some of the correlations myself. .
and encourage you. .
that if you intend on reading the Sermon on the Mount. .
you hesitate before you read the following information. .
and see how your memory is!
 Plus, it will be interesting for you to come back and see the scripture verses from Matthew and James put side by side!!

SO. .I’ll go ahead and post the assignment for the week here so you know what’s up. .

1.)    Read the book of James in a version that you haven’t read it in be prepared to share what version you used for the last 4 months of your study. .and which version you chose this week to look at!

2.)    How will the book of James CHANGE who you are??
Not just. .what SHOULD I change. .
but rather. .
what WILL I DO. .to be in accordance with the will of God. .

3.)    Do I see the value in becoming a doer of God’s word rather than just a hearer??

4.)    Am I ACTIVELY making steps to changing my behavior (this is different than just ACKNOWLEDGING what I need to change)

5.)    FINALLY. .
The new year is a time for MAKING resolutions. .
and BREAKING resolutions. .
What do I resolve to do in my personal time to grow in Christ in 2014
(stay in an active study, join a different study, subscribe to a podcast teacher, read so many chapters or time per week, etc)??
 And what steps will I take to be sure that I don’t BREAK that resolution
(stay in an active study, solicit a friend in Christ to be accountable to WEEKLY in church or a study or via email etc) 

I’ll probably say this again Friday. .
but I’m sure it will bear repeating. .
I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed the last 4 months. .
It has been INCREDIBLY time consuming for me. .
to research. .and reword. .and comment. .and facilitate. .
but I have grown EXPONENTIALLY for it. .
and I probably benefitted 100 times more than you did from that!
This study has forced me to walk my talk more than once. .
and I look back and see God’s hand in my life through it all. I hope that you can look back on the last four months, and see where God has been working in your life too. .
I appreciate that you have all stuck with me, even during times that you would have GLADLY found something else to do with your spare time!!
 My prayer for each of you. .
is that you will use this study to establish a FIRM foundation in God’s word. .
because when we are grounded in that. .
there won’t be anything that we can’t do or handle. .
God promises!!  

 

Rejoice and be glad in your trials.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” (James 1:2)

Be perfect and complete.

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4)

Ask your good and wise God who loves to give good things.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. . . . Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:5, 17)

Avoid sinful anger before a righteous God.

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matt. 5:22)

“. . . the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20)

Be doers, not just hearers, of the word.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24-27)

“. . . be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

God’s heart for the poor in the kingdom.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. . . . Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:3, 5)

“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5)

The necessity of righteousness.

“. . . I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

“. . . whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” (James 2:10)

Mercy to the merciful.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

“. . . judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13)

Recognize them by their fruits.

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

“Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” (James 3:12)

Blessed are the peacemakers.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18)

Ask and receive.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2-3)

You cannot serve God and be friends with the world.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matt. 6:24)

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

Blessed are the mourners.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

“Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:9-10)

Be slow to judge.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:11-12)

God’s provision for tomorrow.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-14)

Do not lay up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19)

“Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.” (James 5:2-5)

The example of the prophets.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:12)

“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:10)

Do not swear oaths.

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:33-37)

“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12

James. .Week 3. .Discussion

Not sure about anyone else. .
but I am READY for the weekend!!
 I’m going to guess that none of you had any problems noting what type of people God wants us to become??
But. .if you were like me, you may have had trouble deciding which one stood out the most!! 
There is just soooooo much!!
Patiently endure. .
slow to speak and get angry. .
control my tongue lest I render my religion useless. .
Humble myself. .
don’t criticize or judge. .
show mercy. .

But. .based on the season I am in my life right now. .
my favorite verse of the year. .
and the one you are most likely tired of hearing me mention. .
is STILL the one that just gets right at my heart each time I read it!!

I spent quite a little time, going through my list. .
trying to decide what to address. .
and I just decided to do a little online study regarding my favorite verse. .
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. .

This verse penned by James. .
is a direct reflection from Jesus from both the gospel of Luke and Matthew. .
in a story that we are all familiar with (Including me, though I had NEVER caught the correlation before this study). .
The story about the wise man and the foolish man. .
The wise man was the one who HEARD the WORD and DID it (building his house on the ROCK). .
and the foolish man was the one who HEARD the WORD and did NOT do it (building his house on the SAND). .
and when the wind and rain fell. .He (or his house) fell. .
I know. .you are dying to read that yourself. .
check Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49. .
My favorite one is actually Luke. .because verse 46 says. .
Why do you call me Lord, Lord and NOT DO WHAT I TELL YOU?
OUCH!!

     As I googled James 1:22. .
my eye was caught by a feed that said "images for James 1:22". .
Really?? I thought. .Holy cow!!
 I’m not the only one that loves the verse, apparently. .
So I’m sharing my favorite image!! I love the Nike logo out of lightening!!

In my searching. .

I did come across a really good commentary on bible gateway about James 1:22. .
it was long. .so I included the parts that really spoke to me. .
if you want the full article. .the link is included.

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Jas/Do-What-Word-Says

Do What the Word Says

It would be natural for James, as a Jew, to refer to the Old Testament Scriptures as "the word," since this is a designation found within the Old Testament itself. We also find him using some distinct phrases (royal law and the perfect law that gives freedom) to express a new meaning which the word of God has assumed for him as a Christian. Add to this the fact that we find his letter permeated with references to the teachings of Jesus, and it becomes likely that when James refers to God's word he has in mind not only the Old Testament but also (in fact, especially) the teachings of Jesus which form the heart of the New Testament. It is appropriate, then, for us as Christians to take this as teaching about the proper use of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments.

For some people, reading the Bible is an unpleasant chore because their perception of the Bible's message is "Do this; do that; do this other. And do more of this and more of that and more of the other." The effect is only a building of stress and guilt. On the other hand, some people find Scripture to be indeed the perfect law that gives freedom. I recall a young man who was, by God's grace, taking some very large steps to walk more thoroughly according to Scripture. His humble acceptance of God's word was admirable to me; his resulting spiritual growth was exhilarating to him. One day in my office he said in amazement, "I am internalizing God's word so much more now; it makes me wonder how I could have called myself a Christian before. It's like it was all just head knowledge before."

It is that "internalizing" of Scripture that James describes now. As before, his style is to present two complementary images: do not be only hearers of the word; instead be doers of the word. To guide our inquiry here, we can ask three parallel questions of each image.

1. What is the pattern of the deception/blessedness?

2. What then is the nature of the word?

3. How would one be a hearer/doer of the word today?Hearers of the Word: Deceived (1:22-24)

Superstitious. In 1 Samuel it is recorded that the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines. The elders of Israel conferred and decided to bring the ark of the Lord's covenant from Shiloh "so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies" (1 Sam 4:3). When they next went into battle, this time with the ark of the Lord present, Israel was again defeated, and the ark was captured.

What went wrong with their plan? They treated the ark of the covenant as if it were magical, as if it could save them. Instead, they should have sought the Lord. Doing so, they would have realized that they could not expect salvation from a holy God while persisting in wickedness. They would have to do what James says to do: act on God's word.

This is not far off from the way some people treat Scripture still. The Bible is revered as an object, as if it would bring blessing on one's life. The Bible may be read often; prayers may be said frequently; church services may be attended; yet there may still be a self-satisfied overlooking of gossip or lies or irresponsibility or emotional abuse of one's spouse. This amounts to a superstitious use of Scripture.

James is insisting that the words of Scripture are of no value unless put into practice. If you study the word of God and begin to see a picture of true justice or genuine love or real holiness, then start practicing what you are discovering. This is the passion on James's heart.

Emotional. The word of God is certainly intended to affect our emotions. Jesus himself told his disciples that he spoke his words to them so that they might not fear but instead have joy (Jn 14:1-2; 15:11). The misuse of this is the employment of the word of God only for emotional comfort while avoiding obedience. By James's instruction, one should not be satisfied with a superficial devotional reading merely for emotional satisfaction. He demands a reading of the word with the goal of doing the will of God found there.

Theoretical. James's instruction also repudiates the merely theoretical use of the word of God, in which a person may study the word in exhaustive detail but then use the word only as material for philosophical or theological debate. The result is an abundance of doctrinal correctness but a scarcity of biblical godliness. The ones who are "hearers only" after this pattern tend to build a reputation for holding proper theology while leaving behind a trail of divisiveness and damaged relationships. Doers of the Word: Blessed (1:22, 25)

How would one be a doer of the word today? What we believe about the nature of Scripture affects how we use Scripture. Some people, believing Scripture to be a list of performance demands, use it to see how to perform more and more instead of looking into Scripture for truly biblical standards of how God wants us to live. Others, with a more relativistic belief, use Scripture selectively; they accept what they feel comfortable doing while simply ignoring the more difficult steps of faith commanded in the Bible. Often this selective approach comes from fear of the demands of Christ's lordship; we simply do not fully believe that his word is the perfect law that gives freedom.

To find the freedom promised here, one would have to take the four stages in the pattern of blessedness and put them into practice. These are not to be four more steps added onto other humanly devised performance standards. Rather, these are the steps to take first with Scripture, so that Scripture can then reorder the rest of one's life.

Looks intently. We will search the Scriptures. We can go beyond a superficial devotional reading. We will bother to learn sound principles of inductive study so that we can dig deeply into the word and feed ourselves from Scripture.

Continues. We will stay in Scripture. We can learn to be regular and habitual, rather than occasional, in our Bible study.

Not forgetting. We will learn Scripture. We can study it so as to know its content and to remember it in our daily lives. Memorizing Scripture passages is an excellent discipline for the practice of this third step.

But doing. We will apply Scripture. We can afford to leave our mirrors behind because our reflections are useless. But Scripture is another matter. We need it in our daily lives. We will take Scripture into our thinking, submit our minds to it and formulate our beliefs by what it says. We will make decisions by Scripture--about how we will respond to trials, what goals we will pursue, how we will spend time and money, how we will use our tongues. We will dare to live by the word of God.

The church is much weakened today by the defective approaches to Scripture that I have mentioned. In one verse James has spread out the blueprint for how Christians can equip themselves with the word of God for freedom and blessing.

So. .
Looking forward to hearing which Scriptures stood out to you as well this week!!  
Hard to believe there is only one week of study left. .
After a 2 month break from intense study, I will be starting the book of Ephesians and going through another 3 month course, much like this has gone. If you are interested in joining me through an email version of this study, let me know and I will get the details to you.
Enjoy your day!