Recently a good friend of mine asked me to write a submission for her quarterly digital magazine on the topic of knowing and trusting God. In this week’s blog post, I wanted to share with you all what I wrote for her magazine! At this time, life does feel fast-paced. With traveling events just around the corner, I decided to hold off on the couple of other blog post topics I have circling in my mind and share something I have already written. Thank you for your patience, and I hope this week’s post is a blessing to you!
“As I was talking to a fellow sister in Christ recently, I had an amazing thought resurface at the front of my mind. "The more we know God, the more we'll love Him. The more we love Him, the more we'll trust Him." That simple yet profound statement became the topic of our discussion for several minutes. But could we ever dedicate too much time to its thought? I’ve been guilty of not meditating on this reality enough. Often in the Christian life, we can find ourselves slipping into "autopilot" mode. We know what's true, but we don't take the time to meditate on the truth and thus let it transform our thoughts and lives. Any realization and acknowledgment of biblical truth is a gift from the Holy Spirit and evidence of His gracious work in our lives. However, sometimes it doesn't take much for us to take them for granted. There is an undeniable benefit of rolling God's Word around in our minds over and over again until it becomes a part of us. If we don't, lies and doubts will take up the empty space in our minds instead. Is God really good? Can I trust Him even in this trial? What if He doesn't provide for me? Yet God has set a higher standard for us; a standard which is revealed to us through Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ Knew God - John 17:25 - “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.” Jesus Christ Loved God - John 14:31 - “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.” Jesus Christ Trusted God - John 8:26 - “I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.” It was once said that Jesus had perfect trust in the Father because He has a perfect vision of the Father. It wasn't marred by sin, tainted by the world, or infected by sin. He was One with the Father (John 10:30) and therefore, down to His gruesome death on the cross, He trusted. The closer our relationship to God becomes through a deeper knowledge of Him, the more our love for Him will increase. Such love will inevitably produce a greater trust in Him and in His ordained ways for our lives. So how can we truly know God, (not just about Him), if that's where it all starts? If our view of heavenly things is tainted by sin, what hope do we have of succeeding in our pursuit of Him? Thankfully, we haven't been left on our own in the dark to discover these answers. God has given us His Word and filled it with His attributes so we may be directed onto the proper path of knowing our Creator even more deeply. In this written Word, we see Jesus the Living Word that was made flesh for the salvation of God’s people. When we approach God through this Perfect Mediator, we too can have a biblical view of (and trusting relationship with) the Father. John 1:14 - “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” God has given us His Word, almost as a treasure map, that shows us where and how to find the ultimate treasure - knowing Him (Philippians 3:8 - "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…"). Now we just need to follow His direction and seek Him. Yet, the wonders of knowing our Lord and His countless characteristics don't stop there! The more we know Him and discover the riches of His character, the more we will please Him, grow in grace, and be equipped to give Him the glory and praise He is due. All these things go hand-in-hand: 2 Peter 3:18 - "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." Jeremiah 9:24 - "But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD." Knowing God starts with knowing His Word and diligently setting before us what He has revealed about Himself in its pages. Through Jesus Christ and this written Word He has given us, we can grow to know, love, and trust Him more, day by day, until we reach our eternal home by His side.”
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Within the past three months, God has given me the amazing opportunity of visiting eight states. In reflecting upon the significant events and small details of each trip, I can't help but praise the Lord for all He has done and for what He has taught me! It has been a fantastic travel season that I know I will never forget. In this blog post, I wanted to share some (yes, just some... my original post was over 20) of the lessons the Lord has taught me over these past several months (with pictures!) In future posts, I may share a couple of particularly neat experiences in more detail, but for now, this post is meant to be nothing more than a general overview of God's goodness in each trip. I hope you're encouraged by this post and even inspired to take note of what God has taught you in your own traveling experiences (whether you're traveling for a vacation or a ministry!) *Each trip I took either included a ScriptureFest event (learn more about this ministry by clicking here!) or an event with Scripture Memory Fellowship. Within the past three months, God has given me the amazing opportunity of visiting eight states. In reflecting upon the significant events and small details of each trip, I can't help but praise the Lord for all He has done and for what He has taught me! It has been a fantastic travel season that I know I will never forget. In this blog post, I wanted to share some (yes, just some... my original post was over 20) of the lessons the Lord has taught me over these past several months (with pictures!) In future posts, I may share a couple of particularly neat experiences in more detail, but for now, this post is meant to be nothing more than a general overview of God's goodness in each trip. I hope you're encouraged by this post and even inspired to take note of what God has taught you in your own traveling experiences (whether you're traveling for a vacation or a ministry!) *Each trip I took either included a ScriptureFest event (learn more about this ministry by clicking here!) or an event with Scripture Memory Fellowship. 10 Things God Taught Me This Travel Season: 1. Contentment results in being adaptable The more I traveled, the more I realized the tendency I had to focus my attention on the "next thing" instead of enjoying the moment that I was in. This was especially the case with my back-to-back trips. The Lord graciously taught me how to "live in the moment" and take in all I could from the event, who I was with, and even where I was staying. Over time I learned that being content with where I was at that moment wasn't only beneficial spiritually but also allowed me to be adaptable (as all things from plans to locations change a lot when traveling). Essentially, I was able to say, "The best place to be is where God wants me to be. And because He is sovereign, I can trust that wherever He has placed me at this moment is where He wants me to be. Therefore, I will be fully present in it." 2. I need Scripture more in my busy seasons How easy it is for us to get into the mindset that we're too busy for God's Word! Yet, as I traveled extensively over these past several months, I witnessed this fact: I NEED God's Word, and the busier I am, the more I need His all-sufficient words to uphold and guide me. 3. God WANTS to use my weaknesses to display His strength Countless times throughout my trips, I became aware of my weaknesses. At that point, I had two options: 1) Remain self-focused and therefore weak, or 2) Focus on God and surrender my weaknesses to Him in exchange for His strength. I noticed that the times I was weakest were also the times when God was calling me to share the gospel with someone on the airplane or to have a long conversation with a sister who needed spiritual encouragement. Perhaps this was so Christ's strength would be visibly seen instead. 4. When God answers, it happens fast I heard a quote once that goes like this: "Waiting is not passive. It's active. You might not know when, but when God speaks [as He did in Gen. 1], it happens fast. Be ready for it." God does not operate under our timing, for He has His own. Seek Him in prayer and know that when the timing is right, He will make His will clear to you. A season of prayer can quickly go from a "distant hope for the future" to a reality when it's God's timing. But regardless of how long God makes you wait, I can guarantee that Abraham and Sarah never doubted God's ability to answer. Even after many years of silence, Joseph's prayers were still rooted in faith. Trust God's timing. Wait expectantly for Him and believe He is good. As Alistair Begg once said, "God is never in a hurry because His timing is perfect." 5. God cares about the small details of our lives Whenever I spent my time worrying about small logistical travel details, God blew me away by far surpassing my plans and showing me that He had the most extensive parts of my trip planned for me. If He cares so much about those big things, and He cares so much about the details of our lives as we know from Scripture, why do I worry at all (Matt. 6)? 6. We need people in the body of Christ who have the gift of hospitality I stayed with more people than I can remember over these past three months! Each time I left blessed, filled up, encouraged, and thankful. Looking back, I understand what Paul meant when he included hospitality in the list of roles within the body of Christ in Romans 12! Because of the willingness of many to open up their homes to me, I could more fully serve the Lord in the ministry that He had called me to in that state. This gift shouldn't be underestimated! 7. The grace I need for each day is given that day - grace upon grace! These verses cover this topic better than I could! John 1:16-17 - "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 5:10 - "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." Philippians 4:6 - "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." These truths remove a lot of anxiety and assure us that what God calls us to, He will prepare us for by His Spirit. 8. Full-time ministry isn't just 8-hour days
As Christians, we all have a calling in common - to know God and make Him known to others! If this is our ministry (beyond where we work, our role at church, and where we go to school), there is never a moment in our lives where we'll be "off the hook." Our entire life is our ministry! If Jesus Christ has redeemed you, this role is for you. It is not reserved for those who have been called to work 8-hour shifts, nor is it reserved for pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. You have been set apart to glorify God, and the Holy Spirit indwelling within you has already equipped you to live a life of ministry. What a joy it is to be called by the Living God! 9. The only time I should feel that I lack something good is when Christ is not my focus. If I struggled with discontentment, disappointment, or a desire for something God hadn't given me, I could always follow it back to an incorrect focus - myself. If we have all in Christ, we will realize that we lack no good thing (besides, there is no truly good thing outside of Christ!) A quote that I heard recently and liked says this, "Where your focus is, your desire grows. Set your desires upon Christ by fixing your eyes upon Him, His love, His work, His hope, and your heart shall follow." 10. Rest is important In a world and culture that doesn't prioritize rest, it isn't always the easiest thing to do. Yet if we can take time to rest ourselves physically and get filled up spiritually, we will be more equipped to pour out into others and run farther and faster, later on. God rested when He created the world to leave us an example - we would be wise to follow in His footsteps! If I had to pick one point that best summarized what God has taught me over these past several trips, I would say, "God's ways are higher than mine." As Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Truly our God is good, and He can be trusted! If we meditate upon His thoughts (His Word) and walk in His ways for us (instead of our own ways), we won't be disappointed. All His ways are perfect. (Miss part 1? Read it here)
"A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ." The verse was Galatians 2:16, and on the exact topic, we had just been discussing. "What does this verse mean?" She asked me. "Is there a reason that this verse was on my grocery bag? Do you think there's a reason you're sitting next to me on the plane right now?" She looked into my eyes and waited for my response. I could hardly believe what had just happened. -- Evidently, the Lord had caused our paths to cross this Friday afternoon on the airplane. I couldn't have orchestrated such circumstances myself. Just moments earlier, the two of us had been talking about how God ordained all things and how there was no such thing as a coincidence. She believed all things happened for a reason... But this? I smiled at her and nodded my head, "Yes, there is a reason. Though I don't know you or everything about your situation, God does.” Just then, I glanced over to my left at a young high school-aged boy standing in the aisle of the plane reaching in the overhead compartments for something in his bag. His back was to us and on the back of his shirt was a Bible verse. I quickly got the attention of the girl sitting next to me and told her to read his shirt. Her face showed the shock that she felt. "Whoa," she replied. "What? There has to be a reason for all of this! Do you think there is?" The verse on the back of the boy's shirt was one I unfortunately cannot remember, but it was very similar to Matthew 14:27, (if it wasn't that verse itself): "But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Earlier in our conversation, the two of us had been discussing the topic of fear and anxiety. I can only imagine how much this single verse resonated with her, and that was only a part of what God was doing in her life! I glanced over and said, "I think God is trying to get your attention. There is a reason why all of these things are happening and so close together." We talked a little bit more then I gave her some time to think to herself about everything that had just transpired. Later, I asked her this question: "So we know that works and human traditions don't save us and that even our good works are as filthy rags - dirty dishcloths in God’s sight - according to the Book of Isaiah in the Bible. Well, as this verse says (pointing to the picture she still had pulled up on her phone of Gal. 2:16), we cannot be justified or made righteous by the works of the law. Do you know what justification means?” She had a different definition of the word justification than I did and even then, she was a little uncertain of what it meant. One of the best parts of this discussion was biblically defining it for her and seeing the “lightbulb go off.” The verse suddenly made more sense. I continued, “God requires complete righteousness and holiness to have eternal life and not be under His wrath. Since no man is righteous, all have fallen short of God's glory, and we can’t be made right with Him by our works, what then?" "That's a good question," she responded. "What then... Yeah, that wouldn’t work." We put a pause on our discussion for that moment. I could tell she was thinking, and I felt as if I left her on a cliffhanger. I honestly didn't know where God would lead. After we were doing our own personal things on the airplane for a little bit, she initiated conversation again. I used that opportunity to ask her what her conclusion was on my previous question. She thought for a moment while looking down and replied, "I don't know…" It was then that I got to share the gospel with her. I explained to her the need for an advocate - someone to stand in the way between the just judge and the guilty to bear their punishment. Using the courthouse analogy seemed to make sense to her and she listened intently. I was able to explain to her from Scripture who Jesus was, what He had done, and how man (because of their sin against a Holy God), needed a perfect Savior to do what they could not. It was truly evident that the Holy Spirit was present in our conversation and was working in her life already to bring her to Himself. Her response when I finished explaining was both very genuine and thankful. Yet at that point, I didn't sense that she recognized the urgency or need for Christ at that very moment. Previously she had described religion as something to "fall back upon" when things got difficult in life. I got the feeling that she didn't have a well-developed view of life after death and eternity, and that seemed to be the cause for the hesitancy she was experiencing. The next question I asked her was, "Do you believe in heaven?" She replied, "I don't know. I think I do. But then that'd mean I'd have to believe in hell too and if I believed in that it'd affect the entire way, I'd live my life now and would affect everything. I don't want to live like that, so I just don't know. I suppose I can't believe in one and not the other. I wish I could know if heaven existed for sure..." "Would you like to know?" I asked. Shock appeared on her face again. "Yes! But I also don't know if I'm going there..." "Would you like to know that too?" "I can know that?!" she replied. Her honesty surprised me more than once in this conversation, but that moment seemed to top it all. I started in Scripture and told her how God's Word is the absolute truth and my foundation in life. She was aware that I'd be answering from Scripture, and she was anxiously waiting for what it had to say. I responded to her uncertainty with the biblical facts of both heaven and hell existing and the reality of one or the other being experienced after death. She then continued, "I'm sure this sounds really weird... But I'm scared of death, you know? Is that weird?" "No! Not weird at all." I responded. "It makes perfect sense to be afraid of it if you are still under judgment and God's wrath and don't have that advocate we talked about. The wages of sin is death, and because every human being ever to live, me included, has majorly sinned against God, we deserve to die and spend an eternity in hell because of our sin against God. Even one sin is enough to condemn us. Hell is what we deserve and what we'll all experience without Christ. I used to be afraid of death too. Then I had confidence in Jesus and what He did for me, and I understood that His righteousness became my own because of what He did, not because of anything that I did. By believing in Jesus and trusting Him, His righteousness becomes your own, you can be confident too and you won’t have to be afraid of death anymore." Our life could end at any moment (as we both mentioned, this reality was closer to the forefront of our minds in being on an airplane). Unless our trust and hope are in Christ, we will all perish. But because of Christ, we have the guarantee of an eternity spent with Him. As I concluded with the girl sitting next to me that day, "It's the best thing that could ever happen.” I would have been content if we had ended our conversation right there but we continued talking off and on up until the time the plane landed. We walked down to baggage claim together and it was there that we departed. "Thank you again for everything," she said. "I really needed that. Thank you." So what is my conclusion in all of this? You may never know the ways in which God will use a single Bible verse in the lives of others. Though I may never know myself, after this witnessing experience, I learned it’s something to never underestimate. All Glory Be to Christ, Hannah Kohner It was Friday, March 24th and I had just made it through security at the Dallas Fort Worth International airport. I was heading home after spending a few wonderful weeks in the area for a work trip. Spiritually refreshed and physically exhausted I made my way to the gate to board the plane home. "Lord, show me where you want me to be and where you want me to sit because I'm exhausted," I whispered under my breath. I was aware of how the Lord had opened up doors for me to share the gospel in similar situations in the past, so I walked around the airport with a sense of expectancy (hoping to then relax on the airplane).
A couple of hours later the plane's boarding process began. I refreshed my digital boarding pass hoping my seat would no longer be an assigned "middle seat." Seeing that no change was made, I sighed inwardly and entered the plane looking for my empty seat. It had been a long couple of weeks, and I was fully ready to enjoy the flight home with my plans - looking out the window, listening to music, reading, and reviewing a new collection of verses from Psalms I had recently discovered (I pushed aside the urge to nap because of the middle seat news). As I walked down the plane aisle, I found the row where I'd be sitting. A young girl (in her 20s) was to my right and another lady was to my left. Only using one hand, I awkwardly sat down and placed my bag under the seat. (I had previously injured a finger on the trip so had a part of it bandaged up). The moment I sat down I glanced over at the girl to my right. One thought was running through my head. I texted my friend, "Please pray I'd be able to share the gospel with the girl next to me on the plane." If I understood one thing it was that:
"I wish I had that mindset," she said. "You're choosing to look at the positive and not at the negative! I like that! How do you do it?" She questioned. I replied rather briefly and didn't mention God or Scripture just yet (as much as I wanted to). At this point I wasn't sure if she was a believer or not, so I wanted to talk with her more first. We started discussing our reasons for traveling (where I then mentioned that I was working for a ministry in the area). We also talked about our brief history and life in our home states (she was living in Dallas while I was from Minneapolis; so we had quite a bit to share from our flipped perspectives). From this conversation I was able to gauge where she was at spiritually - at least somewhat. To my surprise, it didn't take long for her to open up to me. She started sharing about some relational difficulties and some of the other hardships she had gone through. She attributed her lack of positive thinking to some of those things. "People just need to understand what works for me," she said. "What works for me and my life might not be the same for someone else, and that's okay!" Our roundabout conversation on morals broke when the overhead announcements went off and it continued at the time of take-off. "I know you didn't ask for my opinion," I said. "And I don't know if you believe in absolute truth or not, but I do believe there is one and that it starts with Scripture. I base my life on that. If Scripture doesn't agree with something, then I shouldn't either. It has the final say and I will not approve of something that it doesn't. If I do, I am held accountable and will be judged for it by God, and I don't want to be." That was the first time that I had mentioned God in our conversation. She completely agreed with me and respected my stance, although she didn't hold to it herself. I honestly don't think she was expecting me to say what I did. I wasn't willing to condone the sins that she was alluding to, and perhaps that intrigued her enough to continue the conversation with me for nearly two hours straight. The flight Wi-Fi she had purchased didn't seem to matter anymore. She told me that she had a Catholic background and had left the faith of that religion when her life circumstances got tough. She was familiar with some of the basics in Scripture, so I asked her questions like, "What parts of Catholicism did you not agree with?" "You said you feel convicted and bad when you do things you know you shouldn't. Why is that?" And "Why did you still wear things like a bracelet with a cross or the rosary sometimes?" She gave great and honest answers and explained to me the reasons why humanity as a whole falls back on religious hope in hard times. She told me that for her personally a lot of her reasons had gone back to tradition. It's how she was taught to be a good person. She listened intently as I responded and then explained to her the difference between Catholics and Christians. We continued to talk about topics such as absolute and relative truth, traditions, backgrounds, and cultures versus the facts and realities in Scripture that don't change from person to person. We concluded that subjectivity isn't how God operates and that such traditions of man done for a false hope are purposeless when there is still a reality "staring them in the face." These things couldn't make a person righteous. Her responses in our discussion proved that the Lord had already begun a work in her heart, but there was a sign that made it even clearer than that. "Oh! The other day I was trying to make a noodle dish but didn't have the noodles I wanted. I got so upset," she said. Not sure where she was going with her story, I listened rather puzzledly and waited for her to finish. "I just didn't have that positive mindset. I even yelled at God. But I decided to order on Instacart and have my noodles delivered to me instead. Then when the order was delivered there was a verse taped on the bag. I took a picture of it on my phone! I'll show you." She proceeded to scroll through her camera roll until she found an image of a piece of tattered scrap paper with a verse printed across it: "A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ." The verse was Galatians 2:16, and on the exact topic, we had just been discussing. "What does this verse mean?" She asked me. "Is there a reason that this verse was on my grocery bag? Do you think there's a reason you're sitting next to me on the plane right now?" She looked into my eyes and waited for my response. I could hardly believe what had just happened. Part 2 coming soon It was November 11th, 2022, and my family and I were driving home from the annual National Bible Bee Competition in Lexington, Kentucky. I had just experienced my first "all-nighter" before pulling all my luggage down to the main level of the hotel to begin loading the car at 4:30 am. I had been awake for over twenty hours straight and now all I wanted was to sleep—I didn't care where. With over a 13-hour car drive ahead of us, my sister and I were already grabbing the blankets to prepare for plenty of naps in the backseat. The rain slid down the windows of our SUV as the streetlights made unique reflections on the road, shining through the night. Several hours into our drive we made a quick stop in Indiana to pick up some morning beverages (Coffee? Not an option for me).
I woke up to the feeling of the vehicle coming to a stop and seeing rain-filled clouds still covering the sky overhead. Though I was completely unaware of my surroundings, I still chose to get out of the car and walk around a bit before we continued our journey home. As you can imagine, the last thing I wanted to do was carry on a conversation with strangers. So I stood outside in the light mist, half asleep, waiting for my mom and sister to get their drinks from the coffee shop. I took this time to reflect on all God had done at Nationals, how He has been glorified, and all the fun memories we had made. I was leaning on a fence post, with nothing keeping me awake but the cool chill of the morning air. Then a couple of moments later I saw a young woman with a black hoodie come out of the coffee shop and stand by me. I stood upright (to not look as exhausted as I felt) and continued looking off into the distance (again, not wanting to engage in conversation). "She's waiting for her drink, but maybe she's outside because she doesn't want to be around people either," I thought to myself. With that conclusion in mind, I happily remained silent. Then she broke the silence. "Do you know this song?" She asked me while gesturing up at the speakers that were playing secular music from the coffee shop's roof eave. I stared at her. "No," I responded. "I don't actually listen to the radio or most of the modern music." "Oh. I don't either," she replied. "I don't like some of that stuff on the radio!" We continued our small talk conversation, and I soon realized that the Lord may want me to share the gospel with her. Still quite exhausted and trying to formulate sentences that made sense, I quickly became aware of the fact that the Lord would have to give me His strength. My words wouldn't be sufficient. Our conversation continued: "Are you from...around here?" I replied. "This is Indiana, right? I was just in the car sleeping and don't know where we are. My family and I just took a quick stop on our way home," I replied while making known how sleep-deprived I was. "Yeah! Are you...not from around here?" Perfect I thought to myself. This was my chance to tell this young lady about the purpose of our trip (which has proven to be a great segue into gospel conversations in the past). I began to explain to her that I was from out of state but was traveling from Kentucky where I had attended the National Bible Bee Competition. After telling her about the ministry and its purpose, I was surprised to find that she had a great interest in what I was saying. "So do you believe in God?" I asked her bluntly. "Oh yes, I believe in God," she replied as she proceeded to tell me about the Bible verses she memorized as a kid and the church programs she was in. I continued to ask her questions that caused her to expound. She soon replied with hesitancy in her voice, "Well, I think I'm a good person... I do all the right things." At that moment, verses rushed to the forefront of my mind that I didn't know were there. Ones I had studied and memorized in time past were suddenly readily available for me to use. It felt as if someone just handed me a tool belt full of the tools I needed - and just when I needed them. Verses came to mind, references were pieced together, and gospel truths flowed like a river. I began to tell her about Isaiah 64 and about how all of our works were filthy rags in God's sight. I told her about Christ's righteousness, His perfect sacrifice, the beauty of imputation, and the eternal life that He gave to those who believed in Him. I was able to answer her questions about sin, the fall, the current state of our world, the purpose of our life (to glorify God), and the imminent return of Christ. Verses from Genesis, Romans, and Philippians poured into my mind and came from my mouth. All the while, my Bible was sitting in the car. Our conversation ended with her in tears and me in utter amazement at what God had done. This lady had a new understanding of Jesus Christ - she had previously seen Him as One to strive to live a good life for in her strength. She now saw Him as the One who became righteousness for her and took her sin upon Himself out of love. Some of the last words she said to me in this conversation were, "I want to be able to memorize all that Scripture like you have been talking about - like those [Bible Bee] kids! I cannot believe you told me all of this today. This is just what I needed!" As she wiped the tears from her face I said, "And none of this was me. Anything you just heard was all God. As I told you before, I was just sleeping in the car before I got here and am extremely tired from an all-nighter I just did last night. God ordered our paths to cross at this moment and He wanted you to hear all of these things this morning." I prayed for her before we departed. I had just witnessed God's incredible strength in my incredible weaknesses. The fact that this young woman received anything that pointed to Christ from that conversation was evidence that the Lord was present and doing it all. A couple of moments later my mom and sister finally walked out of the coffee shop. As we were heading back to the vehicle, I asked my mom what took so long. She informed me that they had gotten their drink order wrong several times and had to remake the drinks. Because of these supposed "delays" the woman at the coffee shop was able to hear the gospel and when our ten (or so) minutes of discussion were finished—so were the drinks. As I witnessed this cold rainy morning in Indiana: 1. Whenever you share Christ, it's not you doing it, but Christ in you. When someone commits their life to Christ, it's not because of you, but because of Christ. This is one way that God receives the glory. Without Him opening the hearts of the unregenerate, none will come to Him. We are just the means by which He pours His truth into the lives of His own—the weaker we are, and the more incompetent and incapable we feel—the more Christ will shine through. 2. You won't always have a Bible in your hand when you want to evangelize, but you will always have the Scripture that has been memorized and is hidden in your heart. A gospel-sharing opportunity never has to be a lost opportunity when God's Word is in your heart. Will you memorize God's Word to store up tools in your toolbelt for the day when God may decide to put someone in your path to share the gospel with? Will you memorize it until you no longer fear sharing the gospel, and until you are confident in the very truths that brought you to salvation? Do you want to memorize more verses to equip you in sharing the gospel with others? Are you unsure of where to start? Check out this helpful resource of 84 key Bible verses on the truths of salvation: https://scripturememory.com/146 All glory be to Christ, Hannah Kohner [email protected] In this week's blog post, we'll be hearing from a dear friend of mine, Faith Anema, who will be sharing with us a little bit of her personal journey in Scripture memorization. Her hopes in writing to you is not only to share what God has done through her, but to inspire each reader to seek God for themselves through the memorization of His Word. Though this past year was her final one competing in the National Bible Bee, the words of truth that have been planted in her heart will never leave. I hope you each are encouraged by her words as much as I was. "I recently returned from competing in the National Bible Bee in which I had to memorize over 900 verses and study several chapters in Isaiah. I spent anywhere between 4 and 8 hours a day studying. Many may wonder why I would want to spend so much time memorizing Scripture. I am going to share 3 reasons why I memorize and why I think you should as well. First, the Bible tells us to memorize and internalize scripture. In Deuteronomy 6:8-9 it says, “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." God commanded the Israelites to always have the word of God before them that they would not forget all that God had done for them. We are to continually live with God's law in our mind. How are we to follow God's law, if we don't know it. That leads me to my second reason, memorizing Scripture leads to practical application. I have personally been in times of temptation and trial and had a verse come to mind to comfort and direct me. In Matthew 4, Jesus wards off Satan's temptation with Scripture. We should follow in Christ's example and respond to our everyday temptation with the Word of God that we have internalized. And finally, we should memorize Scripture to have an answer for the hope that is in us as 1 Peter 3:15-16 states: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed." We should have the Word of God in our hearts to share with those around us. We need to know what we believe, so that we can spread the good news of the gospel. Before I participated in Bible Bee, I didn't understand why I should memorize Scripture, besides being able to show off. However, after I had memorized so much of it, it began to affect me in ways I had never imagined. The more I memorize, the more I want to continue. Bible Bee gave me the motivation to get started, and now I have a greater desire to memorize. I hope what I shared will encourage you to get involved memorizing Scripture." "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12 -Faith Anema P.s - Are you a fellow memorizer? Do you know Faith personally? Leave her a comment of encouragement on this post! As Christians, we are called to a higher standard. We represent Christ as we walk this earth and everything from our words to our actions will either reflect Him or distract from Him.
It is easy to say that we believe something. In fact, in a country where persecution isn't common, it is even easy to say we are Christians in the face of others. What is more difficult is actually living in accordance with our beliefs. We know God is sovereign, but so often we act like He isn't! We trust that He is faithful even when we don't understand, but we know that our words can easily say otherwise. This disconnect sometimes even extends beyond who we perceive our God to be. We may find ourselves agreeing with the statement, "What I do now will matter in eternity" or "whatever I do can be done for the glory of God," yet we may not be able to say with confidence that our daily actions in the mundane tasks of life reflect this reality. If "The joy of the Lord is our strength" and if we believe that "The peace of God surpasses all understanding," then why do we act otherwise so many times in our lives? I have found that our enemy in this battle is not persecution, but rather, our flesh. "But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:57)! Though our flesh is weak, our spirit through the grace of Jesus Christ is strong. When we fall short and fail to reflect Christ as we ought, Christ's perfection shines even more radiantly through us. When our beliefs don't match our words, our Mediator stands ready to supply us with the faith we need to act upon what we know is true. When washing the dishes seems like more of a burden than an opportunity to serve, Christ extends grace and gives us a new perspective. Doctrinal living is important, transformative, and should be expected of all believers. It brings greater joy to our lives, omits hypocrisy, strengthens our witness for Christ, and grows our faith. When we live a doctrinal life, we let Scripture and the many truths contained in it flow into every aspect of our lives. We acknowledge that God and His Word is not to be compartmentalized but exalted in every moment. When we live in accordance with our knowledge of who Jesus is (as written in Scripture), we cannot help but rejoice in Him. When our "faith becomes sight" in seeing Christ face to face, our joy will be complete. But to take the King at His Word now is to just take one step closer to that abundant joy and peace. We would do ourselves a lot of good to rely upon the facts of what IS true - God's Word - instead of our feelings. This is a big part of doctrinal living. But amidst our strong desire to live a doctrinal life, none of it can be accomplished on our own outside of Christ at all. We need Him every hour. So, in conclusion, what is my encouragement to you? As I myself strive to live a life that is both doctrinal and acceptable to Christ, my word to you is not to work harder. It's not to beat yourself up for how you have fallen short in the past. It is not to make a list of rules and personal confessions for yourself. It is to rest in Christ and to rejoice in what is now possible through Him. It is to believe your God at His Word and to trust in Him to accomplish what you cannot. It is, "...my beloved brethren, [to] be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." -1 Cor. 15:58 Always remember that Christ is most glorified in you when you are the most dependent upon Him! “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)
In today's fast-paced society, it isn't difficult to find ourselves subconsciously trying to keep up with its pace. When the world tells us to purchase a new product to "speed up the process," we order it. When new methods are shared to save time, we try to implement them into our own lives. Such modern-day innovations can be a blessing, but they can also be a stumbling block if we aren't careful. Is living a fast-paced life really worth it if we are missing out on the things that are truly important? Beyond just telling us how to save time, the world is constantly crying out to us instructing us on how to use our time. Will we listen? As I've recently experienced my own life getting busier, I've been challenged to ask the question, "How will I use the time God has given me? What do I value as most important?" Deciding how to use our time is a daily choice we all must make. Will we fill our time with things that distract us from the kingdom or point us towards it? Scripture has a lot to say about time and how we are to live our days while here on earth. One of the most essential, useful, and eternally impacting ways we can use the time God has given us is by memorizing Scripture. By doing this, we aren't only making the best use of our time, but we're laying up treasures of truth for the days to come - and into eternity. Troubles in life will inevitably come our way. When we have Scripture stored in our hearts, the winds can come and beat upon the house of our faith, yet we'll be firmly planted upon the rock (Matt. 7:25). As life has gotten more fast-paced, I've found I need to depend upon God's Word and its truths even more. I need to have these transforming truths at the forefront of my mind and within my heart. God’s Word should be at the center of our lives, not on the back burner. Memorizing such powerful truths also produces joy and peace within our hearts and helps us to fix our eyes upon Christ. Who better to place our hope and trust in than our never-changing Lord (Mal. 3:6)? Internalizing His valuable Word helps us to do that. Taking time to memorize God's Word isn't always easy -- especially in a culture that belittles its practice. But what the world has to offer us will not last. Only the Word of God will remain and the fruit that its internalization produces will never perish (Isa. 40:8). Is the world's definition of "a profitable way to spend your time" also your definition? Or could you say with Paul that the ways of wisdom, though foolish to the world, are ultimate gain (1 Cor. 1:18; Phil. 3:7-8)? Consider memorizing God's Word today, and experience the long-lasting peace and joy that this world cannot even comprehend. I still remember sitting on our back porch in the summertime of 2019, staring at this passage and its highlighted words in my Bible. The verses from this second stanza of Psalm 119 were some of the first verses I ever memorized for the National Bible Bee Competition. They have a special place in my heart and the truths I memorized that summer afternoon have not left me. Scripture that has entered you through memorization will often pour out of you later - whether it is during a conversation, in a difficult situation, as you participate in a Bible study, or in this case, as you write a blog post. However the Holy Spirit chooses to use it in your life in the future, Scripture internalized does not leave you unchanged. Verse 9 has particularly always stood out to me. This question in this verse, "How shall a young man cleanse his way?" isn’t only geared to believers as a whole. It isn’t referring to only the adults so as to let the young ones “have time to play around" without high expectations and waste their life pursuing frivolous things. No. This verse is speaking directly to the young. 2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to “flee youthful lusts” and to “follow righteousness, faith, charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” We cannot do that if we do not first seek out the very Word of God. In the upcoming verses we see that we aren't to just count Scripture as our help in time of need in regard to purity, but also to count it as our chiefest meditation, source of rejoicing, and delight. “Names of His Word” in Psalm 119:9-16: word, commandments, statutes, judgements, testimonies, and precepts. Key Word Definitions: Hebrew word for Declared: sapar - a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate Rejoiced: sus - to be bright, i.e. cheerful Meditate: śîaḥ - to ponder, i.e. (by implication) converse (with oneself, and hence, aloud) or (transitively) utter Delight: šāʿaʿ - (in a good acceptation) to look upon (with complacency), i.e. fondle, please or amuse (self); (in a bad one) to look about (in dismay), i.e. stare 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. 13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. In this stanza there are four actions the writer takes in regard to God’s Word (these same action words are the ones I defined above). First, the writer of this Psalm says that he declared the judgements of God’s mouth (v. 13). In other words, according to the Hebrew, he recounted them intensively. He did not keep them to himself, nor did he just think upon them lightly. They were readily on his mind. The Hebrew also says that declared can also mean to celebrate. When good news comes to your home, you don’t keep it to yourself or in secret. You declare and celebrate it. The Word of God is something worth rejoicing over! In verse 14, we see that the writer of this Psalm rejoiced in the way of God’s testimonies, AS MUCH as in all riches. Whether the Psalmist had plenty or not much at all, he found himself rejoicing in God's Word as if he possessed all riches. Why? Because he found the all the sufficiency he needed for life and godliness in the very words of God (2 Pet. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16). There is so much in Christ we have to be joyous over and to rejoice over. This can cause us to ask the question, "How much do we truly rejoice in God’s Word?" Because of Christ, we have many reasons to rejoice, regardless of what circumstance we find ourselves in. Do we? Oftentimes we can think “I have a reason to feel happy, but I can’t be truly happy until x, y, z happens.” Christian, it is just the opposite. We have a reason to be truly joyful (and the ability to be) at all times, whether our temporal and ever-changing feelings catch up with us or not at that moment. We possess something so much more sure than temporal happiness. We can rejoice in all seasons (Philippians 4:4) because it is made possible through Christ! Next (vs. 15) we see him meditating in God’s precepts. You meditate upon and allow your thoughts to dwell on and muse over that which you love, and the more do, the more you come to love that thing. The same is true with Scripture. If we do not allow ourselves to meditate upon it, our love for it will not grow as much. We see in the Hebrew definition as well, that to meditate isn’t just to think upon, but to ponder and to converse in your mind with yourself. How much could we say we do this with God’s Word in our daily lives? And if we aren’t meditating upon God’s Word, what is consuming our thoughts instead? Lastly, what kind of impact would that have on our lives if we allowed God’s Word to be the highest focus and greatest meditation throughout our day? Verse 16 speaks of the writer delighting in God’s statutes. Notice how meditation came before delight in this passage. Knowing God’s Word results in our abounding love of it! What does it mean to you to delight in God’s Word? Can it be said alongside the Psalmist in verse 10 that we have sought the Lord with our whole heart? May this encourage us to hide our Lord's precious Word in our hearts that we may not sin against Him (vs. 11)! His Word is powerful! Lastly, I think we can conclude that it is hard to forget something in which you delight in. That is just one aspect to what makes the final sentence of this stanza more amazing: “I will not forget Thy Word.” This alone signifies delight. When we are going about our daily lives, working with our hands in the thing which is before us, whether through trial or great joy, may we never forget God’s precious Word. May we along with the Psalmist, count it as our chiefest meditation, source of rejoicing, and greatest delight. "I will not forget Thy Word."Happy Monday! I’m excited to finally be starting this next series on the beautiful chapter of Psalm 119! I hope and pray that the Lord works through these blog posts to encourage, challenge, and grow you in the faith towards a more abundant relationship with our Savior. In each post, I will be including a few “sections” to dig a little bit deeper into the study while also pointing out some important details that may be otherwise easy to miss. The first section I’ll call “Names of His Word.” Since Psalm 119 is filled with so many names for God’s Word, in each post I will list (or highlight/emphasize) the other titles given to Scripture in that stanza. “Names of His Word” in Psalm 119:1-8: law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, righteous judgements. In each post I will also include a brief “key word definition” section in which I will share the Hebrew word along with its definition. Often the words selected for this section will be ones that are repeated/used more than once within the stanza. Keeping an eye out for repeated or emphasized words/phrases in a given text is important, as they weren’t repeated for no reason! Because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (not Greek) we will only be looking at that language as we go through Psalms: Key Word Definitions: Hebrew word for ‘Blessed’: 'ešer - happiness. Way: derek - a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action. Walk: halak - a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively). Now let’s get into the first stanza: 1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly. Mostly everyone is familiar with Matthew 5, also known as the Beatitudes. In this chapter, Jesus lists multiple ways in which we are considered blessed. Psalm 119 begins in this same way, yet often these blessings to believers aren’t as common. In the first two verses of Psalm 119, we see the phrases “blessed are the undefiled” and “blessed are they that keep His testimonies.” What does this statement tell us about the rest of this chapter? How does this introduction lay the foundation for the following verses about God’s Word? The first blessing “blessed are the undefiled '' essentially stems from the second blessing to KEEP the commandments of God. We cannot be undefiled without doing this first. We also see this in verse 3 which says that those who commit no iniquity walk in the ways of God. So, if keeping the commandments of God results in our blessing and our undefilement, how do we then go about keeping them? In fact, throughout Psalm 119 we are commanded not just to keep God’s commandments, but to keep them diligently. Verse 4 proclaimed this truth, and it can also be seen in other verses like Deuteronomy 6:17, Joshua 1:7, and Proverbs 8:17. The diligent keeping of God’s commandments can only be achieved by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Philippians 2 tells us that it is God which works in us “both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” God is the One who directs our ways to keep His statutes (Psalm 119:5). Nothing in our Christian lives can be accomplished on our own or in our own strength! The author points this out in verse 8 by saying, “I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.” He knew that if God were to forsake him, that he would be helpless. He depended on God and concluded this stanza with that truth. The same concept can be seen in John 15 where Jesus says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” I especially appreciated this excerpt from Matthew Henry’s commentary on verse 2 - “They seek him with their whole heart. They do not seek themselves and their own things, but God only; this is that which they aim at, that God may be glorified in their obedience and that they may be happy in God's acceptance. he is, and will be, the rewarder, the reward, of all those who thus seek him diligently, seek him with the heart, for that is it that God looks at and requires; and with the whole heart, for if the heart be divided between him and the world it is faulty.” Praise be to God for not leaving us on our own in this journey of sanctification, but for steadily growing and perfecting us until that glorious day (Philippians 1:6)! As verse 7 concludes, “I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.” When we abide in Christ and learn how to follow His commandments by the Holy Spirit, we are given an upright heart that can then resound in praise unto God! We can worship Him in return as He deserves. Now let’s take a step back and ask… are we seeking to know God, not just about God? Are we allowing Scripture to enter into our hearts and change us from the inside out, instead of just briefly letting it cross our minds? Are we asking the Holy Spirit to conform us to His will, and do we desire for Him to lead us in His way? God has given us His Word and His Spirit to accomplish what would otherwise be impossible for us by ourselves. Let’s praise God and allow these Gifts to conform us to His image that we may not be found ashamed (v. 6-7)! May we be called blessed as we walk in His way. "I will praise thee when I have learned thy judgments," intimating that he could not learn unless God taught him, and that divine instructions are special blessings, which we have reason to be thankful for.
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AuthorHello, I'm Hannah and I'm so glad you're here! I'm a twenty-year-old Jesus-loving writer, National Bible Bee Alumna, and homeschool graduate. Jesus redeemed me, and now I give my life, and this blog, to serve Him. Hebrews 3:13 reminds us to encourage each other daily, lest we be hardened by sin. I hope that reading each blog entry that I post you will be encouraged and challenged to become more like Christ daily. |