Tag Archives: chronological

Chronological Bible Study

Posted on by

0

I’ve always loved family history. There’s something about looking back at my past that helps me appreciate my present. When I think of my spiritual heritage, I find myself overwhelmed by God’s goodness to take me, a sinner fully deserving of His wrath, into His family. Through His grace I’m the daughter of the King of Kings! Isn’t that an incredible family story?!

Here’s where Chronological Bible Study comes in. I used to think of the Bible as two incredibly different stories: the Old Testament which chronicles the history of people’s disobedience and God’s justice and the New Testament which tells the beautiful story of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and grace. I’ve never thought of it as MY history. But it is! It’s OUR history. And Chronological Bible Study is the place where we can connect with our very rich heritage as we see God’s righteousness and goodness and mercy and love seep from every page. From Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, His Word is cohesive and amazing and very much alive. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Meeting God daily on the pages of His precious Word has changed my heart. He has shown me who I am in Him, but most importantly He has shown me who He is! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Studying His scripture in its entirety, and with other women seeking Him, I have a new appreciation for His love and sacrifice. I have a refreshed awe of God’s sovereignty. And I have an undeniable thirst to know Him more and to make His story known.

 I encourage every woman to dive in to Chronological Study and see for yourself. I’ll be praying that you embrace your spiritual heritage by experiencing God’s pure and faultless Word. May you too be stunned at every turn by God’s powerful, perfect, intentional tapestry of grace, woven so perfectly through the pages of His word. And may you discover the beauty of your family history as given to us by our Heavenly Father.

Jill Olund

The Unparalleled Library

Posted on by

2

Reading has always been a favorite activity of mine. As a child I loved being taken to story hour by my mom and I remember fondly the sweet librarian at the Goodlettsville Branch Library who helped instill in me a love for the library. At home I read the stacks of library books to my dolls as I pretended to “teach” them (and often my younger sister participated as one of my pupils.) I even thought I might be a librarian some day! In college I spent hours studying in the library, most often by myself in a quiet corner somewhere.  I still love walking into any library. The quiet, the endless opportunity for learning, the shelves and shelves of books that have been touched and poured over by countless hands and eyes. It feels exciting and relaxing and comfortable all at the same time.

As I grew older my life was filled with all the activity of being a wife, employee, and mom to 2 sweet boys, my reading list changed. Instead of pleasure reading it became marriage books and cookbooks, then pregnancy books, then baby books, toddler books, the list goes on.  Reading was more about what I needed to do to prepare for or understand the stage of life I was in. It was a quick read to gain some knowledge, insight, or support. Except on an occasional vacation I rarely had time to dive into a good book and enjoy it as I used to. And when I did there was some guilt involved that I should probably be spending my time doing something else.

The most important book I have always wanted to read from cover to cover is the Bible. I always thought I would do it someday “when I had time” and never made it a priority. Last year I started reading the Chronological Bible with the ladies at church. I couldn’t attend the in-person sessions so I read on my own.  I was amazed at how reading the Bible in order just opened my eyes to things I had never understood before. It made me feel empowered to understand the book for myself as if written by God from his heart to mine. Of course, along the way the busyness of life took over and I didn’t finish it all, so this year my husband and I decided to read thru it together. Another unexpected and cool blessing straight from the Father!

You know, when I read the Bible there is no guilt involved with taking time away from other things that need my attention. It’s not just “me” time, it’s “God and me” time. As I read thru the history of all that God has done he uses the words to fill me up, to remind me that He has a plan for me too, and that if I don’t take the time to spend with him in the Word he doesn’t have a chance to speak to me.

So I seek out the moments in my day, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night, to dive in and see what God’s been up to. Yes there are a few chapters I tend to read faster than others, some that I’m not sure exactly what they mean or why God did certain things, but isn’t that like our lives too? There are some seasons we don’t understand at the time, some we want to move quickly thru? Just like the Bible, it’s all a part of His plan.

Reading God’s word kind of feels like the library to me, exciting, relaxing, and comfortable all at the same time. It’s exciting in that each time I open His book the creator of the universe has something to reveal to me. It’s relaxing in that it reminds me that He is control, that He is mighty and sovereign and full of love and always good. It’s comfortable in that it invites me in and once I’m in His word I don’t want to put it down.  It really is the best place to be.

So I keep reading, one day at a time, in anticipation of what God has for me. Of course I’m a few weeks behind already but apparently God still wants me to be reading Deuteronomy!

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. ~Psalm 119: 105

It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of my life so he is that he may learn to revere the Lord.

~Deuteronomy 17: 19

How do you make time to read God’s word? What suggestions do you have for your sisters in Christ to set aside time with the Father in his word?

~Annemarie

Julie’s Corner

Posted on by

1

This is my second year, along with many other women at Long Hollow, to read through the Bible chronologically. It is so exciting to read God’s story from Genesis to Revelation and see God’s activity in the lives of mankind. Each time I read His story, I learn more about Him and His amazing grace in the redemption of mankind. I also see how hopeless I am apart from Him.

The Tabernacle

In recent weeks we’ve been reading about the tabernacle, God’s dwelling place among His chosen people in the wilderness. What a privilege for the Israelites that God so desired relationship with them that He gave them very specific instructions for building the tabernacle.

As we studied the tabernacle, I was reminded of the words in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (emphasis added) Paul was specifically addressing sexual immorality here but the more I thought about my body being a temple of the Holy Spirit, I realized that I was not taking good care of my temple as it related to what I eat as well as getting proper exercise and rest. I’ve been convicted during my reading but not enough to do anything about it…until now.

Since this past week was Spring Break in Sumner County, I knew my schedule would not be as hectic as usual. So, I decided to set a goal for myself of working out at the gym 3 times. Now if you understood how much I hate to work out, you would realize what a lofty goal that was to set! Thankfully I have a workout partner who is a tad more serious than I and she keeps me accountable and focused!

Mission accomplished! Three times this week I worked out with weights and have the sore muscles to prove it! I even started being more cognizant of what I was eating because I’ve learned that it’s not just exercising but also the stuff that I put in my mouth that alters the way I feel. If I’m exercising, eating, and sleeping well, then I can tell a definite difference in my overall energy level. If I’m not doing the aforementioned things, then I am constantly in need of a nap!

Really, it comes down to the word I love to hate…discipline. Why do I hate it? Because it requires work; hard work! You see, I am not proud to admit this, but I am a GREAT procrastinator. My motto normally is “don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow.” But one thing I know about myself is that if am undisciplined in any area of my life, most often that bleeds over into every area even my spiritual life. Does anybody know what I’m talking about?

I’m so thankful that my relationship with Christ is not dependent upon how disciplined I’ve been in my walk with Him. Don’t get me wrong; spiritual discipline is extremely important. 1 Timothy 4:8 says,   “physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Physical training is important, but spiritual discipline is more important. However, God doesn’t love me any more if I’ve spent time alone with Him or any less if I haven’t. My relationship with Christ has nothing to do with anything I’ve done but it’s all because of God’s grace.  Oftentimes I’ve gotten bogged down with the “to do” list in spending time with Him rather than just enjoying Him and the fact that He loves me and calls me His beloved!

Whether training physically or spiritually, the fact of the matter is that when I neglect either, I’m the one who suffers. Although I know that God doesn’t love me any less, it still boggles my mind that the Creator of the universe wants me to spend time with Him! What a privilege I don’t want to miss!

Julie