The House You're Building

A friend asked me today how I was doing and I said, "busy."  Cliche I know and I try to live in a way that prevents that from being my answer but it's so true right now.  This is coming from a teacher with one week left of school.  A teacher who is a mom with all the end of year actives her kids participate in as well.  I value the peace that comes from having an uncluttered mind and more often than not that is heavily influenced by my schedule. I also had the gift of music in my life this weekend with great people.  The bridge to one of the songs we sang declares, "All the earth will shout your praise."  When I hear it, it reminds me of the verse in Luke where Jesus says that if they people don't praise him, the stones would cry out (19:40). But as rich and as deep as that time was this weekend my soul needed a little more to counteract the season I'm in.  So I headed outside to find more solitude. As I headed through sun-dappled trails, the bird...

KeyVerse:  Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15 Opening Reflection: Who in life do you admire so much that you imitate their qualities and choices?  Study Questions: This section speaks about the role of leaders in the faith.  What are their responsibilities to us? What are our responsibilities to them?  Consider letting them know how much they encourage you.   What warnings are in this chapter?  What truths and safeguards does God provide to protect the believer from being led astray?  Verses 10-12 describe the Levitical system.  Read Leviticus 7: 15-18 and Exodus 29:14 for more about the sacrifices the readers of this letter would be familiar with.  What is the writer saying in these verses about the sacrifice of Christ that he spoke previously about in Hebrews 10:1-18?  What commands are given in vers...

“God’s anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”   Psalm 30:5   “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!   How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no decent!”   Psalm 32:1-2   Like David in these verses we too can be confident that, no matter how bad we screw up, God’s love for us is boundless and His capacity to forgive unlimited!   We only have to recognize our sin, confess, and ask for forgiveness.   God is faithful and righteous to forgive.   1 John 1:9     ·          Compare and contrast Psalms 28 and 29.   What is the main idea of each psalm?   ·          Read Psalm 30.   List all of the things David is thankful for.   Are you thank...