Some Bible Study Emails

lamb100

----Key 9--- "My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways." Proverbs 23:26 These are the words of a loving, caring father. Our father in heaven asks us to give him our hearts. If he truly has your heart he can lead you easily in his way, but if you resist him in your heart your heart will lead you into many wrong paths. Perhaps you have given him your heart. You really want him to have it, but it seems that it's so hard to keep it true. The problem may be your eyes. Our eyes can get us into all kinds of problems. If we do as he tells us, and keep our eyes focused on his ways, we will find that our heart is much easier to control. If we allow our eyes to wander in wrong directions, and focus on things that are forbidden, we will find ourselves making many wrong and harmful choices. Both our heart and our eyes must be given over to his control if we want God's best for us ---Key 10--- "Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind." Psalm 26:2 Here are three methods by which we invite God to discover the kind of person we really are. The first is the scene of the classroom. Here the Lord, our teacher, tests us to show what we know. The second is the scene of the courtroom. Here the Lord acts as our judge to show if our actions are good or bad. The third is the scene of the doctor's office where we are examined internally to see what is inside us. What is really in your heart? What secrets are hidden away there that you hope no one will ever discover? The Lord wants to clean your heart from everything that is crowding him out from having full contro there. But wait, the examination must reach beyond your heart to your mind as well. We can allow things to enter through our mind that will keep our heart from perfect fellowship with the Lord. Guard your mind carefully. Allow the Lord to examine it continually. When anything harmful is discovered there take quick action to remove it. Make this verse your prayer today and every day. ---Key 11--- "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody." Romans 12:17 It is human nature to want to get even. If someone does something good for us we, quite naturally, want to do something good for them to bless them. But, oh, if someone hurts us, whether physically or emotionally, the natural way is to strike back, maybe a little bit harder. They made us suffer and we want to do the same. Here, in our verse, we have quite the opposite stated very strongly. "DO NOT". Let the chain of evil be broken right here. Do not repay with more evil. The next instruction can be a little confusing. It does not say for yu to do what others want or even expect you to do. It says to do what is right. Be careful to do what is right. In due time they will have to agree that is was right. Even if they do not ever agree, you have the satisfaction of knowing you did what was right. Do not try to please everyone. You can't, but you can do what is right. ---Key 12--- "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge init will become more and more ungodly." II Timothy 2:16 "avoid" Stay away from it. Treat it as dangerous. "godless" having none of the character of God in it. "chatter" Meaningless, frivilous talk with no real purpose. "because" There's a reason; it leads to something. "those who" people who practice doing such a thing "indulge in" It's something they do by choice and it becomes a habit. "it" godless chatter "will" not might or maybe, but "will" for sure "become" It causes a change in the person. "more and more" increasing from a little to much. This increase continues withoutreaching a climax. "ungodly" moving in a direction away from God and his likeness. This is just the opposite ofwhat God wants. ---Key 13-- KEY #13 "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not fdrift away." Hebrews 2:1 "We" those of us who have heard (read) and know God's truth. "must" not an option, but a requirement "pay" not in money, but in full attentiveness "more" increasing carefulness "careful" requires our full, undivided attention "attention" focusing our interest on these things "therefore" because of what has been written in chapter 1 "to what" It is something. We dare not treat it as nothing. "we" Again,as above, those who have heard and know "have heard" We had the privilege to hear. "so that" This has come to us for a purpose. "we" again, as with "we" above "do not" There is the possibility that we can or will. Here is our protection to prevent it from happening. "drift" as a boat on the water with no one to guide it "away" in the opposite direction from which we started Missing the goal that was set. ---Key 14--- "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14 "make" a word of action, DO IT ! "every" not just a little bit, but try all possibilities "effort" This takes work. It may not be easy. "to live" This is your relationships. "in peace" God wants our peace with Him to flow over into our relationships with people. "with" as we contact others in the daily affairs of life "all" not just the easy ones "men" all people "and" "Make every effort." "to be" a goal of life, something positive "holy" pure in all things "without holiness" if we don't have it "no one" not any person - no exceptions "will see" Part of our hope for eternity is to see the Lord and be with Him forever. "the Lord" the One to whom we owe so much, the One who has redemption rights over us. --Key 15--- "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." Hebrews 13:16 "And" this, along with some other things written before. "do not" Oh, you could, you might, but "do not". "forget" We forget when other things dominate our thoughts, so guard against other things, especially selfishness. "to do good" action, positive and helpful "and" There's more. "to share" not what you don't have, but what you have been blessed with. "with" You can have some, but give some to others also. "others" especially those who need some of what you have. "for with such sacrifices" Oh, this is not from great abundance, but may take away from what you could need and use. "God is pleased" When we consider what He sacrificed for us, His Son, how can we consider any sacrifice too great? ---Key 16--- "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." James 1:17 James, the writer of this book, speaks to those for whom he cares very deeply. It is a mark of God's servant that he cares deeply for and about those who he knows or feels responsible for. In all your other interests, "take note of this." He has something very important to share with us and requests our full attention. Many of us are taught to be good speakers, but have we learned to become good listeners? Being quick to listen shows our respect for the speaker. It also helps us correctly evaluate what he is saying. Being slow to speak gives us time to think carefully about what we have heard and how we should respond to it. Careful thought before we speak should make our words more valuable. Finally, he says we need to be slow to become angry. If we become angry quickly we will probably say or do something which we will regret later on. If we wait we might not become angry at all.