Scriptures

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.
Hebrews 6:19

It's wonderful to be able to think of the hope of Christ to be like an anchor. It really is. 

  According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15

 Every man's work will be revealed by fire. No matter what your work is, if you don't build it on the foundation of Christ, you will suffer loss. Very thought-provoking. What are you building with?


What have you learned from the Scripture you have read? 




Grace be with you,


Abby :D

beautiful

{via}

...We take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
    2 Corinthians 10:5

Faith + Deeds

The only thing you have to do to get saved is to believe in Christ Jesus, that He died on the cross for your sins.

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
Acts 16:31

But if you are truly saved, you will love God and Jesus and want to please them. You love your parents, so you do things to please them. Right? Witnessing and being a good example to unbelievers won't save you. Witnessing to 'save' people won't save you. God could save those people without you. I believe that witnessing is an act of love to God. But at the same time,

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:14-17

Believing in Jesus is enough to save you, but if you have no deeds, there will be nothing to keep your faith alive. You do the deeds out of love. Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

(ps. sorry if this is a bit rough. It's been floating in my head for a couple of weeks and I have just now put it onto 'paper'. If you find any Biblical-ly unsound spots, feel free to respectfully point them out. Thanks!)

The Book of James...

Lately I've been reading in the book of James. I love it, too. :) It points out things that we need to think about. For example:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:2-3

Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:1-4

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:9-10

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:17-18

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13-17

So, during your Bible study tonight (or tomorrow morning or afternoon), you should definitely devote a few minutes to this great book. :)

What have you been reading lately? I'd sure love to hear!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Scripture for the day

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Mark 16:15 

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Monday's Scripture

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16


This verse is always good if you need a boost in life. It was one of the first that I memorized. I love it!

Another Verse

This is also one of my favorite verses:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9 (king james)

Jesus' Parables

Jesus told some really great stories. Here is my favorite:

The Parable of the Sower

"A farm went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 13:3-9 (NIV)

What is your favorite parable?

Revelation...

When you read that word, did you experience a shudder? Usually when you think of Revelation, you think of a dark book, with prophecies of death and destruction. In a way, it could be, but mostly it is a crucial book for believers to read.

"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last..."
Revelation 22:13

We have been reading Revelation, and even though it is kind of scary, it lends you quite a bit of insight into the last days. You can see what is to come, and how it will be for believers. Are you ready?

"When we stand before the Almighty Judge of heaven and of earth, we will not be asked what church on earth we belonged to, but the only question will be: "What have you done with Jesus who is called the Christ?"- Revelation by M. R. De Haan, M.D.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepard; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23


This is my favorite verse in the Bible so far. It is very comforting. My family is memorizing it. What is your favorite?

Job: The Behemoth

Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as the ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
Job 40:15-17 (king James)

When I read this verse, the footnote at the bottom said "Possibly the elephant", and I thought it seemed right. After all, it's a strong animal that eats grass, right? But when we went to the Creation Museum this year, we watched a movie about dinosaurs. It made me realize that it did not make sense. The elephant's tail does not look like or even resemble a cedar. The movie said that what the Bible was talking about might have been a Brachiosaurus or some other dinosaur. To me, that makes a lot more sense.

A Verse

It is better to live on a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

Proverbs 21:9, 25:24 and 21:19

This verse really struck me when I read it. Wives should not be quarrelsome and bad-tempered. Since it was said three times in three different places, it must be rather important.