Good
A student once told me that he has never regretted reading the bible…only not reading it!
WHAT DO THOSE NUMBERS MEAN? How to Navigate the Bible
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Practices... a little direction for some new spiritual practices we want you to try this month: Confession (1 John 1:9):
1. Remind yourself of who He is and confess (tell Him) He is the LORD of your life. 2. Invite the Holy Spirit to convict you of how you have disobeyed or distrusted God.
Slow/Rest (Psalm 62:1):
We can so easily get caught up in going fast and NEED to have that rhythm disrupted. Questions to ask: Why do I go so fast? What does going fast satisfy? Why do I resist slowing down? What effect does rest have on me? Exercise: 1. How do you react to a slow driver or sales clerk? Whatʼs that about? 2. If you are tired, ask yourself if it is a body or soul tiredness. What would refresh you today?
Fast (Matthew 6:16) & Memorize (Psalm 119:11, Colossians 1:16):
Fasting is to abstain from something to increase your mindfulness of God and focus on Him. It is a great way to remind ourselves who it is that actually meets our needs. Memorizing scripture is a great way to focus on promises that we have or how we are called to live. Godʼs Spirit reminds us of these truths by bringing these verses to mind at pertinent times. (Tip: Memorizing can be challenging...I have found the easiest way to memorize is to read a verse repeatedly while reflecting on what God is saying to me each time. Before you know it you’ve memorized it!)
Examen (Philippians 1:9-10):
God is with us every moment of every day. Invite the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to Godʼs presence and movement in your life. Questions to ask: what am I thankful for today? How did God speak to me today? What fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) did I bear today?
Gratitude:
Taking the time to look at your life and to express gratitude, to be grateful or thankful for what God is doing in your life. As we practice gratitude this week, keep a running list of all the things you are thankful for.
Q&A: We want to hear your questions about a passage or a thought that a passage triggers. Post your question on the Edge or Encounter Facebook page, or text your question to 508-657-4028. Answers will be posted to our Facebook page. May God bless you as you make time to spend with Him and read and try new things. May He grow your understanding of His INSANELY HUGE love for you and increase your love for Him and others too!
Week 1 God created…and it was GOOD Week 1, Day 1 - Light into the Dark When we create something, like a root beer float, we create it out of something. To make a root beer float, we pour root beer over vanilla ice cream; which are both created out of other ingredients. When God created the universe, He created it out of nothing. He created something out of nothing. The amazing thing is that He created using words.
Read Genesis 1:1-10 What is something in nature/creation that brings you to a sense of awe?
Pray God thank you for your goodness. Thank you that you are a personal and creative God. Open my eyes to just how awesome you are. Questions to Ask What does this tell us about God?
What is your favorite thing that God created in this passage and why? Take a moment to thank Him.
What questions do you have?
Practice the Practice Gratitude - List three things that you are thankful God created. Take a moment to write on the lines below what you are grateful to God for.
Week 1, Day 2 - Let there be‌.LOTS of awesomeness!! Pray Lord here I am, teach me your truth. Read Genesis 1:11-23 Questions to Ask Wikipedia the sun and learn about how incredible it is. Then connect two dots‌1. The sun exists and 2. God created it. Boom! What in this passage do you regularly enjoy?
What questions do you have?
Practice the Practice Gratitude - List three things that you are grateful for about your family.
Week 1, Day 3 - Spitting Image Family Time Have you ever been told that you look like your mom or dad? Gets annoying, right? I am a spitting image of my dad and I hear about it anytime I stand next to Him. I even point it out…dumb of me! What I have never heard that I am guessing you haven’t either is that you look a lot like God. Oh, but you do! Pray God I am here to meet with you and learn from you. Meet me here. Read Genesis 1:24-2:3 Questions to Ask In whose image are we created? Now take a minute to realize the answer you gave to that question. Woah!
How does it feel to be God’s mini-me?
What does say at the end of each day of creating? He says that about you.
Take a moment to tell each family member what you really appreciate about them. As you do this, focus on who they are, NOT what they do. You most likely just named attributes that you love about God’s character. We are created in His image, after all. What questions do you have about this passage?
Practice the Practice Gratitude - List three people you are grateful to have in your life.
Week 1, Day 4 Take 5 minutes (or more if you want) to spend time talking and listening to God. P – Praise: God you are great because… R – Repent: God I am sorry for…Please forgive me…Help me to resist this temptation A – Ask: God I need you to… Y – Yield: God I trust these things to you. May your will be done. Then take a minute to be still and listen.
Week 2 From dust Week 2, Day 1 - Strong Breath Pray God teach me today. Read Genesis 2:4-9 Strong breath may make you think of bad breath. That is not the case with God. His breath is so powerful that it turned dust into a man with flesh and blood, muscles and bones. That is really powerful breath. Questions to Ask Do you breathe into many people’s nostrils? I hope not! What kind of close relationship would it take for you to kiss someone’s nose?
Where does life come from according to this passage? (Other passages: John 1:1-4 the Word=Jesus, Colossians 1:15-23)
What does this passage tell us about God?
When God breathed into Adam’s nose, he started living! If you are reading this you are obviously alive, but we all have areas that are broken because we live in a broken world. Ask God to breathe life into those areas where you need new life (relationships, attitude, etc.). This is a confusing passage...what questions do you have?
Practice the Practice Fast & Memorize - Allow me to suggest that you memorize John 10:10.
Week 2, Day 2 - This, Not That Pray God, open my eyes to your truth through this passage. Read Genesis 2:10-20 Questions to Ask Knowing that God created the garden and everything was perfect at this point in the world, what do you think the garden would have been like?
What did God command Adam to do and to not do?
Why do you think God had Adam name the animals? (Hint: 2 Corinthians 6:1)
What questions do you have?
Practice the Practice Fast & Memorize - Keep working on memorizing John 10:10. Write what you have memorized below...
Week 2, Day 3 - Garden Garments Family Time Pray God speak to me through your word. Read Genesis 2:21-25 Pretty awesome to see that God creates new life from existing life, isn’t it? God creates man and it’s not good for him to be alone (cause he couldn’t dress himself); God makes man sleep; God removes a rib then creates woman from the rib; to this day God brings new life into this world through women. God creates life through lives of people. Questions to Ask How has God used someone in your life to make life more alive (or AMAZAZING)?
How has God used you to make someone else’s life zippy?
How do you need your family members to help life come to life? What do they do that you appreciate? Make you feel loved? Excite you? What makes you more excited to be a part of your family?
What are your questions?
Practice the Practice Fast & Memorize - Share with your family the verse you memorized.
Week 2, Day 4 Practice the Practice Fast today from something. Food. Music. Phone. Facebook. Pick something that is a normal part of your life and stop doing it for the day. Every time you think of the thing you are fasting from—every time it crosses your mind, — think about God’s love for you or spend a couple minutes talking to Him. Take 5 minutes (or more if you want) to spend time talking and listening to God. P – Praise: God you are great because… R – Repent: God I am sorry for…Please forgive me…Help me to resist this temptation A – Ask: God I need you to… Y – Yield: God I trust these things to you. May your will be done. Then take a minute to be still and listen.
Week 3 Tricked, Duped, Bamboozled, uh-oh Week 3, Day 1 - Bad Idea! Pray Humble me and open my eyes and my heart to what you want to teach me through this passage. Read Genesis 3:1-8 Questions to Ask Have you ever been tricked, duped, bamboozled? What happened? How’d it leave you feeling?
How did Satan trick, dupe, bamboozle Adam and Eve?
What does Satan tempt you to do? (lie, insult, judge, gossip, cheat, lust, feel arrogance, etc.)
What do you think Adam and Eve could have done to resist Satan’s temptation? What can you do to resist Satan’s temptation?
What questions do you have about this passage?
Practice the Practice Confession
Week 3, Day 2 - Came Back to Bite Actions have reactions. Decisions have consequences. God is a loving God and a part of being loving means that He disciplines us when we make sinful decisions. We are forgiven of our sin, yet sometimes there are lasting consequences for our sins. Pray God, I am sorry for the times that I sin against you by believing Satan’s lies more than your promises. Please open my eyes to the consequences of my sin. Read Genesis 3:9-20 Questions to Ask Immediately following Adam and Eve’s sin, what does God do? What is His reaction?
What did Adam and Eve do when they heard God searching for them in the garden? Why do you think they did that (think about a time you got caught)?
What does this show us about God’s response to us when we sin?
What are the consequences of giving into your greatest temptation?
What questions do you have?
Practice the Practice Confession - Go to God and ask Him to open your eyes to your sin. Now take a minute to write down those things that you know don’t honor God.
Now ask Him to forgive you. Know that you have been forgiven.
Week 3, Day 3 - Forgiven Family Time Pray Hello. Here we are ready to learn. God, please teach us. Read Genesis 3:21, Isaiah 44:22 & Psalm 103:11-12 Questions to Ask Look back to verse 3:10. What do you think causes Him to help Adam and Eve?
What is God’s response to our sin? Does He run away from or run after us?
Where do you need God to meet you in your sin the way He met Adam and Eve in loving grace?
Is there a family member that you need to ask to forgive you for something that you have done or said?
Is there someone that you need to forgive the way Christ has forgiven you?
Let us know what questions you have.
Practice the Practice Confession
Week 3, Day 4 Take 5 minutes (or more if you want) to spend time talking and listening to God. P – Praise: God you are great because… R – Repent: God I am sorry for…Please forgive me…Help me to resist this temptation A – Ask: God I need you to… Y – Yield: God I trust these things to you. May your will be done. Then take a minute to be still and listen.
Week 4 Promise fulfilled
Some people think that Jesus is only a character in the New Testament. False. He is from the beginning. He has always existed, and exists to this day. It was through Jesus that God the Father and the Holy Spirit created everything (Colossians 1). The death and resurrection of Jesus is foretold in Genesis 3. Yes, that’s right, in the first couple pages of the Bible, thousands of years before Jesus would walk the earth, His birth, death and resurrection are foretold.
Week 4, Day 1 - Eve’s Offspring Pray Lord, you are so good. Your grace is really amazing. Please blow me away through your Word, the Bible, now. Read Genesis 3:14-15 & Luke 2:1-20 Questions to Ask The passage from Genesis is talking about the Redeemer of God’s people, the one who would rescue them. Any idea who it’s referring to?
Who is Eve’s descendant according to Luke?
What are people’s reactions to the birth of Jesus?
What questions do you have?
Practice the Practice Examen - Write down at least one way that you saw, or think you saw God’s activity in your life today.
Week 4, Day 2 - Injured Pray Thank you Lord for sending Jesus miraculously to Mary, a virgin. It is amazing that you sent Him to be good news of great joy for everyone. Thank you. Please make what I am about to read jump off the page and change me. Read Genesis 3:15 & Luke 23:32-47 Questions to Ask What is one of the best gifts you have ever been given? Why was it so great?
Why was Jesus crucified?
God allowed Jesus to be beaten beyond recognition and then He was crucified. Why do you think Jesus chose to endure such tremendous pain?
How does knowing that Jesus chose to die for you and your sin affect you? Guilt is the wrong answer!
On a scale of small to ginormous, how big of a gift would it be if you sacrificed your life so someone else could live?
Practice to Practice Examen - write down at least two ways that you saw, or think you saw God’s activity in your life today.
Week 4, Day 3 - Crushed Dome Family Time Pray Thank you for being all-powerful and for defeating our enemy. Read Genesis 3:15 & Luke 24:1-8, 24:36-48 In the Garden of Eden we see God pursue Adam & Eve after they disobeyed and, in doing so, sinned against Him. That day, perfection was destroyed. We were separated from God. Ultimately, because of love and grace, God pursued us with everything He had; He held nothing back. Questions to Ask If you were the women in the garden or were there when Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, what would your response have been? (Keep in mind Hes was dead and buried, you only know He was crucified and buried and now you are seeing Him face to face.)
How did God defeat Satan in this cosmic battle?
What do we learn about God through these passages?
How do you need your all-powerful God to meet you in your life? (I think it’s safe to say that He’s all-powerful, since He conquered death.)
What don’t you understand about this? In other words, what questions do you have?
Practice to Practice Examen - Write down at least three ways that you saw, or think you saw God’s activity in your life today.
Week 4, Day 4 Take 5 minutes (or more if you want) to spend time talking and listening to God. P – Praise: God you are great because… R – Repent: God I am sorry for…Please forgive me…Help me to resist this temptation A – Ask: God I need you to… Y – Yield: God I trust these things to you. May your will be done. Then take a minute to be still and listen.
You made it! Well done. We will have another study for you soon. Get ready to saddle up for that…or create a reading plan of your own.