2 Kings 16:1: The Study, Journaling, Prayer, and Thinking Through of the Verse

2 Kings 16:1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Judah’s King Ahaz
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah,(A) Ahaz(B) son of Jotham became king of Judah.
Cross references:
16:1-4 : 2 Ch 28:1-4
16:1 : Is 1:1; 7:1

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

My Questions: Who are Pekah, Remaliah, Ahaz, and Jotham? When was the seventeenth year of Pekah’s reign? Why were all these people listed and not just Ahaz? Where did this take place? Why did Ahaz take the throne or why did he become king? We're all the people listed kings? Why are all these people listed in the Bible? What can be learned from these individuals? 

2 Kings 16:1 Expanded Bible (EXB)
Ahaz King of Judah(A)
16 Ahaz was the son of Jotham king of Judah. Ahaz became king of Judah in the seventeenth year Pekah son of Remaliah was king of Israel.

Cross references:

2 Kings 16:1: 16:1–20; 2 Chr. 28:1–7, 16–27

Expanded Bible (EXB). The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.

2 Kings 16:1 New Living Translation (NLT)
Ahaz Rules in Judah
16 Ahaz son of Jotham began to rule over Judah in the seventeenth year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel.
New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

2 Kings 16:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Ahaz Reigns over Judah
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, (A)Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king.
Cross references:
2 Kings 16:1 : 2 Chr 28:1
New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

2 Kings 16:1 New King James Version (NKJV)
Ahaz Reigns in Judah
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.
New King James Version (NKJV). Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Each version or translation of the Bible brings new insight to the Word of God. Therefore, it is important to read several versions and see how much more I can learn.

It is also important to do the same with the cross-references.  

Here is one:

2 Chronicles 28:1-4 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Judah’s King Ahaz

28:1 Ahaz was 20 years old(A) when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the Lord’s sight(B) like his ancestor David, 2 for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel(C) and made cast images of the Baals.(D) 3 He burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom(E) and burned his children in[a](F)the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(G) 4 He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places,(H) on the hills, and under every green tree.

Footnotes:

- 2 Chronicles 28:3 LXX, Syr, Tg read and passed his children through

Cross references:
- 28:1-6 : 2Kg 16:2-4
- 28:1 : 2 Ch 27:2
- 28:2 : 2 Ch 22:3
- 28:2 : Ex 34:17
- 28:3 : Jos 15:8; 18:16; 2 Kg 23:10; Jr 7:29-34; 19:2-6
- 28:3 : Lv 18:21; 2 Kg 16:3; 2Ch 33:6
- 28:3 : 2 Ch 33:2

- 28:4 : 2 Ch 28:25

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

What more do I learn about 2 Kings 16:1 based off of this passage and cross-reference?

I definitely learn more about Ahaz. 

Ahaz tool the throne when he was about twenty years old and reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 

He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord. 

To be continued...

(Written on September 13, 2016, Tuesday, 1223 p.m.)

31,102 Verses

There are 31,102 verses in the Holy Bible. 

I am not sure if I will be able to journal through all of them in this blog or not. Nor am I sure if I will live long enough to give each the attention they deserve. 

The truth of the matter is, I want two days per verse at least to read, study, pray, meditate and think on, and journal about over time.

31,102 times two days equals 62,204.

At that rate, it would take 170.43 years. Well, I have about a quarter of that to live. Therefore, I will not be able to cover every verse of the Bible. However, with the cross-references of each verse, I might come awfully close. 

We shall see how long it takes me to thoroughly study each verse. Then, I can determine about how long this thorough study will take me on average. 

Prayer for Super Tuesday and the U.S. Presidential Elections

Lord God, you are the Almighty. You are holy, holy, and holy. You are above all. You are the God of gods, King of kings, and the One above all idols. You are our one and only. Father, help all Americans remember all these things and live them, in general, but especially today.

Today is Super Tuesday and it is the most important Super Tuesday in the history of the United States of America. And this is the most important presidential election in U.S. history.

After all, this election will determine if the United States remains a free democratic nation Under God... and free to be Christian... or if we become a socialized republic that loses the rights of being Christian.

This election determines if we remain a Christian nation or one of the gods and idols.

We are to take our stand as Americans.

However, we need to take one, far more importantly, as Christians.

Everyone. Every strong conservative, which is the only way to vote if you believe the Holy Bible is true, needs to go vote. Even if this isn't for the final ballot, whoever wins tonight is the one who represents conservative values. Therefore, every vote for matters far more than ever.

Forget the people, the men on the ballot. They are politicians. Can we truly like any of them? Rather, look at what they stand for. Look at the their record. Truly. Don't trust what others say about their record. Check it out for yourself.

Lord, help us to go out and vote. It truly matters more than ever.

In the name of Jesus, help us pick the one who has the record of standing for you and doesn't just say they are Christian.

This is why we need to vote. Help us to actually go out and do so and not just leave it for the other guy... or think what will be will be.

Part of rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's is actually voting.

Lord, help heal course land and wake all of us up that we need to reverse the course and become Under God once more. We have not been in years. This is why every true believer in Jesus Christ, and Holy Bible reader, should vote tonight... if their state is holding taking part in Super Tuesday.

This is why we need to vote tonight and in the presidential elections... and without fail. Lord help us keep this in mind. Help us take a stand and to choose you, not our own agenda. Please guide us and help us get rid of opinion in our minds and hearts and look at the facts. Personality and words do not matter. Their record matters. Help us to stand for you and the Holy Bible again, not what we want. Our wants do not matter. Yours, God, matters. What do you want? Help each of us to know.

You alone are the King of kings. Help us pick the one in this election, especially tonight, who will truly seek he in all does.

2 Chronicles 7:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

2 Chronicles 7:14 New Living Translation (NLT)
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

2 Chronicles 7:14 Expanded Bible (EXB)
14 Then if my people, who ·are called by my name [belong to me], will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek ·me [L my face] and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will ·heal [restore] their land.
Expanded Bible (EXB). The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.

2 Chronicles 7:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2 Chronicles 7:14 New Century Version (NCV)
14 Then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.
New Century Version (NCV). The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

And in context:

2 Chronicles 7:12-22 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Lord’s Response

12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:

I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a temple of sacrifice. 13 If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 15 My eyes will now be open and My ears attentive to prayer from this place. 16 And I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My name may be there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there at all times.

17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man ruling in Israel.

19 However, if you turn away and abandon My statutes and My commands that I have set before you and if you go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for My name I will banish from My presence; I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. 21 As for this temple, which was exalted, everyone who passes by will be appalled and will say: Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple? 22 Then they will say: Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They clung to other gods and worshiped and served them. Because of this, He brought all this ruin on them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

To you, God, be the glory.

Image credit: Stacy Duplease and Remembering Your Present, LLC

Psalm 119. #0001.

PERSONAL BIBLE JOURNALING, 06-07-2015a, Sunday, 721 a.m.
~*~
Psalm 119:1 Living Bible (TLB)
119 Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.
Living Bible (TLB). The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
~*~
MEDITATION AND MEMORIZING PSALM 119
1 Happy are all... who perfectly follow... the laws of God.
Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.
Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.
Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.
Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.
Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.
I think I've got it. 724 a.m.
Now, reading more:
~*~
Psalm 119:1-11 Living Bible (TLB)
119 Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God. 2 Happy are all who search for God and always do his will, 3 rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths. 4 You have given us your laws to obey— 5 oh, how I want to follow them consistently. 6 Then I will not be disgraced, for I will have a clean record.
7 After you have corrected me, I will thank you by living as I should! 8 I will obey! Oh, don’t forsake me and let me slip back into sin again.
9 How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules. 10 I have tried my best to find you—don’t let me wander off from your instructions. 11 I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.
Living Bible (TLB). The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
~*~
THE TREASURY OF DAVID BY CHARLES SPURGEON
Original Source:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/treasury-of-david/psalms-119-1.html
Psalm 119:1
PREFACE.
At length I am able to present to the Christian public another part of "The Treasury of David." It has demanded longer labour than its predecessors, but that labour has been freely given to it; and to the utmost of my ability I have kept the volume up to the level of those which have gone before. In the production of this exposition I had far rather be long than lax; for I know by experience the disappointment which comes to readers when, after a promising beginning, they see a serious declension towards the end. The general acceptance given to this Commentary has placed me under a heavy obligation to do my best even to the end. Towards that end I am still proceeding with all possible diligence, and it is with great pleasure that I look forward to the speedy issue of the seventh and last volume of the work. Many labours distract me from this favourite employment, but I hope to press on with more speed than of late, if my life be spared. It would be imprudent to make too sure of that, for the most fragile Venice glass is not more brittle than human life:
 "The spider's most attenuated thread
Is cord, is cable, to the tender film
Which holds our soul in life."
I have been all the longer over this portion of my task because I have been bewildered in the expanse of the One Hundred and Nineteenth Psalm, which makes up the bulk of this volume. Its dimensions and its depth alike overcame me. It spread itself out before me like a vast, rolling prairie, to which I could see no bound, and this alone created a feeling of dismay. Its expanse was unbroken by a bluff or headland, and hence it threatened a monotonous task, although the fear has not been realized. This marvellous poem seemed to me a great sea of holy teaching, moving, in its many verses, wave upon wave; altogether without an island of special and remarkable statement to break it up. I confess I hesitated to launch upon it. Other psalms have been mere lakes, but this is the main ocean. It is a continent of sacred thought, every inch of which is fertile as the garden of the Lord: it is an amazing level of abundance, a mighty stretch of harvest fields. I have now crossed the great plain for myself, but not without persevering, and, I will add, pleasurable, toil. Several great authors have traversed this region and left their tracks behind them, and so far the journey has been all the easier for me; but yet to me and to my helpers it has been no mean feat of patient authorship and research. This great Psalm is a book in itself: instead of being one among many psalms, it is worthy to be set forth by itself as a poem of surpassing excellence. Those who have never studied it may pronounce it commonplace, and complain of its repetitions; but to the thoughtful student it is like the great deep, full, so as never to be measured; and varied, so as never to weary the eye. Its depth is as great as its length; it is mystery, not set forth as mystery, but concealed beneath the simplest statements; may I say that it is experience allowed to prattle, to preach, to praise, and to pray like a child prophet in his own father's house?
My venerable friend, Mr. Rogers, has been spared to help me with his admirable suggestions; but Mr. Gibson, who so industriously translated from the Latin authors, has fallen asleep, leaving behind him copious notes upon the rest of the psalms. Aid in the homiletical department has been given me by several of the ministers who were educated at the Pastors' College, and their names are duly appended to the hints and skeletons which they have supplied. In this department the present volume is believed to be superior to the former ones. May it prove to be really useful to my brethren, and my desire is fulfilled. I know so well the use of a homiletic hint when the mind is in search for a subject that I have felt peculiar pleasure in supplying my readers with a full measure of such helps.
In hunting up rare authors, and making extracts from them, Mr. Keys has rendered me great assistance, and I am also a debtor to others who have cheerfully rendered me service when I have sought it. Burdened with the care of many institutions, and the oversight of a singularly large church, I cannot do such justice to my theme as I could wish. Learned leisure would be far more accurate than my busy pen can ever hope to be. If I had nothing else to think of, I would have thought of nothing else, and undivided energies could have accomplished what spare strength can never perform. Hence, I am glad of help; so glad, that I am happy to acknowledge it. Not in this thing only, but in all other labours, I owe in the first place all to God, and secondarily, very, very much to those generous friends who find a delight in making my efforts successful.
Above all, I trust that the Holy Spirit has been with me in writing and compiling these volumes, and therefore I expect that he will bless them both to the conversion of the unrenewed and to the edification of believers. The writing of this book has been a means of grace to my own heart; I have enjoyed for myself what I have prepared for my readers. The Book of Psalms has been a royal banquet to me, and in feasting upon its contents I have seemed to eat angels' food. It is no wonder that old writers should call it, -- the school of patience, the soul's soliloquies, the little Bible, the anatomy of conscience, the rose garden, the pearl island, and the like. It is the Paradise of devotion, the Holy Land of poesy, the heart of Scripture, the map of experience, and the tongue of saints. It is the spokesman of feelings which else had found no utterance. Does it not say just what we wished to say? Are not its prayers and praises exactly such as our hearts delight in? No man needs better company than the Psalms; therein he may read and commune with friends human and divine; friends who know the heart of man towards God, and the heart of God towards man; friends who perfectly sympathize with us and our sorrows, friends who never betray or forsake. Oh, to be shut up in a cave with David, with no other occupation but to hear him sing, and to sing with him! Well might a Christian monarch lay aside his crown for such enjoyment, and a believing pauper find a crown in such felicity.
It is to be feared that the Psalms are by no means so prized as in earlier ages of the Church. Time was when the Psalms were not only rehearsed in all the churches from day to day, but they were so uersally sung that the common people knew them, even if they did not know the letters in which they were written. Time was when bishops would ordain no man to the ministry unless he knew "David" from end to end, and could repeat each psalm correctly; even Councils of the Church have decreed that none should hold ecclesiastical office unless they knew the whole psalter by heart. Other practices of those ages had better be forgotten, but to this memory accords an honourable record. Then, as Jerome tells us, the labourer, while he held the plough, sang Hallelujah; the tired reaper refreshed himself with the psalms, and the vinedresser, while trimming the vines with his curved hook, sang something of David. He tells us that in his part of the world, psalms were the Christian's ballads; could they have had better? They were the love songs of the people of God; could any others be so pure and heavenly? These sacred hymns express all modes of holy feeling; they are fit both for childhood and old age: they furnish maxims for the entrance of life, and serve as watchwords at the gates of death. The battle of life, the repose of the Sabbath, the ward of the hospital, the guest chamber of the mansion, the church, the oratory, yea, even heaven itself may be entered with psalms.
My next portion will continue the Pilgrim Psalms, of which we have five in the present volume. I have been sorry to make a break in these golden steps. I would rather have presented the glittering ascent as a whole, that all might see at a glance "the stairs of the City of David at the ascent of the wall;" but as the books must divide somewhere, and there was no more convenient place, I have been compelled to separate these Songs of the Steps, or "Songs on the high key", as Luther calls them. It was impossible to cut the great psalm in two, and it is a far less evil to separate the members of a group. I hope the arrangement will not cause serious inconvenience to anyone; nor prevent the student's meditating upon each Song of Degrees, not only as it sparkles as a separate star, but as it shines in its own constellation.
Finally, when I reach the last psalm, it is my firm conviction that I shall find no truer closing words for myself than those of Bishop Horne, which I take liberty here to quote, using them as if they were my own, since they admirably express my present feelings and past experiences: --
"And now, could the author flatter himself that anyone would take half the pleasure in reading the following exposition which he hath taken in writing it, he would not fear the loss of his labour. The employment detached him from the bustle and hurry of life, the din of politics, and the noise of folly. Vanity and vexation flew for a season, care and disquietude came not near his dwelling. He arose fresh as the morning to his task; the silence of the night invited him to pursue it; and he can truly say, that food and rest were not preferred before it. Every psalm improved infinitely upon his acquaintance with it, and no one gave him uneasiness but the last; for then he grieved that his work was done. Happier hours than those which have been spent on these meditations on the songs of Zion he never expects to see in this world. Very pleasantly did they pass, and they moved smoothly and swiftly along; for when thus engaged, he counted no time. The meditations are gone, but have left a relish and a fragrance upon the mind, and the remembrance of them is sweet."
Reader,
I am,
Thine to serve,
for Christ's sake,
C.H. Spurgeon.
WESTWOOD, September, 1882.
PSALM 119 OVERVIEW
Title. There is no title to this Psalm, neither is any author's name mentioned. It is THE LONGEST PSALM, and this is a sufficiently distinctive name for it. It equals in bulk twenty-two psalms of the average length of the Songs of Degrees. Nor is it long only; for it equally excels in breadth of thought, depth of meaning, and height of fervour. It is like the celestial city which lieth four square, and the height and the breadth of it are equal. Many superficial readers have imagined that it harps upon one string, and abounds in pious repetitions and redundancies; but this arises from the shallowness of the reader's own mind: those who have studied this divine hymn, and carefully noted each line of it, are amazed at the variety and profundity of the thought. Using only a few words, the writer has produced permutations and combinations of meaning which display his holy familiarity with his subject, and the sanctified ingenuity of his mind. He never repeats himself; for if the same sentiment recurs it is placed in a fresh connection, and so exhibits another interesting shade of meaning. The more one studies it the fresher it becomes. As those who drink the Nile water like it better every time they take a draught, so does this Psalm become the more full and fascinating the oftener you turn to it. It contains no idle word; the grapes of this cluster are almost to bursting full with the new wine of the kingdom. The more you look into this mirror of a gracious heart the more you will see in it. Placid on the surface as the sea of glass before the eternal throne, it yet contains within its depths an ocean of fire, and those who devoutly gaze into it shall not only see the brightness, but feel the glow of the sacred flame. It is loaded with holy sense, and is as weighty as it is bulky. Again and again have we cried while studying it, "Oh the depths!" Yet these depths are hidden beneath an apparent simplicity, as Augustine has well and wisely said, and this makes the exposition all the more difficult. Its obscurity is hidden beneath a veil of light, and hence only those discover it who are in thorough earnest, not only to look on the word, but, like the angels, to look into it.

The Psalm is alphabetical. Eight stanzas commence with one letter, and then another eight with the next letter, and so the whole Psalm proceeds by octonaries quite through the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Besides which, there are multitudes of appositions of sense, and others of those structural formalities with which the oriental mind is pleased, -- formalities very similar to those in which our older poets indulged. The Holy Spirit thus deigned to speak to men in forms which were attractive to the attention and helpful to the memory. He is often plain or elegant in his manner, but he does not disdain to be quaint or formal if thereby his design of instruction can be the more surely reached. He does not despise even contracted and artificial modes of speech, if by their use he can fix his teaching upon the mind. Isaac Taylor has worthily set forth the lesson of this fact: -- "In the strictest sense this composition is conditioned; nevertheless in the highest sense is it an utterance of spiritual life; and in thus finding these seemingly opposed elements, intimated commingled as they are throughout this Psalm, a lesson full of meaning is silently conveyed lo those who shall receive it -- that the conveyance of the things of God to the human spirit is in no way damaged or impeded, much less is it deflected or ciliated by its subjugation to loose modes of utterance which most of all bespeak their adaptation to the infancy and the childlike capacity of the recipient."

AUTHOR. The fashion among modern writers is, as far as possible, to take ever? Psalm from David. As the critics of this school are usually unsound in doctrine and unspiritual in tone, we gravitate in the opposite direction, from a natural suspicion of everything which comes from so unsatisfactory a quarter. We believe that David wrote this Psalm. It is Davidic in tone and expression, and it tallies with David's experience in many interesting points. In our youth our teacher called it "David's pocket book", and we incline to the opinion then expressed that here we have the royal diary written at various times throughout a long life. No, we cannot give up this Psalm to the enemy. "This is David's spoil". After long reading an author one gets to know his style, and a measure of discernment is acquired by which his composition is detected even if his name be concealed; we feel a kind of critical certainty that the hand of David is in this thing, yea, that it is altogether his own.

Subject. The one theme is the word of the Lord. The Psalmist sets his subject in many lights, and treats of it in divers ways, but he seldom omits to mention the word of the Lord in each verse under some one or other of the many names by which he knows it; and even if the name be not there, the subject is still heartily pursued in every stanza. He who wrote this wonderful song was saturated with those books of Scripture which he possessed. Andrew Bonar tells of a simple Christian in a farmhouse who had meditated the Bible through three times. This is precisely what this Psalmist had done, -- he had gone past reading into meditation. Like Luther, David had shaken every fruit tree in God's garden, and gathered golden fruit therefrom. "The most," says Martin Boos, "read their Bibles like cows that stand in the thick grass, and trample under their feet the finest flowers and herbs." It is to be feared that we too often do the like. This is a miserable way of treating the pages of inspiration. May the Lord prevent us from repeating that sin while reading this priceless Psalm.

There is an evident growth in the subject matter. The earlier verses are of such a character as to lend themselves to the hypothesis that the author was a young man, while many of the later passages could only have suggested themselves to age and wisdom. In every portion, however, it is the fruit of deep experience, careful observation, and earnest meditation. If David did not write in there must have lived another believer of exactly the same order of mind as David, and he must have addicted himself to Psalmody with equal ardour, and have been an equally hearty lover of Holy Writ.

Our best improvement of this sacred composition will come through getting our minds into intense sympathy with its subject. In order to this, we might do well to commit it to memory. Philip Henry's daughter wrote in her diary, "I have of late taken some pains to learn by heart Psalm 119, and have made some progress therein." She was a sensible, godly woman. Having done this, we should consider the fulness, certainty, clearness, and sweetness of the word of God, since by such reflections we are likely to be stirred up to a warm affection for it. What favoured beings are those to whom the Eternal God has written a letter in his own hand and style. What ardour of devotion, what diligence of composition can produce a worthy eulogium for the divine testimonies? If ever one such has fallen from the pen of man it is this 119th Psalm, which might well be called the holy soul's soliloquy before an open Bible.

This sacred ode is a little Bible, the Scriptures condensed, a mass of Bibline, Holy Writ rewritten in holy emotions and actions. Blessed are they who can read and understand these saintly aphorisms; they shall find golden apples in this true Hesperides, and come to reckon that this Psalm, like the whole Scripture which it praises, is a pearl island, or, better still, a garden of sweet flowers.

NOTES RELATING TO THE PSALM AS A WHOLE

Eulogium upon the whole Psalm. -- This Psalm shines and shows itself among the rest,

 Velut inter ignes
Luna minores. {1}
a star in the firmament of the Psalms, of the first and greatest magnitude. This will readily appear if you consider either the manner it is composed in, or the matter it is composed of. The manner it is composed in is very elegant. The matter it is composed of is very excellent.

The manner it is composed in is very elegant; full of art, rule, method theological matter in a logical manner, a spiritual alphabet framed and formed according to the Hebrew alphabet.
The matter it is composed of is very excellent; full of rare sublimities, deep mysteries, gracious activities, yea, glorious ecstasies. The Psalm is made up of three things, --
prayers,
praises,
protestations. Prayers to God; praises of God; protestations unto God. Rev. W. Simmons, in a sermon in the "Morning Exercises", 1661.
Eulogium. This Psalm is called the Alphabet of Divine Love, the Paradise of all the Doctrines, the Storehouse of the Holy Spirit, the School of Truth, also the deep mystery of the Scriptures, where the whole moral discipline of all the virtues shines brightly. And as all moral instruction is delightsome, therefore this Psalm, because excelling in this kind of instruction, should be called delightsome, inasmuch as it surpasses the rest. The other Psalms, truly, as lesser stars shine somewhat; but this burns with the meridian heat of its full brightness, and is wholly resplendent With moral loveliness. Johannes Paulus Palanterius, 1600.

Eulogium. In our German version it has the appropriate inscription, "The Christian's golden A B C of the praise, love, power, and use of the Word of God." Franz Delitzsch, 1871.

Eulogium. It is recorded of the celebrated St. Augustine, who among his voluminous works left a Comment on the Book of Psalms, that he delayed to comment on this one till he had finished the whole Psalter; and then yielded only to the long and vehement urgency of his friends, "because", he says, "as often as I essayed to think thereon, it always exceeded the powers of my intent thought and the utmost grasp of my faculties". While one ancient father {2} entitles this Psalm "the perfection of teaching and instruction"; another {3} says that "it applies an all containing medicine to the varied spiritual diseases of men -- sufficing to perfect those who long for perfect virtue, to rouse the slothful, to refresh the dispirited, and to set in order the relaxed"; to which might be added many like testimonies of ancient and modern commentators on it. William De Burgh, 1860.

Eulogium. In proportion as this Psalm seemeth more open, so much the more deep doth it appear to me; so that I cannot show how deep it is. For in others, which are understood with difficulty, although the sense lies hid in obscurity yet the obscurity itself appeareth; but in this, not even this is the case; since it is superficially such, that it seemeth not to need an expositor, but only a reader and listener. Augustine, 354-480.

Eulogium. In Matthew Henry's "Account of the Life and Death of his father, Philip Henry," he says: "Once, pressing the study of the Scriptures, he advised us to take a verse of this Psalm every morning to meditate upon, and so go over the Psalm twice in the year; and that, saith he, will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the Scriptures." He often said, "All grace grows as love to the word of God grows."

{1} And like the moon, the feebler fires among, "Conspicuous shines." -- Horace.

{2} St. Hilary.

{3} Theodoret.

Eulogium. It is strange that of all the pieces of the Bible which my mother taught me, that which cost me most to learn, and which was to my child's mind most repulsive -- the 119th Psalm -- has now become of all the most precious to me in its overflowing and glorious passion of love for the law of God. John Ruskin, in "Fors Clavigera".

Eulogium. This Psalm is a prolonged meditation upon the excellence of the word of God, upon its effects, and the strength and happiness which it gives to a man in every position. These reflections are interspersed with petitions, in which the Psalmist, deeply feeling his natural infirmity, implores the help of God for assistance to walk in the way mapped out for him in the divine oracles. In order to be able to understand and to enjoy this remarkable Psalm, and that we may not be repelled by its length and by its repetitions, we must have had, in some measure at least, the same experiences as its author, and, like him, have learned to love and practise the sacred word. Moreover, this Psalm is in some sort a touchstone for the spiritual life of those who read it. The sentiments expressed in it perfectly harmonise with what the historical books and other Psalms teach concerning David's obedience and his zeal for God's glory. There are, however, within it words which breathe so elevated a piety, that they can have their full sense and perfect truthfulness only in the mouth of Him of whom the prophet king was the type. From the French of Armand de Mestral, 1856.

Eulogium. The 119th Psalm has been spoken of by a most distinguished living rationalistic critic (Professor Reuss) as "not poetry at all, but simply a litany -- a species of chaplet." Such does not seem to be the opinion of the angels of God, and of the redeemed spirits, when that very poem supplies With the language of praise -- the paean of victory, "Just and true are thy ways" ( Revelation 15:3 ); the cry of the angel of the waters, "Thou art righteous, O Lord!" ( Revelation 16:5 ); the voice of much people in heaven, "True and righteous are his judgments" ( Revelation 19:2 ); what is this but the exclamation of him, whoever he may have been, who wrote the Psalm -- "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments" ( Psalms 119:137 ). William Alexander, in "The Quiver", 1880.

Incident. In the midst of a London season; in the stir and turmoil of a political crisis, 1819; William Wilberforce writes in his Diary -- "Walked from Hyde Park Corner repeating the 119th Psalm in great comfort". William Alexander, in "The Witness of the Psalms". 1877.

Incident. George Wishart, the chaplain and biographer of "the great Marquis of Montrose," as he was called, would have shared the fate of his illustrious patron but for the following singular expedient. When upon the scaffold, he availed himself of the custom of the times, which permitted the condemned to choose a Psalm to be sung. He selected the 119th Psalm, and before two thirds of the Psalm had been sung, a pardon arrived, and his life was preserved. It may not be out of place to add that the George Wishart, Bishop of Edinburgh, above referred to, has been too often confounded with the godly martyr of the same name who lived and died a century previously. We only mention the incident because it has often been quoted as a singular instance of the providential escape of a saintly personage; whereas it was the very ingenious device of a person who, according to Woodrow, was more renowned for shrewdness than for sanctity. The length of this Psalm was sagaciously employed as the means of gaining time, and, happily, the expedient succeeded. C.H.S.

Alphabetical Arrangement. It is observed that the 119th Psalm is disposed according to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, perhaps to intimate that children, when they begin to learn their alphabet, should learn that Psalm. Nathanael Hardy, 1618-1670.

Alphabetical Arrangement. True it is that the verses indeed begin not either with the English or yet the Latin letters, but with the Hebrew, wherein David made and wrote this Psalm. The will and purpose of the Holy Ghost is to make us to feel and understand that the doctrine herein contained is not only set down for great clerks which have gone to school for ten or twenty years; but also for the most simple; to the end none should pretend any excuse of ignorance. From Calvin's Twenty-two Sermons upon the 119th Psalm, 1580.

Alphabetical Arrangement. There may be something more than fancy in the remark, that Christ's name, "the Alpha and Omega" -- equivalent to declaring him all that which every letter of the alphabet could express -- may have had a reference to the peculiarity of this Psalm, -- a Psalm in which (with the exception of Psalms 119:84 Psalms 119:122 , exceptions that make the rule more marked) every verse speaks of God's revelation of himself to man. Andrew A. Bonar, 1859.

Alphabetical Arrangement: Origen says it is alphabetical because it contains the elements or principles of all knowledge and wisdom; and that it repeats each letter eight times, because eight is the number of perfection.

Alphabetical Arrangement. That the unlearned reader may understand what is meant by the Psalm being alphabetical, we append the following specimen upon the section Aleph:

 A blessing is on them that are undefiled in the way
and walk in the law of Jehovah;
A blessing is on them that keep his testimonies,
and seek him with their whole heart;
Also on them that do no wickedness,
but walk in his ways.
A law hast thou given unto us,
that we should diligently keep thy commandments.
Ah! Lord, that my ways were made so direct
that I might keep thy statutes!
And then shall I not be confounded.
While I have respect unto all thy commandments.
As for me, I will thank thee with an unfeigned heart,
when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
An eye will I have unto thy ceremonies,
O forsake me not utterly. --From "The Psalms Chronologically Arranged By Four Friends". 1867.

My Personal Journaling on Memorial Day (A Christian Perspective)

I am heavy hearted thinking of those who died for me and my freedom.

Earthly representatives of what Jesus Christ did for me. 

They sacrificed their lives so I might live. 

Oh, how I take this for granted. I do not mean to, but do.

Shouldn't I live a fuller, more abundant life because of their sacrifice? I do not want their sacrifice to be in vain.

Shouldn't I look at what Jesus Christ did for me in the same manner and live a fuller, more abundant life because of Him and how He died so I can live? 

And, isn't this what my journaling offers and helps me achieve?

Thoughts to ponder for a long, long time on this Memorial Day. 

Go ahead and journal your thoughts. 

00002. Journaling Through Romans. Romans 1:1-2. Word of the Day.

MORNING
{Written 04.24.2015. 0938 a.m.}

Good morning, Lord.

I have no idea on where to begin with words, forming a prayer to You right now, in the midst of this thing called life. My mom is taking her cat to an emergency vet appointment this morning. It is troublesome. Yesterday, we had a scare and a vet appointment with our old ferral cat who found us in September 2014, Kara, and we are waiting for test results on Monday. Thank You, Lord, for trusting us with your precious ones.

And, as we are in a new holocaust. A current holocaust. Even a Christian holocaust. And, Christians and the Church are silent. Beheadings and executions... women and girls being sold into sex slavery to fund terrorism... Christianity is being wiped out of the Middle East... and Christians are silent... and the Church is silent... and Christians authors and bloggers are silent... And, I am furious! Wake up, Christ Followers. Take a stand. Stop being silent. Speak! Contact your government officials and tell them to get serious about stopping this holocaust.

Then, I remember something. God, You have this. This is not a surprise to You. That helps.
But, nowhere do You say in Your Word not to stand up for and pray and give voice to the persecuted, Christians or not. All those terrorists want dead and annihilated because of differing beliefs.

Cats... Terrorism... Government scandals of Hillary Clinton...

Oops. That last part got me riled all the more.

There is one thing I have in spite of all this. Hope. Absolute, unfailing hope. My hope is found in You alone.

For example:

~*~

1 Peter 1:18-19 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

~*~

In spite of the tough moments and parts of life, there is great, perfect, never-ending hope. Life might falter and fail me at points, but You, Lord, never do. Never, ever. Have never. I have hope because of You. You are love (1 John 4:7-8) and You love. Your love, Lord, never ends. I have this promise in the following verses, Verse 8 in particular:

~*~

1 Corinthians 13:7-9 Expanded Bible (EXB)

7 Love ·patiently accepts all things [T bears all things; or always protects], ·always trusts [T believes all things], ·always hopes [T hopes all things], and ·always endures[T endures all things].
8 Love never ·ends [fails; falls short]. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will ·be ended [cease; pass away]. There are gifts of ·speaking in different languages [or ecstatic utterance; L tongues], but those gifts will ·stop [cease; fall silent]. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will ·come to an end [pass away; be set aside]. 9 ·The reason is that [For] ·our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect [L we know in part/imperfectly and we prophesy in part/incompletely].

Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.

~*~

Lord, please help mom and her cat... and the vet and the veterinary team...

I pray about Kara's tests results consult on Monday...

Now, let me get to the hope of Your Word and being with You in Your Word.

~*~

Psalm 19:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,(A)
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.(B)

Cross references:
19:14 : Ps 104:3419:14 : Ps 78:35

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Original source: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps+19%3A14&version=HCSB

~*~

CROSS-REFERENCE OF PSALM 19:14

Psalm 104:34 New Living Translation (NLT)

34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

~*~

WORD OF THE DAY
Today, I am focused, and am focusing, on these verses:

~*~

Romans 1:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

God's Good News for Rome

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle [a](A)and singled out(B) for God's good news(C)— 2 which He promised long ago(D) through His prophets(E) in the Holy Scriptures—

Footnotes:
Romans 1:1 Or Jesus, a called apostle

Cross references:
1:1 : 1Co 1:1; 9:1; 2Co 1:11:1 : Ac 9:15; 13:2; Gl 1:151:1 : Mk 1:141:2 : Ti 1:21:2 : Lk 1:70; Rm 3:21; 16:26

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Original Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom+1%3A1-2&version=HCSB

~*~

EXPLANATION

I may or may not journal about everything right now. But, I want to get information here to journal more about later. I want to get it all on the page, so I can remember. I am limited on time to journal as much as I want or need, but I sure try to think on these things throughout my day and night.

The cross-references mentioned in this journaling entry, along with all of the Bible verses listed today and yesterday, are all things I want to interact with, but I am limited on time at the moment, but will return to this and will review each journal entry in the future and will journal about it, so I can go even deeper and remember.

~*~

BLOG TO BOOK

I will edit all of these entries, add to them, and will then publish them in book form. So, pardon if there are some errors, or if things do not make sense like they could or should. Also, this is my journaling. My grammar will be lousy. It is a journal, after all, and is meant to go deep, not grammar savvy. And, I will not edit that out. It is how I converse with the Lord and go deeper and seek meaning.

Now, back to the text.

~*~

ROMANS 1:1-2

1118 a.m.

Text: Paul... a slave of Jesus Christ.

My Prayer Journal (PJ): Lord, what does this really mean and look like in real life? Paul, if anyone, made this a way off life and lifestyle. Lord, He loved You this much He was able to think and act as Your servant.

I want to put You first in all I do, think, and feel. I want You and Your Word to be my priority.
Text: Paul was called...

PJ: Lord, You have a purpose for everyone and call everyone. That purpose is to bring You glory.

How do You want me to bring You glory? What is my calling today and in the future?
Have I found it?

Is it to Journal the Word and make it real to all... Christians and those who are not? To show the hope of Jesus Christ, which is something no other religion offers?

Journaling is my passion. And, so is pondering, contemplating, thinking on Your Word. And, so is figuring out what Your Word, the ancient text, means today. Put all of that together and it makes sense this is my calling.

But, is it really? Or is it just what I hope?

Guide me, Abba. Instruct me. Help me to hear You early about this.

~*~*~*~*~

00001. Journaling Through Romans, Romans 1: Word of the Day

04.23-24.2015.

MY HEART LONGS FOR SOMETHING MORE (IT)

I do not know about you, but I seem to have a constant thirst. I am always longing for, and searching for, more. I want more out of this life and know it wants more from me. But, what?

I have searched high and low, this way and that way, in this manner and in that, all around, and still have not found it. It, the thing I long for. I might find something that satisfies for a little while, but it is never permanent. It always shifts and I realize that was not it and I wanted more and something else all along. I tend to be all over the place, never fully commit to any one thing, because I realize whenever I find something, thinking it is it, I suddenly realize that was only temporary. I long for something longer lasting. Something deeper. Something mindblowingly (made up word) good. But, never find it.

It seems like there is nothing on this earth that will bring me this total happiness, sense of peace and joy. Nothing lasts here on this planet. Everything I have tried and sought fizzles out and dies. From food, to travel, to things, to people, to writing, to reading, to buying... It is all temporary and is fickle.

What is it? And what is the it that lasts?

Am I missing it somehow?

WHAT IS IT, THIS ILLUSIVE IT?

So, what is it?

What is it, truly, my heart longs for and desires?

What is this more?

What is it and is this more, that will totally, completely, deeply, entirely fulfill me and will last forever?

Is this just me? Sigh. I know it isn't. If you were to walk into one of those old-fashioned things called a library or bookstore, or look it up at a contemporary bookseller online, you will find thousands (hundreds of thousands really) of self-help books and memoirs of those who have struggled with this dilemma over the course of time.

So, do all of us search for an individualistic it or is it the same it we all try to find?

The reality of the situation is if someone were to really find this it, the entire earth would seek it. But, it has not been found. Right? Is this it illusive or have we just missed it, skipped it, overlooked it somehow?

Again... What is this it?

THE IT WE ALL SEEK

The it we all seek is one in the same. Every single human being longs for this. It is in our DNA to seek it out. We may deny it. We may ever scoff at it, deny it, ignore it, flatdab reject it, but it is still one in the same. We all seek the same it. It is our pursuit of it that might differ. We all look for answers in our own way, trying every possibility, but there is only one.

Our it we are so desperate to find is purpose. It isn't really happiness. It's purpose and to know we are relevant and our lives mean something and are full of meaning.

It is our search for meaning, for purpose.

What is our purpose and what brings us meaning? What is our true purpose and is not one of wishful thinking and is not one we fabricate. It is far deeper and far more meaningful than we think, but is far simpler.

Our purpose is found in Jesus Christ and spending eternity with Him and His Father in heaven.

The statement I just made might sound like a nice thought, or it might seem a little weird, depending on where you are in life. But, it is a true statement.

The only true, real, deep happiness, joy, purpose, and meaning we will ever find is in Jesus Christ. Period.

How can this be? Ephesians 1 explains this:

Ephesians 1 Living Bible (TLB)
1 Dear Christian friends at Ephesus, ever loyal to the Lord: This is Paul writing to you, chosen by God to be Jesus Christ's messenger. 2 May his blessings and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every blessing in heaven because we belong to Christ.
4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us; he decided then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before him covered with his love. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!
6 Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and his favor that he has poured out upon us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 So overflowing is his kindness toward us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved; 8 and he has showered down upon us the richness of his grace—for how well he understands us and knows what is best for us at all times.
9 God has told us his secret reason for sending Christ, a plan he decided on in mercy long ago; 10 and this was his purpose: that when the time is ripe he will gather us all together from wherever we are—in heaven or on earth—to be with him in Christ forever. 11 Moreover, because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God's sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. 12 God's purpose in this was that we should praise God and give glory to him for doing these mighty things for us, who were the first to trust in Christ.
13 And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. 14 His presence within us is God's guarantee that he really will give us all that he promised; and the Spirit's seal upon us means that God has already purchased us and that he guarantees to bring us to himself. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.
15 That is why, ever since I heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and of the love you have for Christians everywhere, 16-17 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ's have been given to him! 19 I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is that same mighty power20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in heaven, 21 far, far above any other king or ruler or dictator or leader. Yes, his honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else either in this world or in the world to come. 22 And God has put all things under his feet and made him the supreme Head of the Church— 23 which is his body, filled with himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere.
-- Living Bible (TLB). The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

We also find meaning and purpose because of this:

Romans 1:20 New Living Translation (NLT)
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
-- New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

And one final passage to explain things:

John 3:16-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
16 "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
-- Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

All of this will be explained in my journaling through the Book of Romans.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALING THROUGH ROMANS

{Written 2015-04-22 15:37:51, Wednesday}

Welcome to a new chapter for this blog. I will share my journey as I walk through reading two verses of the Bible per day until I make my way through the Bible all the way through. It will take somewhere between 20 and 25 years or so. It could be more or it could be less. We shall see what happens.

I will start with the Book of Romans, as you might have guessed. It is my goal to journal my way through Romans as I try to figure out what it means to my life, the world, and the Church today. It's a book that was written by the Apostle Paul in the year A.D. 57. Therefore, is it really possible to apply this ancient text to my life today? And, how can Romans help me live a better life and grow a deeper faith?

I hope to make this book come alive in my life and that it will take on deep meaning to me. I look forward to seeing what I learn and how it impacts me and my life.

NOTE ABOUT THE CHURCH

By the way, I need to make something clear. Whenever I say "The Church" in my personal prayer journaling, I'm referring to the Christian Church as a whole, including all denominations, Catholicism, Orthodox, etc. I mean all of the churches in a world and all Christians, the body of believers. I will then differentiate between churches, including the overall American Church (of all churches in the U.S. combined).

JOURNALING NOTES AS I READ VERSES OF THE BIBLE

As I read the Bible, I will take notes. As I do, I will put a number inside brackets and will then put the numbered notes after the Bible verse or passage.

READING ROMANS 1

Today, I will read the entire chapter of Romans and familiarize myself with the chapter so as I go through two verses at a time, I will have the context as a whole.

Romans 1 Living Bible (TLB)
1 Dear friends in Rome: This letter is from Paul, Jesus Christ's slave, chosen to be a missionary, and sent out to preach God's Good News. 2 This Good News was promised long ago by God's prophets in the Old Testament. 3 It is the Good News about his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who came as a human baby, born into King David's royal family line; 4 and by being raised from the dead he was proved to be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God himself.
5 And now, through Christ, all the kindness of God has been poured out upon us undeserving sinners; and now he is sending us out around the world to tell all people everywhere the great things God has done for them, so that they, too, will believe and obey him.
6-7 And you, dear friends in Rome, are among those he dearly loves; you, too, are invited by Jesus Christ to be God's very own—yes, his holy people. May all God's mercies and peace be yours from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord.
8 Let me say first of all that wherever I go I hear you being talked about! For your faith in God is becoming known around the world. How I thank God through Jesus Christ for this good report, and for each one of you. 9 God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to the one I serve with all my might, telling others the Good News about his Son.
10 And one of the things I keep on praying for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you and, if possible, that I will have a safe trip.* 11-12 For I long to visit you so that I can impart to you the faith that will help your church grow strong in the Lord. Then, too, I need your help, for I want not only to share my faith with you but to be encouraged by yours: Each of us will be a blessing to the other.
13 I want you to know, dear brothers, that I planned to come many times before (but was prevented) so that I could work among you and see good results, just as I have among the other Gentile churches. 14 For I owe a great debt to you and to everyone else, both to civilized people and uncivilized alike; yes, to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So, to the fullest extent of my ability, I am ready to come also to you in Rome to preach God's Good News.
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is God's powerful method of bringing all who believe it to heaven. This message was preached first to the Jews alone, but now everyone is invited to come to God in this same way. 17 This Good News tells us that God makes us ready for heaven—makes us right in God's sight—when we put our faith and trust in Christ to save us. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scripture says it, "The man who finds life will find it through trusting God."*
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, evil men who push away the truth from them. 19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgment Day.
21 Yes, they knew about him all right, but they wouldn't admit it or worship him or even thank him for all his daily care. And after a while they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what he wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead. 23 And then, instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for themselves, carving them to look like mere birds and animals and snakes and puny men.
24 So God let them go ahead into every sort of sex sin, and do whatever they wanted to—yes, vile and sinful things with each other's bodies. 25 Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn't obey the blessed God who made these things.
26 That is why God let go of them and let them do all these evil things, so that even their women turned against God's natural plan for them and indulged in sex sin with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sex relationships with women, burned with lust for each other, men doing shameful things with other men and, as a result, getting paid within their own souls with the penalty they so richly deserved.
28 So it was that when they gave God up and would not even acknowledge him, God gave them up to doing everything their evil minds could think of. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness and sin, of greed and hate, envy, murder, fighting, lying, bitterness, and gossip.
30 They were backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, braggarts, always thinking of new ways of sinning and continually being disobedient to their parents. 31 They tried to misunderstand, broke their promises, and were heartless—without pity. 32 They were fully aware of God's death penalty for these crimes, yet they went right ahead and did them anyway and encouraged others to do them, too.
-- Living Bible (TLB)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Romans 1:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God's good news— 2 which He promised long ago through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures—
-- Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Romans 1:1-2 Expanded Bible (EXB)
1 From Paul, a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of Christ Jesus. ·God called me [L …called] to be an ·apostle[messenger] and ·chose me [set me apart; appointed me] to tell the ·Good News [Gospel].
2 God promised this ·Good News [Gospel] ·long ago[beforehand; previously] through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures.
-- Expanded Bible (EXB). The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.

I will write more about this tomorrow.

Blessings,
--Stacy Duplease
Email:
agodlyvision@gmail.com
rememberingyourpresent@gmail.com
Blogs:
http://journaltheword.blogspot.com
http://rypstories.blogspot.com
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire HDX Tablet

Change is in the Air

I am changing how I am doing this blog. It's too technical, too fast, and isn't as deep as I want it to be or go. Tomorrow, you will see the changes.

I will start over with the reading of the Book of Romans, like I haven't done anything to this point.

Also, I had the math figured out wrong. I have no idea what I was thinking when I said doing a total of 13,107 verses, four per day, would take 25 years or so. I added a little to give me extra room for vacation days, sick days, emergencies, etc. I have no idea.

So, let's try this again, as far as the math:
13,107 total verses in the Bible
Divided by 2 verses per day
Equals 6553.5 days
Divided by 365 days per year
Equals 17.96 years
Give extra room for the extra days, review days, introduction days, reading the chapter days, reading the book days, etc. I see it taking 25 years or so.
Hence, this study is now 2 verses per day for 25 years or so.

Here is the new blog description and plan:

"My personal walk through the Bible, 2 verses at a time, for the next 20 years or so. How can an ancient text, over 2,000 years old mean anything to my life today? How can reading this text help me live a better life?" 

Word of the Day, Days 6-7, Romans 1:13-20

OUR OPENING OF HEART AND MIND PRAYER FOR THE WORD
Psalm 19:14 New Living Translation (NLT)
14 May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
--New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
~*~
CONTEXT OF DAYS 1-5
Written 04.21.2015.
Romans 1:1-16 New Century Version (NCV)
1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle and chose me to tell the Good News.
2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures. 3-4 The Good News is about God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was declared to be God's Son with great power by rising from the dead. 5 Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle, which was to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. I do this work for him. 6 And you who are in Rome are also called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First I want to say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart by telling the Good News about his Son, knows that I always mention you 10 every time I pray. I pray that I will be allowed to come to you, and this will happen if God wants it. 11 I want very much to see you, to give you some spiritual gift to make you strong. 12 I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you. 13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to come to you, but this has not been possible. I wanted to come so that I could help you grow spiritually as I have helped the other non-Jewish people.
14 I have a duty to all people—Greeks and those who are not Greeks, the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I want so much to preach the Good News to you in Rome.
16 I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save non-Jews.
-- New Century Version (NCV)
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
~*~
JOURNAL THE WORD QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS TO PONDER
Take out your prayer journal and answer thoroughly and do the following:
Prayer journal your thoughts (Journal the Word). Take a few minutes to do so.
How has the reading of these verses blessed you?
What jumped out at you in this reading? It is okay to write out same or similar answers since we have covered this text already. {Hints and Tips: Just make sure to write it out and not, "Repeat" or "Same as before." Your answer will be slightly different each time you answer it, believe it or not. A word or two might change. The differences and the similarities are important. Take note.}
What do we learn about Paul?
What do we learn about God, Jesus, and/or the Holy Spirit?
What was this saying at the time?
What did it mean back in the Bible times?
What does this mean to us today?
To you?
What were your key verses?
List all of the ways you can apply this passage to your life. Then, start to do so.
What does God say to you about these verses?
Journal your prayer about this passage, what God said to you, etc.
List at least five blessings in your life.
Answer several more of the Daily Questions (found here at this link: http://journaltheword.blogspot.com/2015/04/daily-questions-for-journal-word.html).
~*~
WEARING ORANGE FOR SOLIDARITY
Written 04.21.2015., Tuesday
Last night, my husband and I went to buy cheap orange t-shirts.
We are huge Denver Broncos fans, but that is not why.
We plan on wearing them every other day or so. Granted, we will wear them out faster, and people might think we are a little strange to wear them so much, but that is fine with us. As a matter of fact, we hope people will ask us why. Some will know, though, without even asking.
We are wearing orange to show solidarity with the Christians, and their families (and those whether Christian or not) who have been in the orange jumpsuits and executed because they do not believe what the terrorists want them to believe.
Orange shows solidarity with those executed and their families and friends.
So, go out. Fast. Today. Get an orange t-shirt. Wear it so much you wear it out and need to buy a new one. Show where and how you stand.
~*~
TODAY'S TEXT
Romans 1:13-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13 Now I want you to know, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the good news to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
-- Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
~*~
JOURNAL THE WORD QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS TO PONDER
Take out your prayer journal and answer/do the following:
Prayer journal your thoughts (Journal the Word). Take a few minutes to do so.
What jumped out at you? Why?
What do we learn?
Ask several different questions, and answer them, of each of the following questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how? For instance, who is referred to in this passage of Romans 1:13-16? Ask as many of these questions, and answer them, as you can. Be thorough. Take some time to do so.
What is your key verse?
What did God say to you?
What did you you say to God?
What do you want to apply to your life from this passage? Why? How? Make a plan.
How were you blessed by the reading of this passage? Try to answer and do not say, "No idea" or "I wasn't." I guarantee every time you read the Word of God, you are blessed. You have heard the Lord speak. Ask Him to reveal the blessing to you. It might be a verse to ponder, something to remember, or a reminder, for example. Or, it could be encouragement or something to correct you.
Answer more of the Daily Questions.
Write a prayer about all of this and anything else you desire.
~*~
Romans 1:13-16 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
-- New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
~*~
Prayer journal your thoughts.
What new information did you gain from this version or translation? What new insight?
What jumped out at you and caught your attention? Why?
What questions do you have?
What doesn't make sense?
What do you not fully grasp or understand?
What did you notice again, that repeated from before?
~*~
Romans 1:13-16 Expanded Bible (EXB)
13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I ·planned [intended] many times to come to you, but ·this has not been possible [L have been hindered/ unsuccessful until now]. I wanted to come so that I could ·help you grow spiritually [L harvest some fruit among you] as I have ·helped the other [L among the rest of the] Gentiles.
14 I have a ·duty [obligation; debt] to all people—Greeks and ·those who are not Greeks [or barbarians; C this pairing could mean (1) ethnic Greeks and other Gentiles; (2) Greek speakers (people in the Roman empire) and non-Greek speakers (those outside the Roman empire); or (3) cultured people and uncultured people], the wise and the foolish [C perhaps contrasting educated with uneducated, or philosophically sophisticated (1 Cor. 1:18–31) with simple-minded]. 15 That is why I ·want so much [am so eager] to preach the ·Good News [Gospel] to you in Rome.
16 [L For] I am not ashamed of the ·Good News [Gospel], because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save ·Gentiles [L the Greeks; C here meaning anyone who is not Jewish; contrast v. 14].
-- Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
~*~
ROMANS 1:1-16 AND THE GOSPEL OR THE GOOD NEWS
Let's Journal the Word:
What have we learned from this passage about the Gospel or the Good News?
List the verses that talk about the Gospel or the Good News. Then, write them out in your prayer journal.
*****~*~*****
Word of the Day, Day 7, Romans 1:17-20
~*~ Psalm 19:14 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
-- New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
~*~
HINTS AND TIPS
I just wanted to share a hint and tip about something that is working for me as we read slowly through the Book of Romans. I sure hope this might help give you an idea and help deepen your time pondering the Word of God and Journal the Word.
I do everything electronically.
I use https://www.biblegateway.com/ for my Bible reading. After all, it has every English version of the Bible.
Also, I use http://penzu.com/r/34f16257%C2%A0 for all of my journaling and have since November 2012 (so that tells you how much I like it). I also send emails I want to keep, news articles, blog posts, all of my writing, etc there to my account via email. It is my catch-all. If I read something on BibleGateway.com, I send the link there as well. On Penzu.com, there is unlimited storage. So, save everything I can. To help me remember.
What has really enriched my reading and journaling of the Bible is I copy and paste a different version each day of Romans 1 into a journal entry. (You could do this into a document as well.)
I focus on my four verse passage of the Day and make sure to interact with those verses in my journal. I do the Daily Questions and so on.
I also keep reading the verses we have studied so far and the four coming up the next day.
Also, once a day at least, I read all of Romans 1.
This has been so rewarding. Reading the verses repeatedly, all we have studied to this point in particular, has been very rewarding. It's made me come to treasure the text as it grows its roots deeper and deeper into my heart and mind.
So, give this method a try. Again, it will bless your socks off. I promise.
~*~
THE GOSPEL OR GOOD NEWS VERSES IN ROMANS 1:1-16 SO FAR
Written 04.22.2015. 958 a.m.
Romans 1:1-3 Expanded Bible (EXB)
1 From Paul, a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of Christ Jesus. ·God called me [L …called] to be an ·apostle [messenger] and ·chose me [set me apart; appointed me] to tell the ·Good News [Gospel].
2 God promised this ·Good News [Gospel] ·long ago [beforehand; previously] through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about God's Son. ·As a man [orWith reference to his earthly life; L According to the flesh], he was born ·from the family [a descendant; L of the seed] of David [2 Sam. 7:11–14].
-- Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
~*~
Romans 1:9 Expanded Bible (EXB)
9 God, whom I serve ·with my whole heart [in/with my spirit] ·by telling [or for the sake of; L in] the ·Good News [Gospel] about his Son, ·knows [L is my witness] that I ·always [continually; never cease to] mention you
--Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
~*~
Romans 1:15-16 Expanded Bible (EXB)
15 That is why I ·want so much [am so eager] to preach the ·Good News [Gospel] to you in Rome.
16 [L For] I am not ashamed of the ·Good News [Gospel], because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save ·Gentiles [L the Greeks; C here meaning anyone who is not Jewish; contrast v. 14].
--Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
~*~
WHAT IS THE "GOSPEL" OR THE "GOOD NEWS"
It's been mentioned several times in Romans so far and I want more information. Consequently, I want to do more research. Here is a link to do precisely that:
http://biblehub.com/greek/2098.htm
Take a look and prayer journal your thoughts, what you learned, things that jumped out you, what God said to you, what you Saud to God, answer the Daily Questions, etc. Be thorough. Spend some time familiarizing yourself even more about the Gospel.
~*~
Re-read all of Romans 1 now.
Prayer journal your thoughts.
​~*~
TODAY'S PASSAGE
Today's passage is really Romans 1:17-20. However, I am going to go back a verse and add it to this as well to offer more context:
~*~
Romans 1:16-20 New Living Translation (NLT)
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
-- New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
~*~
JOURNAL THE WORD QUESTIONS AND THOUGHTS TO PONDER
Take out your prayer journal and answer/do the following:
Prayer journal your thoughts (Journal the Word). Take a few minutes to do so.
What caught your attention? Why and how?
Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions regarding this passage. Be thorough and ask several of each. For instance: Who was mentioned? Where was mentioned? What happened? What was taught? What was said? When, what period of time, was mentioned in this passage? Etc.
What do we learn about Paul?
What do we learn about God, Jesus, and/or the Holy Spirit?
What was this saying at the time?
What did it mean back in the Bible times?
What does this mean to us today?
To you?
What is your key verse?
List all of the ways you can apply this passage to your life. Then, start to do so.
What does God say to you about these verses?
Journal your prayer about this passage, what God said to you, etc.
Answer several more of the Daily Questions (found here at this link: http://journaltheword.blogspot.com/2015/04/daily-questions-for-journal-word.html).
~*~*~
MY PERSONAL PRAYER JOURNALING THE WORD OF GOD AND ROMANS 1:1-20
Written 04.22.2015. 1030 a.m. and 2:05 p.m.
My Interaction with Romans 1:1-20 New Living Translation (NLT):
~*~
TEXT: 1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.
PJ (My personal prayer journaling): How have I been chosen by God?
How am I to share the Good News and Gospel?
How have I acted as a slave to Christ this week?
~*~
TEXT: 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
6 And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
8 Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. 9 God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
10 One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. 11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. 12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.
PJ: We are to be encouraged by one another's faith, not condemn, criticize, or judge another's faith. We are to gain courage from the faith of fellow Christians.
***
TEXT: 13 I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles.
PJ: What is spiritual fruit?
Answer:
http://biblehub.com/greek/2590.htm
What is done in my life as a, and in, partnership with Jesus. This is fruit.
It is working with Jesus and allowing Him to work in me, through me, and around me, as I do and am what He asks of me.
It is Him to live through me, realizing my life is His anyway.
Spiritual fruit is when through union with Him I yield what is eternal and yield to eternity.
~*~
TEXT: 14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.
PJ: I would like to think I am not ashamed. However, how do I live it in the open and not just in my heart and mind? Do others know I believe? How has my writing reflected I am a Christ Follower? Do I realize my salvation is God's power in me, around me, and through me? What do I really think of salvation? Of my salvation? What does the Gospel mean to me and my life? What does it mean in the lives of those in my life? How do I think of the Gospel? Do I? How do I act on the Gospel? How do I act because of the Gospel? When do I think of the Gospel?
All of the previous questions, and more than those lisited, I need to ponder and answer.
How can I reach nonbelievers through my writing?
Pause.
How can I share the Gospel to unbelievers through my writing and this blog and blog book? Can I? I think these might be the most important questions I can ask and answer.
Lord, guide me, please.
What, Lord, do You want me to write? Your will be done. I need to get out of the way and allow You, Lord, to use me as Your vessel.
Pause. Pondering. Praying about this.
Am I to write three different aspects regarding each session of four verses?:
1) My walk through the four verses, reading, studying, praying, pondering, applying, reviewing, and remembering. 1st blog post.
2) Bible reading and study material for others.
3) Application of the material and what it means in life today. How does an ancient text apply today? Living the Word through journaling the Word.
Or... is this just supposed to be my walk through Romans?
Lord, please guide me.
I think through this.. I am starting to see I need to how I need ot take unbelievers into consideration and figure out how to make Romans a book they would want to read. And, today's Christians who are not in the Word every day, all day and night.
Or, am I?
Am I supposed to just share my walk through the text? And what I see it means for my life--and people can take it from there and learn through me.
Maybe through me sharing my walk through Romans and living it, others might believe and actually live it.
~*~
TEXT: 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
-- New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Blessings,
--Stacy Duplease
Email:
agodlyvision@gmail.com
rememberingyourpresent@gmail.com
Blogs:
http://journaltheword.blogspot.com
http://rypstories.blogspot.com
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire HDX Tablet
~*~*~