Bible Study Snacks, Acts 27:39-44

Hi, everyone!

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Bible Study Snacks!  I hope everyone had a nice week. And, it's great to be here with you again! As always, I thank you so much for joining me as we walk together through the richness of God's spoken word, and wisdom. I pray that today finds you in good health and strong in faith!

This week, I would like to continue our study of the Book of Acts, with Chapter Twenty-seven, Verses 39-44.

I have designed these studies to be brief, yet packed full of good information for everyone regardless of your level of biblical knowledge. I might add that these quick studies make perfect small group discussion starters, as well!

As always, I whole-heartedly believe in the importance that any Bible study should begin with prayer. If you have your Bible ready, let's pray together...

"Heavenly father, please guide us as we study your Word today; I pray that our hearts and our minds will be open so that we will not only receive your Gospel, but learn from it as well; you are the Light of the world, Lord, and your Spirit will illuminate our path as we journey through your teachings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen"

If you are taking notes for yourself, or using this for a bible study with others, here are the objectives for this week's lesson...

OBJECTIVES: This week, the reader will...

1) Contemplate how all were saved in the shipwreck at Malta.

For your convenience, here is a summary of Acts 27:39-44...  

At daylight, they saw a bay with a beach, though they did not recognize the land. They desired to drive the ship onto the beach. They let the anchors go into the sea, hoisted the main sail, and headed for the beach. The ship ran aground "where two seas met" and the "prow stuck fast" - the ship was immovable. The waves violently began to break up the ship. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to keep any from escaping. The centurion stopped the soldiers' plan. He wanted to save Paul. The centurion commanded all who could swim to jump overboard and swim for shore. The rest floated on boards or parts of the ship. They all escaped safely to the island.  (39-44)

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1) When it became day, what did they see? (Acts 27:39)
2) As they attempted to run the ship onto the beach, what happened? (Acts 27:40-41)
3) What did the soldiers plan to do to the prisoners? (Acts 27:42)
4) Did the centurion go along with the plan? What did he do? Why? (Acts 27:43)
5) How did the rest get to shore? How many escaped safely to land? (Acts 27:44)
 
After completing this week's study, I encourage you to go back and read through the material again. Take your time and read each topic and scripture reference as many times as you feel necessary. Keep in mind that by doing this, you just might see something new that you overlooked the first time around!

As we journey through the Bible together, I will continue to pray that God’s message will come through to you loud and crystal clear. Until next time, I wish everyone a blessed week!

God bless you!  

Sheri

Finding Grace In the Eyes of the Lord!

"There are many reasons God saves you: to bring glory to himself, to appease his justice, to demonstrate his sovereignty. But one of the sweetest reasons God saved you is because he is fond of you. He likes having you around. He thinks you are the best thing to come down the pike in quite a while…. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring, and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, he’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and he chose your heart. And the Christmas gift he sent you in Bethlehem? Face it, friend. He’s crazy about you!"   -God’s Favor toward Us, Citation: Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder (Word, 1995)

In Genesis 6:5-7, we read about God's displeasure with the world and its wickedness. But as God pronounces judgment upon the world, and prepares to destroy it with a flood, we find encouraging words concerning one man: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8).

This simply means that Noah found favor in God's sight, and we know the result of that favor:  escape for him and his family from the flood! But why Noah? Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord? And how might we apply this to our situation today?

Examining this a little closer, we see several reasons why Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. First of all, he was "a just man" (Genesis 6:9). Some translations say "righteous." This likely refers to his moral relation to God (Keil & Delitzsch). Next, he was "perfect in his generations" (Genesis 6:9). Other translations (NASV, NIV) use the word "blameless. "Not that he was sinless, but that there were no blatant faults. He was a man of moral integrity among the people.

Additionally, he "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). This is how he manifested his righteousness and integrity (Keil & Delitzsch). In walking with God, he imitated the example of Enoch, his great-grandfather (Genesis 5:24). Walking with God in Noah's case likely involved...Calling upon the name of the Lord (which began in the days of Seth (Genesis 4:26). And, offering sacrifices to God (which began in the days of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:3-4).

Noah also "did according to all that the Lord had commanded him. Twice this is emphasized in the Scriptures (Genesis 6:22; 7:5). Note here, we learn from the writer of Hebrews that this obedience of Noah came from faith (Hebrews 11:7). And lastly, he was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). He not only "lived" a righteous life; but he also "proclaimed" the need for righteousness, even though he lived in a very ungodly world.

From what we just discussed, Noah certainly was an unusual man. But, perhaps we now can see why only he and his family "found grace in the eyes of the Lord." What about ourselves?  Is there a need for us to "find grace in the eyes of the Lord" today?  Yes, you bet there is! And this is how "we" can find  grace in the eyes of the Lord.

We must be "just" in his sight. Fortunately, the good news of the gospel is that God sent Christ in order to make us "just" (righteous, forgiven) in His sight! (Romans 5:8-9) This blessing is available to all who demonstrate true faith in Jesus (Romans 3:24-26). Being justified, we can have peace with God (concerning which Peter wrote)  Romans 5:1; cf. 2 Peter 3:14.

We must be "perfect" in our generation. That is, to be complete, mature, to be everything God desires of us. Again, the good news of the gospel of Christ is that God has provided the necessary elements for us to be "perfect"! He has provided: the blood of Christ, to cleanse us of our sins (1 John 1:7-9); the Word of God, to guide us to completion (2 Timothy 3:16-17); the strength of the Spirit, to help us in our struggles (Ephesians 3:16; Romans 8:13); and the providence of God, who will work with us and lead us to victory! (2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Peter 5:10).

We must "walk with God." Of course, this would mean that we can "no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk..." (cf. Ephesians 4:17-20). Rather, it requires that we be "followers of God as dear children" (Ephesians 5:1), and that we..."Walk in love" (Ephesians 5:2); "Walk as children of light", exposing the sins of darkness (Ephesians 5:8-11); and "Walk as wise", with an understanding of what the Lord's will is " (Ephesians 5:15-17).

We must "do all that the Lord has commanded." This means, observing not just "some" things, but "all" things (cf. Matthew 28:20). For in so doing, we demonstrate our faith to be "a living faith" (cf. James 2:17,24,26).

And, we must be "preachers of righteousness." It is God's will that we "proclaim the praises of Him", which would include His righteousness (cf. 1 Peter 2:9). This can be done most vividly by example, in living  transformed lives (cf. Romans 12:1-2).

God does not want anyone to perish in the great conflagration, or great fire, that is yet to come. But, He does require all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9; Acts 17:30-31). And when we turn from sin and turn to God, what do we find? The same thing Noah and his family found: "grace in the eyes of the Lord"!

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:24; Titus 2:11; Romans 11:6; Romans 5:2; Acts 15:11; Ephesians 4:7

Prayer: Dear Lord, grant me the strength to allow my desire to succeed be greater than my fear of failure. Amen

May God be with you always!

Albany

Guilt Is A Heavy Burden to Carry

"Guilt upon the conscience, like rust upon iron, both defiles it and consumes it, gnawing and creeping into it, as that does which at last eats out the very heart and substance of the metal."   -South

We all carry baggage. It weighs us down and burdens us so that we aren't able to do what we would really like to do. What kind of baggage are you carrying right now? Guilt, broken dreams, broken relationships, hurt, etc. We should examine what the bible has to tell us about guilt; and how we can really be free from the guilt of our past.

Merriam-Webster defines guilt this way: a bad feeling caused by knowing or thinking that you have done something bad or wrong. I think most of us are all familiar with that feeling, correct? However, the good news is that God doesn't want us to live in guilt, but rather to overcome guilt through the blood of Jesus.

If I may be blunt for a moment, some of you have spent this past week living lives without any regard to God or, the things of God. Some of you have spent years living in such a way; and now the burden of guilt weighs heavy on your soul. You know, the only thing worse is not to feel any guilt about that at all. To be in such a position is to be spiritually dead. A dead conscience and a dead spirit are terrible ailments. God looks at the heart and he knows your guilt.

The guilt of our sin, made us spiritually dead. Humanity naturally sees out our own human desires and our own pleasures.That 's why we live with so much guilt; because we know deep down that what we are doing is not honoring to God. So if everyone is guilty, then doesn't it make sense we should live as though we are guilty? Only if you have never been forgiven. When you seek forgiveness and receive forgiveness, you no longer need to live guilty. Our guilt was dealt with by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7).

Are you going to add to the burden of guilt by coming to his table not knowing his forgiveness? God, because of his love for us, paid the price for our sin with the blood of Jesus. He freely gave us new life. When we accept God’s forgiveness, we are spiritually placed in heaven with Christ. Since we are raised with Christ in heaven we do not need to live in the guilt of our sin. In heaven there is no guilt.

When the bible talks about our living with God in eternity, it tells us that there will be no more weeping or pain or mourning (Revelation 21:4). For those forgiven of their sin through Jesus Christ, this should be the reality in which we live our lives. Of course, this doesn't mean we can simply do whatever we want and not worry about sin. God has called us to live as he does and he wants us to avoid sin at all cost (Romans 6:1).

Sin should be the exception in our lives.We are dead to sin and alive in Jesus (Acts 10:43; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13-14). The reality is that for those forgiven by Christ, we are free from the bondage of guilt. Why should we not feel guilty about God’s grace? Our forgiveness is a gift from God. Since we didn't earn it, we can’t lose it. God never takes away his forgiveness from us (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Unhealthy guilt burdens us, and keeps us from being who God created us to be. Unhealthy guilt is an attack from our enemy who accuses us. Healthy guilt, or conviction, draws us to Christ (1 John 1:9). How do we overcome guilt?

• Admit your guilt;
• Take responsibility for your guilt;
• Confess your guilt and seek God’s forgiveness;
• Be assured of God’s forgiveness and then move to experience a restored relationship with God.

Guilt is a positive thing when it moves us to confess our sins and seek God’s forgiveness. When we have done that, we must believe and live according to what Scripture teaches – that we are forgiven and live in the freedom of that forgiveness. Too many Christians I know live as if forgiveness does not bring freedom.

Scripture: Romans 5:1; Luke 15:7; James 1:14; Psalm 103:11-12; 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 6:23; 1 Timothy 2:4 

Prayer: Dear Father, help me remember that love begins with me. Give me the wisdom to understand that it is not what I do, but the love that I put into what I do that matters. Amen

God bless you!

Gail

God Can Help You Cope In Any Circumstance!

"Some people will change when they see the light. Others change only when they feel the heat."   -Traditional

What are the 5 most important things in your life? Take a minute, or two, and write them down on paper. It's important to be honest when you do this.

Now, don’t write what should be the most important in your life, but what has been the most important in your life, based on your priorities, and on how much you would grieve if you were to lose them. These items can be your child/children, wife, husband, house, career, anything. So, go ahead, take a minute or two, to do this.

I realize that there are many factors outside of our control. Marriage is an example where two people marry the best of each other. After the first year, or the first month in some cases, one or both individuals in the marriage may decide no longer to put their best forward. Or, the care of children and the demands of work competes with the effort needed to demonstrate love to one another.

There are other examples illustrating life situations that are less than ideal, that are disappointing, even crippling: The couples that desire to have their own children but cannot. The death of a husband leaves behind his wife to care for their young children. The woman whose abusive parents leaves her emotionally scarred. As a result bitterness, envy, selfish ambition and other wrong thoughts fill our minds and paralyze our lives. Satisfaction, fulfillment, peace and contentment in life and relationships appear to be out of reach.

In today's message, we will take a brief look at the Apostle Paul’s reason for contentment in life (even in a prison cell), and the process through which he gained this contentment. We won’t find instructions from Paul for coping with life in today's passage (Philippians 4:10-13), but we will observe a life that has coped well in every circumstance.

The Apostle Paul leaves his role as their pastor, and rejoices in their common friendship with Jesus Christ, their Lord. What this passage tell us is not so much instruction from Paul, as much as his voicing aloud his thoughts about his current condition in prison. For a time in prison, he received no help from other Christians, not even from the church he loved, the Philippi Community Christian Church.

Paul’s instruction, in this passage, we will simply affirm the realities of life. Sometimes, affirming reality is the best help for moving on with one’s life and toward contentment. Someone said, "Denial is not a river in Egypt, but a rut in which many choose to walk in life." Christians are not perfect; they are forgiven by God and given the truth, even the Holy Spirit, to guide us through life. Therefore, denial is not encouraged in the Christians life!

Before moving on, allow me to shed some light on what the Philippians had to deal with in their lives. Remember they lived under Greek and Roman religious and philosophical influence. As Paul spoke about his own contentment, he exposes the wrong value for contentment, and the wrong process for attaining contentment, that was often taught by Greek Stoic philosophers.

The Greek Stoic philosophers taught that one could attain contentment by denial of one’s needs. In other words, if your child dies, it’s okay, because your child is external to you and should not effect you. If your company goes bankrupt, it’s okay, because, after all, it’s only a business. If you have cancer, it’s okay; everyone dies eventually.

This form of contentment denies the God-given ability to feel and discern injustice and evil. This form of contentment denies the presence of the ideal. And this form of contentment denies the value of effort, and the value of human life, including self. In a nutshell, the Stoics value the ability to transcend the harshness of life.

Paul, on the other hand, gave the reason that one can be content because God is in charge. Paul also gave the process for attaining contentment, which involves experiencing, and seeing God’s faithfulness in times of need, and times of abundance.

But, even Paul experienced discouragement, as all of us must in this life. If you go back and read Philippians 2:25, you'll see that the Philippians finally had the opportunity to send Epaphroditus to take care of Paul’s needs. Yet, Paul faced great discouragement and great need prior to receiving Epaphroditus.

To lose contact with your church because you've moved away might cause you to wonder how deep the friendships were. But to lose contact with your church, when you've been their pastor, and now are unjustly imprisoned, will certainly cause you to wonder if your church ever cared about you; and if your church knew anything about love.

How do we handle the sense of discouragement when we see that our investment into significant relationships will not produce the intended result? You could be a teacher, a parent, a spouse, and find that all the time you've invested into your students, children or spouse have not made a difference in their lives, or improved your relationship with them. 

When this happens, where do we turn to find our sense of significance? The term, midlife crisis, describes an evaluation of a life possibly wasted up to that point and potentially meaningless in the future. So, what do we do?

Do we start over? Do we set new goals? Do we give up in bitterness? Do we keep on doing what we are doing, and lower our expectation for meaning and significance in life? Do we pick up a book on dealing with discouragement in the self-help section at a local bookstore? I wouldn't be surprised that Paul had some of these thoughts when he struggled with discouragement in his prison cell.

Additionally, Paul not only experienced discouragement, but he also experienced the contrast of abundance to that of having very little, as all of us must in this life. Paul knew what having plenty meant. He was a pure Jew, highly educated and a member of the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders of his time. 

Paul also had Roman citizenship, possibly because his Dad was given such citizenship for his contribution to the Roman Empire. Paul had prestige, power and money, but he gave all that up when he decided to follow Jesus Christ after his encounter on the road to Damascus.

Maybe having very little to live on does not describe you at this point, but it may describe some people in your life. They were doing very well in life, until an unexpected business failure, or perhaps an illness in the family put them in a financial crunch. The question here is, "Can we have peace and contentment when some of these realities are our realities?" I believe we can. 

Let's go back to the beginning of this message. Look at the five most important things you wrote down? If disaster occurred in your life, a fire, an earthquake, a break-in, an illness, or whatever else could take away or destroy four of the five things on your list; and you could choose which four you would lose, what would you be willing to lose? Cross these four items off your list now. 

If what's left on your list is not a personal relationship with God, you will lose that item also, because only a personal relationship with God lasts forever. Everything else that brings you joy will be taken from you at one point or another in life, and everything at death. Only a personal relationship with God will be ours forever.

Referring back to today's passage (Philippians 4:10-13), Paul had several resources as he made his journey toward contentment. He had a personal relationship with God. This was certain. He had an on-going relationship with his church. This was uncertain at times. And he was willing to go through the experience of discouragement and lack.

If we find contentment to be mind over matter, then contentment might be found through the willingness to experience or accept discouragement and lack. But the willingness to experience discouragement and lack does not bring heart-felt satisfaction and fulfillment in life, unless a personal relationship with God, the truth of His Word and the encouragement of His people are a part of your list of resources.

One final word to you. If your primary purpose in life is happiness, or having everything your way, you will never be content this side of Heaven. But if your primary purpose is what God’s word says, that is to glorify God with your life, then you can be content in whatever situation. Just as a painting and a sculpture glorify or give credit to their maker, so is our purpose to glorify or give credit to our Maker, God. Any other purpose will leave us without peace and contentment.

Scripture: Hebrews 13:8; Joshua 1:9; Deuteronomy 31:6; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Proverbs 18:15; Philippians 4:6-7; James 1:17

Prayer: Dear Father, please help me to find inner peace. Help me understand that no matter what may come my way you are always with me. Amen

God bless you all!

Heather

Don't Let Stress Get the Best of You!

Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;
Pressed so intensely, it seems beyond strength;
Pressed in the body, and pressed in the soul;
Pressed in the mind, till the dark surges roll.
Pressure by foes, and pressure by friends--
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.
Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving the staff and the rod.
Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;
Pressed into faith for impossible things.
Pressed into tasting the joy of the Lord;
Pressed into loving a Christlife outpoured.
-Author unknown

Okay, so we all know that the holiday season can be a period of major stress. No big secret there! The rubber-band gets stretched pretty thin. Maybe some of you are feeling the effects right now. I wouldn't be too surprised  to find out that a some of you have exchanged heated words with people you care about in the middle of holiday preparations.

In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if a few of you are actually dreading, instead of looking forward to, the next few weeks. Yes, for many of us, it’s a difficult time of year. But stress in not exclusive only to the holiday season. Stress can, and does occur at any time!

Let's do a quick inventory before we go on.  Do the following symptoms of stress apply to you?

1. Plans day unrealistically.
2. First to arrive, last to leave.
3. Always in a hurry.
4. Makes no plan for relaxation.
5. Feels guilty about doing anything other than work.
6. Sees unforeseen problem as a setback or disaster.
7. Is always thinking about several other things when working.
8. Feels need to be recognized, and overextends because of this.

If so, you just might be "stressed out!" Luckily, Paul gave us some great advice for handling stress in Philippians 4: 4-8. Why don't we break this information down piece by piece, and take a closer look at it.

First, he tells us to, "Rejoice in the Lord always, delight, gladden yourselves in Him. Again I say rejoice!" It takes a willful decision to sing and make melody in our hearts to be happy in the Lord. Whether you're feeling depressed, anxious, or bothered by some annoyance, you can exercise your ability to rejoice. Encourage yourself in the Lord by recounting all the good things you have been given through Christ: His strength, His wisdom, His identity, His love, His purposes, His power, His truth, His ability to overcome temptations, His perspectives, His peace, His patience, His kindness, His gentleness, His faithfulness, His self-control, and His plans for your life.

Second, let everyone know, perceive, and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). When our rights are yielded totally to the Lord we are not so quick to become irritated when things don't go our way. We become an example to others in our teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, sufferings and how the Lord delivers us from every problem. We can communicate in verbal and non-verbal ways that our God is greater than any problem.

Third, Paul tell us, "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything. Let's learn to follow the faith, and the truth in the words of the famous hymn writer who sang, "Simply trusting everyday. Trusting in the homeward way. Even when my faith is small. Trusting Jesus that is all. Trusting as the moments fly. Trusting as the days go by. Trusting Him whatever befalls. Trusting Jesus that is all." Isaiah 26:3 says, "He will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on the Lord because He trusts in Him."

Fourth, and this is important. He tell us, "In every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God." Prayer in the morning programs our thinking, attitudes, spirit, and actions to call on the Lord for everything. Not only when you're feeling worried, bothered, or fearful, but even when you're waiting for your next action; ask the Lord to fill you with all spiritual wisdom in every situation. Trust Him to allow you bear fruit in every good work and to increase in the knowledge of God. Ask Him to help you to excel in love, faith, hope, and wisdom through every encounter.

Fourth, he says,  "And God’s peace shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from god and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace which transcends all understanding shall guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Take time to contemplate  the many ways that the Lord calms the stormy seas in your heart, mind and relationships. Thank God specifically for the ways that He enables you to be an island of calm in the middle of  the pressures of life’s problems.

Sixth, he tell us that,  "Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things." Every good business takes regular inventories to see what resources are available to them. Without a recognition of one’s resources we can become timid, reactive, and uncertain of ability to cope.

Seventh, "Fix your minds on these things." Take time to memorize, study, read, discuss, and pray through the promises of God. Without a consistent habit of scriptural meditation we do not have the capacity in ourselves to live by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, Paul tells us to  "Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living of it and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you." Making consistent applications to the principles of scripture and the life of Jesus Christ will cement the stress reduction habits of a Christ like perspective. Without an honest effort to be doers of the word we may fall into the trap of being mere hearers who deceive themselves like the hypocritical Pharisees.

Stress can be very damaging not only to our well-being, but to our relationships with others. God understands our stress, and offers many different ways to help, if we allow Him to. I will close out this message by leaving you with another list of symptoms of stress overload.

1. Decision-making becomes difficult (both major and minor kinds).
2. Excessive daydreaming or fantasizing about "getting away from it all."
3. Increased use of cigarettes and/or alcohol.
4. Increased use of tranquilizers and/or other drugs to cope.
5. Thoughts trail off while speaking or writing.
6. Excessive worrying about all things.
7. Sudden outbursts of temper and hostility.
8. Paranoid ideas and mistrust of friends and family.
9. Forgetfulness for appointments, deadlines, dates.
10. Frequent spells of brooding and feeling of inadequacy.
11. Reversals in usual behavior.
-Keith W. Wehnert, Stress/Unstress, 1981, Augsburg

Take a close look at what's going on in your life. Stress is common to all of us. Some of us are able to handle it better than others. No matter what, don't let it get the better or you. God loves you, and offers the peace and calm that only He can bring. Why not take Him up on his offer?

Scripture: Philippians 4:6; John 14:27; Psalm 55:22; Romans 8:28; Psalm 118:5-6; Proverbs 12:25; James 1:12

Prayer: Dear Father, grant me the wisdom to understand that it is not what in front of me that matters, but the actions I take. Amen

May your day be blessed!

Kathy

Saturday Scripture Gold with Bibi: Live in the Freedom of Obedience to God!

"Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace."   -Thomas A. Kampis

Life is full of warnings. It seems like someone is always telling us what we can’t do. Some think that's the essence of Christianity. God sits up in heaven on his throne issuing rules like lawyers. He commands, “Don’t do this! Don’t do that! And don’t you dare have any fun!”

Religion for many becomes drudgery instead of freedom. What a tragedy! You see, God is all about freedom; and only with Him can we experience real freedom.

Take these two statements from Psalm 119, for example, "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." HEY (Psalm 119:32 WEB) “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” (Psalm 119:45)

These two statements connect freedom and the Word. One says because we are free we are able to keep the commands of God. The other says that since we seek out the precepts of the scriptures we are able to live in freedom. Both verses say, "freedom and the Word go hand in hand." Does that sound like your life?

I know that I have not always experienced freedom in Christ. In fact, I think I have often slipped into living to please others, and to conform to religious expectations. Sound familiar? Often our culture defines freedom as being loosed from the shackles of religion. We talk of “free thinkers.” The Catholic Encyclopedia defines them as “those who, abandoning the religious truths and moral dictates of the Christian Revelation, and accepting no dogmatic teaching on the ground of authority, base their beliefs on the unfettered findings of reason alone.”

Young people often consider the Bible as restrictive. If they were to follow it they wouldn't be free to do what their friends do. But is freedom from God and the Word really freedom? No! It is really slavery. Let’s look at (John 8:31-38) to contrast true freedom from the actual slavery of rejecting God’s word.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."

Rightly, his Jewish listeners discerned that the opposite of freedom is slavery. They bristled at the suggestion that they were slaves to anyone. Politically and spiritually they prided themselves for being fiercely independent of others. But Jesus declares that they are really slaves.

Let’s take a moment this morning to consider some forms of slavery grasping the Pharisees. First, there is the slavery to sin. The obvious example of the grip sin had on them is that they were ready to reject and kill Jesus, the Son of God (John 8:37).

As much as we try to blank out the guilt of sinful disobedience, we are not really acting freely. When we stop obeying God, we become a slave to the devil. Have you ever tried to stop sinning? If you have, you know you are not truly free.

Another slavery is religious arrogance. Do you recall the story about two men praying in the temple? "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ’God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ’God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:10-14)

Unfortunately, we identify with the first character all too often. We judge others as inferior. We are certain that we are closer to God than other religious peoples. We are really slaves. We are slaves to tradition. Have you ever examined what you really believe and how you practice your faith? If you compare your life and beliefs, you will see a discrepancy with scripture. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference because we are so wedded to our religious traditions. The Pharisees continually conflicted with Jesus with their traditions over ritual cleanliness and Sabbath regulations. Guess what? Traditions won out every time over the authoritative word of the Lord.

Christians can also be enslaved by their fear of men. As the Proverbs say: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25) We are so desperate for approval we will do all kinds of things to please others. This is one of the cruelest forms of slavery. But Jesus has come to set you free!

Freedom is found in careful obedience to God’s word. Psalm 119:45 says “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” It may sound strange but submission to the authority of God sets us free from a host of different slaveries. There is nothing quite like the inner peace associated with obedience to the Word.

The way of freedom is submit willingly to the Word of God. If we want to be free disciples, we need to hold on to the teachings of Jesus. I believe this means learning what Jesus teaches us in the scriptures, and letting it seep deep into our minds. The Word is powerful to loose us from slavery. The Spirit of the Word will empower us to live in the freedom of obedience to God.

Scripture: John 14:15; Luke 6:46; Romans 6:16; Matthew 7:21; James 1:22; Isaiah 1:19;  Romans 8:28 

Now, let's pray...

O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for in thy name's sake. Amen

Until next time...

Have a blessed week!

Bibi

Bible Study Snacks, Acts 27:13-38

Hi, everyone!

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Bible Study Snacks! It was nice to have had some time to spend with my family and friends over Thanksgiving last week. I hope everyone had a nice week. And, it's great to be here with you again! As always, I thank you so much for joining me as we walk together through the richness of God's spoken word, and wisdom. I pray that today finds you in good health and strong in faith!

This week, I would like to continue our study of the Book of Acts, with Chapter Twenty-seven, Verses 13-38.

I have designed these studies to be brief, yet packed full of good information for everyone regardless of your level of biblical knowledge. I might add that these quick studies make perfect small group discussion starters, as well!

As always, I whole-heartedly believe in the importance that any Bible study should begin with prayer. If you have your Bible ready, let's pray together...

"Heavenly father, please guide us as we study your Word today; I pray that our hearts and our minds will be open so that we will not only receive your Gospel, but learn from it as well; you are the Light of the world, Lord, and your Spirit will illuminate our path as we journey through your teachings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen"

If you are taking notes for yourself, or using this for a bible study with others, here are the objectives for this week's lesson...

OBJECTIVES: This week, the reader will...

1) Examine how the tempestuous sea became disastrous for the ship and all those aboard.

For your convenience, here is a summary of Acts 27:13-38...  

The south wind began to blow softly. Supposing this favorable, they put out to sea. They sailed close to Crete. Shortly after sailing, a "tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon." The ship was driven south of an island called Clauda. The sailors secured the ship with cables/ropes by passing them underneath the hull. The following day, they lightened the ship. The third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard.

After several days in the storm, all hope was given up. They had not eaten for many days. Paul reminded them that he had recommended to not sail from Crete. Paul then assured them there would be no loss of life; only the ship would be lost. This message came from an angel of God. Paul affirmed his faith/trust in God that this surely would come to pass. Paul further revealed that the ship would run aground.

After fourteen nights, the sailors sensed they were near land. They took soundings and determined they were nearing land. It was dark.They dropped four anchors to avoid running aground and prayed for daylight. The sailors lowered the skiff to appear that they were putting out more anchors; however, they intended to leave the ship. Paul told the centurion and soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved." The soldiers cut the ropes to the skiff and let it fall away.

As the day dawned, Paul encouraged them to eat. It had been fourteen days since they had eaten. Paul indicated they needed food for nourishment and survival. He reminded them they all would be safe. Paul then took bread, gave thanks to God, and began to eat before them. They were all encouraged by Paul and ate as well. After they had eaten enough, they threw the wheat into the sea to lighten the ship. There were two hundred seventy-six people aboard the ship.  (13-38)

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1) What did the sailors use to undergird the ship?  Why? (Acts 27:17)
2) On the third day, what did they throw overboard? (Acts 27:18-19)
3) What did the angel say to Paul? (Acts 27:23-24)
4) What did Paul tell them must happen? (Acts 27:26)
5) When the sailors sensed they were nearing land, what did they attempt to do? (Acts 27:27-30)
6) What did Paul tell the centurion? What did the soldiers do? (Acts 27:31-32)
7) As Paul tried to convince them to eat, what did he assure them would not happen? (Acts 27:33-34)
8) What did Paul do in the presence of all of them? (Acts 27:35)
9) How many people were on the ship? (Acts 27:37)
10) What did they do after they had all eaten enough? (Acts 27:38)

After completing this week's study, I encourage you to go back and read through the material again. Take your time and read each topic and scripture reference as many times as you feel necessary. Keep in mind that by doing this, you just might see something new that you overlooked the first time around!

As we journey through the Bible together, I will continue to pray that God’s message will come through to you loud and crystal clear. Until next time, I wish everyone a blessed week!

God bless you!  

Sheri