Women in the Word

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9/15/2014 9:25 pm  #1


2 Peter

Peter definitely continues with his zealousness here, telling God's people to keep up the good fight although now there's no physical example, they must now look to the heaven and seek his spirit.

It's another great reminder to build on our faith. I love this scripture. It helps me be mindful building better patience and self-discipline.

"So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books." (‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭5-9‬ MSG)

 

9/15/2014 9:42 pm  #2


Re: 2 Peter

2nd Peter 1:4 stood out to me this morning...

4 "by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

2nd Peter has always been a favorite, but today I read it with fresh eyes.  As I read verse 3 the phrase "through these" popped off the page.  It really got me to think...."through these" promises of God I can be included in the work of God.  Through those amazingly precious promises of God I can then be part of the divine things God is up to.  Without those promises, I cannot be included.  I find this beautiful and perplexing all at the same time.

Just a few words down the line I came across the phrase "may be".  I didn't notice it at first, but as I reread the passage it sort of jumped out at me.  I realized that the verse didn't say "will be", but rather it says "may be".  What does that mean?  To me it means that God gives us all we need to walk with Him in this life.  We have to choose to use it.   We "may be" partakers if we so decide.  But then again, we may not be partakers if that is the choice we make.  It is up to us.  God has given us all the tools for life and godliness.  What are we going to do with them?  The choice is ours.  What will we do with all we are given? Will we be partakers of all God has? Or will we simply sit by and watch it all happen?  The choice is ours.


 

Last edited by fishlicity (9/15/2014 9:43 pm)

 

9/15/2014 11:27 pm  #3


Re: 2 Peter

itsjenniferrose wrote:

"So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books." (‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭5-9‬ MSG)

Love this translation.  Those word choices just make those concepts so clear.

fishlicity wrote:

It really got me to think...."through these" promises of God I can be included in the work of God. Through those amazingly precious promises of God I can then be part of the divine things God is up to. Without those promises, I cannot be included. I find this beautiful and perplexing all at the same time.

This ties into what NLWnMD said for 1 Peter 5 being ready and willing to serve with humility so that we can be of benefit to Christ.

Chapter 1

1) We have what we need to live a godly life through knowledge (vs. 3)
So that is why it is so important to study the Word
 
2) God wants us to partakers of His divine nature and escape from our fleshly inclinations (vs 4)
 
3) While faith is enough to save us, it is not enough to keep us from walking in our former sins and it is not enough for us to develop divine nature and minimize our sinful nature.
(vs 5: For the reason of becoming partakers of divine nature by escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desires )
 
4) I can keep from being ineffective and unfruitful by:
Adding to my faith - moral excellence or goodness
Knowledge
Self-control
Endurance/ patiently waiting for
Godliness -  piety (towards God), devotion
Brotherly love
Agape love – esteem, Godly love
 
5) Being diligent in these things will help keep us from falling into sin (vs 10)

I definitely see this in my life.  If I don’t stay in the Word and in prayer, I just have such poor fruit and one sees a lot more the selfish flesh come out and a lot less of the character of Christ. 

It’s like the saying feed the Spirit and starve the flesh.  If I don’t stay in the Word and in prayer, my spirit is weak, feeble and starved to near death. 

All day long the world feeds my flesh.  So, I have to make more of an effort to not encourage the feeding of my flesh by what I choose to do and consume.  That is not always easy because sometimes when you are tired, it is just easy to turn on whatever media you can find.  In my GMG study from last year one of the ladies suggested I can pray or sing praise songs to myself if I am too tired to read the Word instead of always vegging out to media. 

I definitely have to make an effort to stay focused on things of the Spirit.  I need constant filling or I just come apart.

 

9/16/2014 7:48 am  #4


Re: 2 Peter

2 Peter 2 - For me this says loudly to keep my focus on Christ.  It is so easy to stray.  If you aren't reading and learning God's word, why wouldn't you follow the false prophets of the day?  
False prophets make evil sound like so much fun and such a good idea, but it leads to vanity and destruction - and hell.  

 

9/16/2014 8:24 am  #5


Re: 2 Peter

Here's my SOAP/reply to 2 Peter 1 and 2:

2 Peter 1:1-3

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

O:  grace and peace through knowing God and Jesus.

A: Peter is informing me that all I need is available in God's word and getting to know him on a daily basis and continuous basis.  I will get all I need by reading his word, I should not depend on what others tell me or what i read written by others but go to the word and get to know him for myself. It reminds me of a song titled "You must know him for yourself".

P: Lord, please give me and my online bible study sisters the strength to continue through this bible study, the know how to put your word first and not come up with excuses of why we can't get our time in for you GOD, give us the skillset of flexibility and organization in our life so that we will make studying your word first and still be able to perform as the wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and friends that you want us to be. Lord, teach us how to put you and your word first.

2 Peter 2:2

Vs:

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping

If I am learning, studying and meditating on the word myself, I will have the knowledge to avoid false teachers. As Peters taught us in Chapter 1, we are to get to know him for ourselves. 2 Peter verse 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. If I am armed with my knowledge, I will not fall to false teachers. I will not be introduced to destructive heresies (belief or opinions contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine) but be armed to know what I should or should not believe.

Lord, I am thankful for another day each day to get to know you better so that I can be prepared and know how to avoid false teachers. In Jesus Name Amen!

 

9/16/2014 10:28 pm  #6


Re: 2 Peter

2 Peter 2:9,19


S......9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
O.....God delivered Noah, destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, delivered Lot...so why do I think He can't deliver me from my temptation?
A......God knows how to help me escape temptations.  He is able to deliver me from them.  But in my temptation I have to choose to allow Him to show me the way of escape.
*Knowing truth and choosing not to walk in it is worse than not knowing truth at all.
P.....God You have provided a way out when I am tempted to walk in my flesh.  I want to follow your way, not my own.  I want to walk in Your truth.  In the midst of temptations, cause me to think upon You.


 

Last edited by fishlicity (9/16/2014 10:31 pm)

 

9/17/2014 1:25 am  #7


Re: 2 Peter

2 Peter 2-3

When you seek the truth and know the truth in your heart, you won't be lead by false teachers. I've always taken notice what doesn't sit well with me and want does, although I might not always act on it. Something to be alert to for sure. As TGB and sweetlight touches on, it's so true that when I'm not in the word and praying, I definitely notice a difference in my day to day.

     Thread Starter
 

9/17/2014 8:14 am  #8


Re: 2 Peter

NLWnMD wrote:

I will get all I need by reading his word, I should not depend on what others tell me or what i read written by others but go to the word and get to know him for myself.

That is one thing that does bother me.  You go to a church and all the studies are in fact studies of a book written by someone else, and you actually can't find a Bible study that is, well, studying the Bible! 

Don't get me wrong, I have found many Christian books to be very helpful.   I stated earlier my appreciation for the Love and Respect and how I really want to read and study the book.  I think the problem I have is the frequency.  It seems that some women's groups only study books and never in fact study the Bible. 

Just a concern that those in the Church do not know their Bible's and do understand what they believe, why they believe it and don't have an solid underpinning in theology. 

We had guest from a college Christian ministry saying that students were being challenged on really simple things and it shook their faith.  They said the Bible did not say such and such and the student felt like they could not trust what their church taught them. 

My point was, why were they trusting what their church taught them.  The things being brought up as stumbling blocks were very, very easy (not talking about the more difficult challenges in scripture, these are really silly things that had one simply pursued a few gospels or the book of Romans one would have understood.) So they bring up these silly issues and the students should not have needed to rely on what their church or anyone else told them, why had they not ever read Romans for themselves?  Why have they never read a couple of the gospels?

This is a troubling trend. Even in church the pastor may teach from a chapter, but does anyone actually read the chapter first. 

OK - off soap box.

 

9/17/2014 8:22 am  #9


Re: 2 Peter

Chapter 2

We see a lot of false teachers now as well.  And it is interesting that the Bible says they will be motivated by greed because I think that is exactly what we see today; they are motivated by greed.
 
It also says they will appeal to the listeners by saying things that are pleasing to the fleshly desires.  Again, that is what we see; they say things about being rich, happy, healthy, etc.
 
And even in the church we see people who live for pleasure, live for what they want; it is me centric.  People defy authority even the authority of God and the Bible and live how they want to live.  They don’t want to Bible or anyone else curbing their desires, wants, and pleasures.
 
Slaves to corruption – overcome by ones own desires that control one’s life
 
I think this is what happens to me when I am not acting in ways that I know are pleasing to God. It is when I am insisting on having my own way and wanting what I want and not yielding to God’s ultimate authority in my life and over my desires.

vs 8-9
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

I think that is just such a beautiful sentiment; God’s longsuffering, love and mercy

Chapter 3

vs 11-12
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God

vs 14
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation

I need to be steadfast in patience, hope, and purity of life.  I need to be consistent, and take seriously my commitment to walk daily with God.  I need to live with urgency and sincerity and holiness. 

 

9/17/2014 8:57 am  #10


Re: 2 Peter

2Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. ESV

 Underlined and bolded to show emphasis.  It's not our grace nor our knoweldge, BUT it comes from Our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, please grant me your grace and your knowledge.  Please make me humble and help me serve where you want me to serve.  Lord take out my stoney heart and replace it with the love that only comes from you.  Help me to forgive the hurts that I am unable on my own to forgive due to selfishness.  Help me to point people to you and give you the glory.  In Jesus Name. Amen.

Last edited by sweetlight (9/17/2014 8:57 am)

 

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