I Peter 1,2

 Living Stones

I am reminded of a trip to India a few years ago when I think of this passage.

I had the privilege of speaking Sunday morning at a house church.  Afterward,

we were invited to the dedication of a members new house.  When we arrived

I was asked to give a devotion for the ceremony!  Sending up a quick (and

rather desperate prayer)  I Peter came to mind - how we as believers

are a spiritual "house" being built up in the Lord.  

The Taj Mahal

The House church pastor and his family.

Our language was different, but our faith and love for the Lord
was the same.

I Peter 2:4,5

As you come to him (Jesus Christ) the living Stone-

rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him- 

you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual 

house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Peter calls Jesus the Cornerstone
and the Capstone.

Questions for 1 Peter 1,2

1.  Have you received the cleansing and rebirth Christ offers?

What does your life show:  that you are a visitor in this world, or very 

at home and settled?

2.  How active and living a "stone" are you in Christ's temple, the Church?

Are you serving?  Supporting other stones?

3.  What examples do you give in submitting to authority:  At work?  In your

community?  As a citizen of the U.S or other country?  

What would be different if you showed respect to a difficult person in authority 

over you?  

James 3-5

Sunrise at Bryce Canyon, Ut






First glow at the rim of the canyon.
 Click on the pictures for a larger image!

Over the rim - closer to the intricate formations.













The closer you get, the grander the towers become.

James 4 gives the key to effective Christian living:  get closer to God!
4:8  "Come near to God and He will come near to you"
Don't just stand on the "rim" - draw near, get on the trail, and into the
adventure.


Lecture 28 application questions:

I.  The Untamable Tongue:
What would happen if you held your tongue at least once this week?  What fires has your tongue set?
What fires have been controlled or put out by your words?   Which type of wisdom (heavenly or worldly) characterizes you?

II.  Warning on Worldliness:
What do your words and actions show: pride or humility?  Where need to humbly submit:  to God?  A Christian leader?   Family?   Work supervisor?
Will you pray this week for God to show you areas where submission and humility is lacking?  Then ask His help for change?

III.  Powerful Prayer:
In the past 24 hours, how often have you been in prayer?  What have you prayed for?  When did you last pray with other believers or interceded for someone?
What will you do to better follow James' instructions on prayer?

What sections of James 3-5 did you find most challenging or convicting?   Be honest!
Then draw near,
  get over the rim,
       go close,
            get deep.
Then effectively live for God,
   prayerfully persevere in faith,
      and wisely watch words and deeds.

God's Comforting Promises from Isaiah 41

Isaiah 41:10, 17


Do not fear, for I am with you; 
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, 
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none,
And their tongue is parched with thirst;
I, the Lord, will answer them Myself,
As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.
I will open rivers on bare heights, and springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water, 
And the dry land fountains of water.

Your Notes:


1.  To whom do you turn when fearful or anxious?
How will you turn to the Lord instead and receive His
strength and help?   


2.  How has God provided for or refreshed you lately?  Who
will you share this with, to encourage them?  

Isaiah 40:31

Excerpts from Isaiah 40:12-31:

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens?

 Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighted the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; He weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.  

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the 

everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.  He will

not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can 

fathom.

Read Isaiah 40:12-31

1.  How can being reminded of the greatness of God bring you
help or comfort?

2.  What in your life causes you to feel tired or weary?  Will
you bring your concerns to the Lord, who gives "strength to
the weary, and increases the power of the weak. (v. 29)?  

More from Burundi

More pictures from our November trip.  

Sponsored widows in Bujumbura, Burundi's capitol.

Children we met when our bus was stuck in the mud.

A sponsored widow from the Gitega area.

Many in this country are subsistence farmers.

Stephanie draws a crowd!

Blessings in Burundi

Amohoro!   (Peace to you)

Nov. 7-17 my husband, daughter and I were able to visit Burundi, Central Africa through Sister Connection, an organization helping widows and orphans in that country.  We were able to meet our sponsored widow, Yereda, pictured next to me below.   

Burundi is recovering from years of civil war that left thousands widowed.  I had been in the country 10 years ago, and it was a joy to see the greater stability and peacefulness since that time. 

Stephanie and I at the SC office

Praying God's blessing on Yereda and her family.

Meeting Angelique, our sponsor child.

The joy and praise these lovely women had for the Lord was a delight to see and experience!   They shared stories of how they had been homeless, barely finding food to eat, and now because of a sponsor willing to help them, they have clothes to wear, regular meals, and a home to live in with their children.  

Our team worshipped and celebrated with different groups in various parts of the country, going on day trips to small villages through lush hillsides of tea plantations, bananas, and small garden plots.  Burundi is a small country next to Rwanda, and is about the size of New Jersey.  Travel distances are short, but the time can be long and bumpy due to the dirt roads!  

Our BSF study of Isaiah fit so well with this experience, for God cares deeply for the widow, the orphan, the poor and the oppressed.   (Isaiah 1:17; 10:1,2; 58:6-10)

The praises of these women echoed Isaiah 12:2,  "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation."
It was a joy to be together, and the love we share in the Lord transcended the differences in culture and language!

Your Notes:
Read Isaiah 12:1-6


1.  For what have you praised and thanked the Lord for recently?
2. Have you drawn "water from the wells of salvation?"  What does this mean?  Do you have the joy that knowing the Lord brings? 
3.  How are you "making known among the nations what He has done?"  Who do you know who needs to hear about the great and glorious things of God?  

Glorious! Isaiah 6

Have you ever encountered something glorious?   Something that blew you away?

Perhaps a stunning mountain scene, or the classic icon of beauty, a glowing sunset.  

What comes to your mind?

A few weeks ago we looked at Isaiah Chapter 6 in our BSF study- where Isaiah encountered God in a mind blowing, glorious, almost indescribable way.   He "saw the LORD, seated on a throne, and the train of His robe filled the temple with glory."

He heard angelic beings calling out "holy, holy, holy", which indicates God's purity, his transcendence, his greatness beyond our understanding.  "The whole earth is full of His glory."   Isaiah felt the very foundations of this temple shake, and was overwhelmed. 

His response was from the depth of his soul  - he saw God more clearly than ever, and so saw his own impure heart, motives and words as never before.  He cried out his anguish, "I am ruined" - not worthy to be in the presence of God.  

Isaiah could do nothing about this, but God could.  God took the steps Isaiah needed for the healing of his wrong, his sin, his unworthiness before the Lord.

That is still the glorious work of God:  any who come to Him realizing their need and their unworthiness He will reach out and heal.   In humbly admitting all the wrong in life that keeps one from the presence of God, they will find they are restored.  

John 12:41 clarifies for us that Isaiah saw the Lord - the Lord Jesus Christ!  It is He who is Holy, glorious, and who cleanses from sin.   It is He who restores and heals us, and is then the very presence of God within us.   Now that is glorious!

Read Isaiah 6:1-7

Have you ever had an experience of God that "blew you away?"

How reverent is your opinion and worship of God?

How have you responded to God's offer of cleansing through Jesus?