The Bible NETWork ~ Impacting the World for Christ one post at a time!

ok these are my answers:

1. They were on the east side of the Jordan, I'm guessing close to Jericho, and they were getting ready to cross the Jordan and possess Canaan.

2. He refers to the Word of God as a way of life. Life here means a way of living, and it is similar to Jesus' comment because they both say that God's Word is a necessity to truly "live" and have God live in you. So it's not only a way of life but also God living within you.

3. It relates because the life they are talking about is spiritual life that beleivers have as opposed to being spiritually innactive. (non-beleivers).

1. Read Deuteronomy 32:47. Where were the Israelites? What were they getting ready to do?

Preparing to cross the Jordan and enter Canaan - the Promised Land (as promised to Abraham in Genesis 12)

2. How does Moses refer to the Word of God in Deuteronomy 32:47? What does the term "life" mean here? Is it similar to Jesus' comments in Matthew 4:4? How?

These are not idle words, not worthless or meaningless ... but word of life By these words they were to live - a code of behaviour for God's people. Obedience would lead to blessing. Without God's words we do not have life.


3. How does the idea that the word of God is our life, according to Deuteronomy 32:47, relate to what Jesus said in John 6:63?

Without God's words - we are not. I am thinking of creation - God said, "Let there be [life]" and there was life. Here again, it is God speaks and to hear means life.
For us, only as we hear the words of Jesus do we have spiritual life, life in its fullnes, eternal life ... and his words are the words of God ... so there are great similarities.

My answers for 2 and 3 overlap somewhat - but the idea that God's spoken word to Moses meant life for those to whom they are addressed if they obeyer them;
and of we "hear" and believe in Jesus who is the Word made flesh, then we have eternal life
is the wonderful similarity that I see.

_________________
Avid Reader

“Lord, in my zeal for love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.” - Thomas Aquinas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forum Code of Conduct
Forum Statement of Beliefs

Part 2
Meditation on Scripture
1. Read Joshua 1:1-9. What is God telling Joshua to get ready to do? What are some of the things God promises to do for this new leader?

Joshua is getting ready to cross the Jordan in to the land. God says HE will give them the land, be with them, never forsake them ... and that they will know prosperity and success if they obey Him.

2. What is Joshua's responsibility in Joshua 1:8? How does a person meditate on scripture?

Joshua is to be familiar with God's law - to speak it to the people, and "to meditate on it day and night."
Meditate on it: read it; think about it; pray about it.

3. What is the goal of our meditaton according to Joshua 1:8 (cf 1Samuel 15:22-23)?

To know what God wants and to know how to live as His people - obedience.

4. What is God's promise to us if we meditate and obey (cf John 15:7-8)?

That we will bear fruit.
And our prayers will be answered. Meditating on the Word of God changes our desires and attitudes and teaches us what to ask for - things that are pleasing to God. As we know God better, we see answers to our prayers - because we have asked in the Name of Jesus and in accordance with His will.

_________________
Avid Reader

“Lord, in my zeal for love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.” - Thomas Aquinas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forum Code of Conduct
Forum Statement of Beliefs

Avid

thanks .... my answers for the section 2 follow ..... come on everyone ... what are your thoughts ...

Meditation on Scripture
1. Read Joshua 1:1-9. What is God telling Joshua to get ready to do? What are some of the things God promises to do for this new leader?

To cross the Jordan and conquer Canaan. To give him all the land he walked on; that no man would be able to stand against him, to be with him; never to leave or forsake him; that he would be the means by which the Israelites to inherit the promised land;

2. What is Joshua's responsibility in Joshua 1:8? How does a person meditate on Scripture?

To make sure the Book of the Law would not depart from his mouth . and to meditate on it day and night, and to do what is written in it.

By reading it, by studying it, by keeping it in mind all day and night, by doing what it says.

3. What is the goal of our meditation according to Joshua 1:8 (cf. 1 Samuel 15:22-23

obedience

4. What is God's promise to us if we meditate and obey (cf. John 15:7-8)?
God's promise to Joshua was that his way would be prosperous and that he would have good success.

Jesus promised His disciples that if they lived in Him, and His words lived in them, then they could ask God for anything and it would be given to them . v.8 seems to be saying that the purpose of it is that they would ‘bear much fruit'

Notice the stipulations . the obedience required is perfect . and who of us can do so?

joy

Dinah

Ok here are my answers.

1. God is telling Joshua to prepare to cross the Jordan and conqueur Canaan. The promises God gives are: "I will give you every place you set foot", I will never leave you or forsake you", "no one will stand up to you" and "The Lord your God will be with you.

2. Follow the law and meditate day and night on it, A person meditates by clearing his mind, listening to God, and contemplating the Scripture. God was telling Joshua to think long and hard about every aspect of the law and to listen to Him for guidance.

3. The goal of medition is obedience. We reflect on the laws so we can obey them and we listen to God to correct us of our sins.

4. If we meditate and obey God, then anything that we ask is inline with His will and will be granted.


How do we know if something we pray for is not inline with his will? Do we keep praying for it to happen every day anyways? How do we know when to stop?

Hi Chad - good questions. Seeking God's will in prayer is one of the things we will all keep doing until we go to be with Him. The prayer that we must always pray is "Thy will be done" ...

Now these are just ideas - someone else may be able to add in some other ideas and scriptures for us.

1. If it is taught against in scripture it is not God's will. As we learn more of the bible, things we thought were ok we learn are not, and so we don't ask for that anymore. So James says we do not get what we ask because we ask for the wrong things or with the wrong motives ...
James 4:1-3 (NIV)


2. If it is not good and for the glory of God it will not happen because that is what God is always doing and he will not allow anything to interfere with his plans.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)


3. The Holy Spirit always interprets our prayers for us in line with God's will. Sometimes we just know what to pray and when to stop praying for particular things - I believe the Holy Spirit sometimes just nudges us until we know it is not right and we stop praying that way.
Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)


4.Ultimately, if it does not happen, it is not His will - that might seem obvious and it might seem hard, but when we pray we are in the process of letting the Holy Spirit change our will to agree with the will of God - and what we really want is for His will to be done - and it will be. Our part is to be thankful and praise Him because we will see that He is always wise and loving and that the best that could have been done is done. God is incontrol of all things and we can trust Him to take our prayers and use them for our good and for His glory.

Having said all that, do keep praying - and be honest with God about what is in your mind and on your heart.

We can always give thanks for what He has done for us on the Cross;
we can always pray to be made more like Jesus;
we can always prayer for those who do not know Him to be saved;
we can always pray for fellow Christians to know Him better;
and we can always pray for His will to be done.

_________________
Avid Reader

“Lord, in my zeal for love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.” - Thomas Aquinas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forum Code of Conduct
Forum Statement of Beliefs

Ok thanks Avid.
But what if you keep praying for a family member to become a Christian and it never happens? How can that not be inline with Gods will. Is that person destined to go to hell?

Keep praying for that person ...

My Mum became a Christian about a month before she died, in her 70's. I became a Christian about 30 years before that ... and I am sure both Mum's conversion and my own had something to do with the prayers of both of my grandmothers!

... given that, my brother and sister are not believers, nor one of my sons-in-law ... we keep on praying!

_________________
Avid Reader

“Lord, in my zeal for love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.” - Thomas Aquinas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forum Code of Conduct
Forum Statement of Beliefs

Yes, but what happens if that person does die before they give there life to Christ? What happens then? I'm sure that must happen all the time. Does God come to them and they reject Him? Or does God not come to them because they don't come to Him?

Chad

There comes a time when we all have to commit those we love to God ... and not knowing, not understanding, trust them to God's faithfulness.

That is why it is so important to know God ... to know Him personally, and not just know about Him. To have a personal relationship with Him, to know His love and His goodness are real ... and that God is unfailingly faithful.

Also, that is why it is important to know your Bible .... to read God's promises, and learn about His character .... what He is like.

So then, you pray for those you love ... every day for all of your life if necessary .... and then you commit them into God's hands .... stop worrying, and get on with doing what God has given you to do for this day.

Of course, if the opportunity comes, tell them about God ... give them the good news about Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. And most importantly, live Christ before them - they must see Him in you. It may be the only opportunity they ever have to see Christ.

but trust God ... He is good, always.

in Christ

Dinah

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=734

The Bible: "A Lamp Unto My Feet"

By: Greg Herrick Th.M., Ph.D.

Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the Heavens (Psalm 119:89)

Meditation: The God Who Speaks To Me

The Importance of Scripture

1. Read Deuteronomy 32:47. Where were the Israelites? What were they getting ready to do?
2. How does Moses refer to the Word of God in Deuteronomy 32:47? What does the term "life" mean here? Is it similar to Jesus' comments in Matthew 4:4? How?
3. How does the idea that the word of God is our life, according to Deuteronomy 32:47, relate to what Jesus said in John 6:63?

Meditation on Scripture

1. Read Joshua 1:1-9. What is God telling Joshua to get ready to do? What are some of the things God promises to do for this new leader?
2. What is Joshua's responsibility in Joshua 1:8? How does a person meditate on Scripture?
3. What is the goal of our meditation according to Joshua 1:8 (cf. 1 Samuel 15:22-23)?
4. What is God's promise to us if we meditate and obey (cf. John 15:7-8)?

The Nature and Purpose of Scripture

1. Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17. How does Paul refer to the Bible (i.e., the OT and by inference the NT)? Does this apply to all Scripture or just to those parts I like?
2. According to 2 Tim 3:16-17, what functions does the Scripture have in my life? How are they different, yet related to each other?
3. What is the goal for which God gave Scripture to the church according to Deuteronomy 29:29 and 2 Tim 3:17? How should this affect my Bible reading?
4. How does what Jesus prayed in John 17:17 relate to 2 Timothy 3:16-17?
5. What is our responsibility according to 1 Thessalonians 2:13? Note the hostility mentioned in the immediate context?
6. What does true belief look like according to James 1:22-25? Why do you think James refers to God's word as "the perfect law of liberty"?
7. According to Romans 15:4, what is another reason Scripture was written? Do you experience this when you read God's word? How does this relate to 2 Timothy 3:16-17?
8. Read Psalm 119. List some of the qualities and functions of the word of God. How important was the Word of God to the Psalmist? How important should it be to you and me as Christians claiming to know and love the Lord?
9. Read John 5:39-40. To whom does the word of God ultimately point? How does this relate to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and other verses you looked up in this section?

Meditation: What Does This Mean for My Life?

A Reading Program
Have you ever thought about a reading program for Scripture? There are several different approaches. If you were to read 3-4 chapters a day you could read the entire Bible through in one year. However, some people have decided that this is too much to do at one sitting (say, for example, 30 minutes in the morning). They have instead thought of reading just a Psalm or some smaller unit of Scripture. This is perhaps the better choice and most people should opt for something along these lines.

But there is yet another choice—one that is more helpful for those who are more zealous and for those who sustain a teaching ministry. The Old Testament can be read in larger chunks each week as you have time. The NT, on the other hand, can be read repetitively. The point here is to take a letter of the NT, such as Galatians, and read it through at one sitting. Do this each day for a month or so. At the end of that month, you will have an understanding of the whole message of Galatians and chances are, you will not forget it, at least not as easily. Verses that were once obscure, will become clear in the light of their immediate and remote contexts. In any case, you can do this for all the books in the NT, breaking up the longer books and letters into smaller, manageable units. For example, Matthew could be broken up into four units of seven chapters each; Revelation into two units of seven and one of eight, or two units of five and two of six. Read each unit once a day for thirty days. This means that at the end you will have spent about 120 days in Matthew. At this rate you can finish the entire NT in about 3 years. But…and this is a big difference, you will probably understand what you read and you will be inclined to remember it too! How cool is that?

Memorizing Scripture
We can hear Scripture read or preached. We can read it for ourselves. We can also memorize it so that we can have it available at any instant for meditation, evangelism, spiritual warfare, and encouragement. Though memorization requires effort, perseverance, and a plan of attack, the benefits are enormous and well surpass the investment. The reader is encouraged to check out the scripture memory program we have at the Biblical Studies Foundation.

Reading to Hear God’s Voice
Our primary posture toward God’s word is the same posture we should have before him. As Isaiah says, God esteems the one who is contrite in spirit and who trembles at his word (Isa 66:2b). We are to come before him in humility, open to receive, and wanting to receive instruction, correction, rebuke and encouragement. Let the word of God read you and speak to your needs. Through meditation ask God to show you his will in his word. He will do it.