CHRISTIAN STUDY BIBLE

WEEK 3 — THE BRIDAL CHAMBER (Sept 15–21) Intimacy, covenant renewal, and the language only love understands 21. Dear son, What flame refuses to be bought, no matter the price offered? True love. "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it." No convenience, no cheaper affection elsewhere, is worth what you already hold. "Many waters cannot quench love" (Song 8:7). What price would you refuse for the sake of her love? #FathersWords #BridalChamber

You cannot follow Christ faithfully while desperately trying to be loved by the world.

WEEK 4 — Gathering & Thanksgiving (Sep 21–27) 21. September 21 (Monday) Dear Daughter, Harvest is not a single day — it is a season of gathering what was scattered across months of labor. This week, gather up the small graces of your marriage you've let slip by unnoticed. Name them. Count them. Gratitude is a harvest of memory. 'Give thanks in all circumstances' (1 Thess 5:18). What small grace in your marriage have you let go uncounted? #DearDaughter #MondayReset #StrongMarriage

Christians have nothing to be afraid of. If we live today, then we get to live for Jesus. If we die today, then we get to go home to be with Jesus. WIN / WIN.

“The Lord is bringing up against them the king of Assyria and all his glory.” Isaiah 8:7 So it is today. The Lord moves the glory of nations as he wills.

You have a message that is the truth, the only hope of the world & they’re not going to like you for it...which raises the stakes on your commitment. Make your life count for the gospel.

God is to be trusted when His providences seem to run contrary to His promises. Thomas Watson

DAY 21: To what was Paul referring by the term “thorn in the flesh”? https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-09-21

September 21 - Spurious vs. Saving Faith #LifeOfChrist “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:23–25). After the Passover, Jesus remained in Jerusalem for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During His stay He performed a number of miracles not recorded in Scripture. As a result of those miracles, John says, “Many believed in His name.” But this faith was shallow, superficial, and disingenuous. It was not true saving faith, as John’s play on words indicates. “Believed” in verse 23 and “entrusting” in verse 24 both come from the same Greek verb. Though they believed in Jesus, Jesus did not believe in them; He had no faith in their faith. Although many claimed to believe, Jesus knew that mere intellectual assent proves nothing; even the demons have such faith (James 2:19). Jesus did not embrace the false faith manifested by those who witnessed His signs, because “He knew all men,” and therefore “did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” He knows the true state of every heart. He saw in Nathanael the heart of an honest, true seeker (1:47); He saw in these people a superficial façade—a mere outward attraction to spectacular signs (cf. 6:2). Genuine saving faith goes far beyond that. It demands wholehearted commitment to Jesus as the Lord of one’s life (Matt. 16:24–26; Rom. 10:9). Is that the state of your heart? Ask Yourself It’s certainly fine to admire godly people and aspire to be like them. But if you haven’t noticed already, these same ones will eventually do or say something to spoil your image of them. We will too, if others look up to us. When you see Jesus in someone, don’t strive to be like them but to be like Him.

September 21: Throwing Caution to the Flood #Devotional Zephaniah 1:1–3:20; Acts 19:1–41; Job 27:1–23 Words are powerful. They can restore and heal; they can also be used as deadly weapons. When we interact with one another, we know to choose our words carefully to avoid being misinterpreted or inadvertently causing harm. But Yahweh speaks words of daunting ambiguity—proclamations that can easily be misunderstood or that are frightening beyond measure. Consider Zephaniah 1:2–3: “ ‘I will surely destroy everything from the face of the earth’—a declaration of Yahweh. ‘I will destroy humanity and beast; I will destroy the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked. And I will cut off humankind from the face of the earth’—a declaration of Yahweh.” Does Yahweh actually intend to destroy everything on the earth? Why is He speaking so boldly? The phrase “face of the earth” appears twice in this passage; it encloses a miniature narrative that references the story of the flood in Gen 6:7 and 7:4. This story is used as a metaphor for why Yahweh will destroy Judah: “And I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal, and the name of idolatrous priests with the priests, and those who bow down on the rooftops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down, swearing to Yahweh but also swearing by Milkom” (Zeph 1:4–5). Yahweh plans to destroy Judah because they have sought other gods. In other words, Judah has acted just like the evil people who caused the flood. The startling images of destruction and death that Yahweh’s proclamations evoke seem shockingly blunt. Yet these bold statements remind us that using audacious language is sometimes necessary, and evoking stories of the past can make the point more powerful. We must still take caution when choosing our words, but when we must speak an uncomfortable truth, we can turn to the example that Yahweh sets here: Live boldly for Him and speak the truth. How can you be more bold in your words about Yahweh?

You are called. You are chosen. You are made with a purpose. 🙏

“Homosexuals can be saved. The problem is that they (like all of us before we are saved) don’t see sin in its true light; therefore, they neither see their terrible danger nor their need for forgiveness.” —Ray Comfort