Tag Archives: Bible Study

I did a terrible job memorizing my text last week. But I’m going to double up this week and add in the next text anyways. I love this Psalm and really want to finish memorizing it.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.

He loveth righteousness and judgment:
the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
Psalm 33:1-5

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord! Just last night we were blessed by a sudden thunderstorm. The lightning was amazing and I felt like God is all powerful. Praise the Lord for His goodness!

This week I’m adding a verse to the passage I’ve been memorizing.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:

for praise is comely for the upright.

For the word of the LORD is right;

and all his works are done in truth.

Psalm 33:1-4

Such a great passage! The more I read the Bible, the more verses and passages I find that I want to memorize. One could easily spend their entire life memorizing passages and still have more to enjoy.

This week I am memorizing the next verse in this passage.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.

Sing unto him a new song;
play skilfully with a loud noise.
Psalm 33:1-3

I don’t know why I like this passage so much lately but I’ve been finding joy in reading it almost every morning! I wish I knew how to praise the Lord on an instrument. Alas, all I have is my poor voice. I’m so thankful that God looks at our heart, not at our singing ability!

This week I made a conscious effort to spend more of my prayer time praising God. It was kind of awkward! I realized it’s a lot easier to ask God for things I think I need rather than praising Him for things He’s done.

Do you think there is a difference between thanks and praise? I suspect there is.

Thanks – “Thank you, Lord, for protecting me on the roads today as I drove to and from the grocery store.”

Praise – “You are wonderful, God! You are strong and offer protection to your children as they travel the busy roads.”

For me, the first type of prayer is easier to say, both out loud and in private prayers. David wrote many hymns of thanks and praise and he didn’t seem to have any issues praising God. Maybe with time, it will become easier.

For this week’s memory text, I’m going to add the verse following the one I learned last week. I think it will be great to learn an entire passage.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.

Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery
and an instrument of ten strings.
Psalm 33:1-2

I have been faithfully reviewing my old memory texts but I haven’t added any new ones in awhile. It’s time to learn a new verse!

This week’s text:

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.
Psalm 33:1

My prayers are mostly requests. I know I need to spend more time in praise. This week I want to make a more conscious effort to rejoice in the Lord, to praise Him in prayer. I also want to listen to more hymns as I go about my housework and my day. I have a lot of contemporary Christian music but there is just something special about listening to old hymns.

Let us spend some time rejoicing in the Lord this week, focusing on His goodness. I have a feeling that will help me be more cheerful!

I’m quite excited that the Blogging Through the Gospels schedule has now reached John. I segued into some other Bible reading over the past couple of weeks, focusing mostly on Psalms. But John is my favorite Gospel and also one of my favorite books of the entire Bible.

I love that John immediately makes God more personal.

All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1:3

He was in the world,
and the world was made through Him…
John 1:10

Jesus was the hand that guided creation. It was Jesus’ voice that spoke the stars and the flowers and the tigers into being. It was Jesus’ hands that molded Adam, that formed Eve.

Sometimes it is difficult to know God the Father; He can seem distant. However, John immediately points out that Christ was at Creation. This makes the Father seem more approachable somehow. Jesus is “in the bosom of the Father” (verse 18) and Jesus shows what the Father is like.

Father, thank Your for displaying Yourself through Your Son. Thank You for creating us through Jesus, for allowing us to be Your children. Thank You for being so wonderful. Amen.

If you’re interested in joining in with the reading, here is this week’s schedule.

I just wanted to share this beautiful Psalm. I have been meditating on this one chapter for a week now and I’m still finding great joy in reading it.

Praise the LORD!

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.

There is so much to ponder in this chapter and I really should start writing my thoughts down. “The works of His hands are verity and justice.” Amen!

I was so blessed to be able to write a guest post for today’s Scripture reading! Visit Mom’s Toolbox to read what I learned in Mark 3.

We have started the book of Mark! If you would like to join us, here is the devotional for today’s reading.

Mark has very little preamble. It jumps right into the action!

And He was there in the wilderness forty days,
tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts;
and the angels ministered to Him.
Mark 1:13

This ties in with the post I did about how Jesus knows how I feel. We really do serve a God who knows what it’s like to be human. Not only did Jesus experience the full range of emotions, He was tempted by Satan.

It is really reassuring to me that God knows how I feel. I do not have to go through struggles alone, because there is Someone who understands and is always available for comfort and help.

Father, I love you! Thank You for the Sabbath, for the time to spend with You. Please forgive me for not acting like You today, for letting my frustrations turn me angry and a bit bitter. Change my heart, Lord! Help me to be like You. I pray for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

There was no specific Gospel reading today, just a day for reflection over what we’ve learned so far from Matthew. Because I didn’t post on yesterday’s chapter, I thought I would post that today. It sums up Matthew nicely, I think.

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.
Matthew 28:6a

My God is alive. He faced death, felt forsaken, and rose from the dead. He is risen!

I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20b

Not only is my God alive, but He is with me always. This is such an incredible promise and I’m so glad that Matthew decided to end his writing of Christ’s life with this promise. My God is with us always. A personable, loving God. Someone I can get to know. With me always.

Father, thank You for displaying Yourself to us through Jesus Christ. You are an amazing God! I love You so much! Thank You for being with me always. Amen.