What happened? At about 10:30 last night I realized it was Saturday and I had not posted a link to our current video session. If anyone out there was waiting on it, I’m very sorry about that.
That being said, I had a great week of study this past week, and I hope you did too. Specifically, I hope each of us took our time to especially consider the homework on Day Two - where we looked at James 1:22-25, verses Beth said were “the keys to flourishing life, bone-deep transformation, and divine blessing.” I don’t know about you, but when someone in like Beth Moore tells me that something is a “key,” I pay attention. Remember what I said about Zelda?
On Day 2, Beth warned us that, “there is no lie so sly as the one we tell ourselves.” Though we attend church services, participate in church activities, and even study the Bible, we can deceive ourselves with regard to the actual application of God’s word to our lives. Though I’m sure you read this in your homework, indulge me in considering another of Beth’s warnings:
“We can underline our Bibles till our pens run dry without a drop of ink splattering our lives. The self-deception slithers in when we mistake appreciation for application or being touched with being changed. The tricky part is that hearing all by itself really does lend a certain satisfaction. Think about the last time you closed your eyes and listened to an instrument that nearly brought you to tears. Something similar can happen when we listen to Scripture being read or a message being taught. The hearing itself can be satisfying, ‘Deep calls to deep’ (Ps. 42:7), and we nod our heads with genuine resonance.”
In considering this, I wondered, in what ways or for what reasons are we prone to deceiving ourselves? One of the ways that occurred to me was that we use our christian friends as a barometer to gauge our devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Though we are surrounded by many well-meaning, sincere believers, we are prone to adjusting our lifestyles to look more like the people around us than a Biblical portrayal of Jesus Christ.
Throughout the New Testament, Paul repeatedly admonished believers to follow his example as he followed the example of Christ. Take a minute and look up the following verses: Philippians 3:17, Philippians 4:9, 1 Corinthians 4:15-16, and 1 Corinthians 11:1.
You will see in reading these verses that Paul did not tell the Philippians or the Corinthians, “look to each other to determine what is required of you or how you should live your life as Christ.” No. Rather, he said something more like, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).
Therefore, when somebody like Beth Moore tells us that certain verses are “the keys to flourishing life, bone-deep transformation, and divine blessing,” I hope she has our full attention. Let’s not write this lesson off as applying to other people. Instead, let us look carefully into the perfect law that sets us free, do what it says (not forgetting what we heard), and thus receive blessing from the Lord for DOING IT (Jas. 1:25, NLT).
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If you have committed to posting a comment in response to our weekly lessons, feel free to post anything you like. If however you find it easier to respond to a specific question, our question of the week is this:
What are some other ways or reasons we are prone to deceiving ourselves?
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This week, we’ll be watching video session FOUR. The viewer guide (to be completed while watching the video session) can be found on pages 96 and 97 of our workbooks.
PLEASE NOTE - This Is Important!
The Lifeway website has CHANGED! To order the “Session 4” video, take the following steps:
1) Copy and paste the link below into your browser.
2) Choose the box that says “Session 4" in the section that says “Select Session Number” and click "Add to Cart".
3) When you are SURE you have session 4 in your cart, then proceed to check out.
4) Follow download instructions.
http://www.lifeway.com/Product/james-mercy-triumphs-video-sessions-mp4-downloads-m00000088#
Our homework for week three begins on page 99 of our workbooks and ends on page 125. Again, the homework is broken down into 5 days that should take about 45 minutes each day to complete. Make every effort to complete this homework before next Saturday, when I will post the link for our next video session and discuss some of the things that we learned this week.
Okay, so that’s it. Please do not hesitate to ask for help (by private inbox to me, if you prefer) if you find yourself struggling with the homework or anything else. That is why we are studying as a group instead of studying on our own.
Also, please feel free to post any comments and/or prayer requests at any point throughout the week. We will all enjoy and benefit from hearing what you’ve been learning, and it is truly our privilege to lift one another up in prayer.
Your friend, Amy
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