DEVOTION TO THE WORD

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts!” (Jer. 15:16 NKJV).

Jeremiah was devoted to the Word of God and it impacted his call into service. Thus we want to his pursuit, partaking, pleasure, and placement.

Pursuit – “Your words were found.” The idea here is that we will not learn much about Scripture if we do not study it. Studying and searching the Scriptures (John 5:39) is one of the keys to finding great truths in God’s Word. Our lack of learning of the Word is often a lack of diligence in pursuing the Word. .

Partaking - “I ate them.” After the finding comes the feeding. Many folks get new Bibles but never read them. This is like filling our cupboard with food but not eating the food. Other folks do not eat the Word because of poor appetites. They have so filled their soul with the junk of this world, that their interest in the Word is limited.

Pleasure – “Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” When we faithfully spend the time in the Word, i.e. ‘eating spiritually,’ we will find it a great delight to our soul. Yet most folks have little delight in the Word.

Placement - “I am called by Your name.” This tells us that Jeremiah was called into service for God. If we are devoted to the Word of God, we will have a place in the service of God. Being devoted to the Word of God is absolutely essential if we want to truly serve God. Unfortunately, many churches ignore this basic truth. This results in workers without a message and hence without value.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“A well-read Bible is the sign of a well-fed soul!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Distracted

In Luke 10:40 we read, “But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” (NKJV).

Distracted is the Greek word perispaō (περισπάω = per-ee-spah'-o). It is made up of two words, “perí” which means around, and “spáo” which means to draw different ways at the same time, to be pulled away. Thus the word means to draw away, distract, overburden. Figuratively, perispaō means to distract with cares and responsibilities. In the NT, the word is only used in the passive voice meaning to be drawn around in one’s mind because one is so preoccupied with cares or business.

In classical Greek, perispaō is used to indicate the physical act of pulling or dragging someone away. In the Septuagint, perispaō is used to express the burdens and concerns God has laid upon man. In the New Testament, perispaō is used only here in Luke 10:40 where it states that “Martha was distracted with much serving.” In this use Martha is drawn away by those duties which are less important than that which is the “good part” (v. 42).

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be judged (Isa. 53:8)

New Testament Fulfillment – John 18:13-22

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that in Jesus are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:2-3).

Bible Quiz

What was the name of the hill where the Lord Jesus was crucified?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: To whom did Jesus say these words, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live?” Martha (John 11:24-25).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Image of the Invisible God”

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation!” (Col. 1:15 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus is the perfect picture of God.

2. Insights – 1. Because the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father are one in nature, He perfectly reflects God. When we look at the Lord Jesus we see what God looks like as a man.

3. Related Titles – Exact Image of His Person (Heb. 1:3).

Did You Know – Christian History

Helen Barrett was born July 31, 1861 in Kingsville, Ohio. She was an American social reformer, educator and writer of considerable talent, writing eight books on missions during her life, including Following the Sunrise: A Century of Baptist Missions, 1813-1913.

Helen attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts and after graduation became a teacher. In 1887 she married William A. Montgomery. The couple then moved to Rochester, New York, where Helen became active in civic and educational affairs. She advocated a women’s college at the University of Rochester and became the first woman elected to the city school board. She also became interested in overseas missions work and was much in demand as a platform speaker and writer.

In 1910 she wrote Western Women in Eastern Lands. That same year she toured the United States on behalf of the International Jubilee of Women’s Missions, delivering almost 200 speeches. With her close friend Lucy W. Peabody, Helen joined the Central Committee on the United Study of Foreign Missions and wrote widely for the development of cooperative women’s missionary work.

In 1913, Helen and Lucy Peabody toured Europe, the Middle East, India, and the Far East, assessing the conditions of women’s education. Everywhere she visited she spoke boldly on behalf of Christian schools and the training of women teachers. Seven Christian schools in the Far East were started or strengthened as a result of the tour. At the conclusion of the trip, Montgomery and Peabody advocated the establishing of an annual day of world prayer to unite women of the world and emphasize their issues; the federation of Women’s Boards of Foreign Missions adopted this timely suggestion, which eventually became the World Day of Prayer. In 1914 Helen was elected the first president of the national Woman’s American Baptist Foreign Mission Society.

In 1920, Helen was elected the first woman president of an American denomination, the Northern Baptist Convention. However, her greatest literary achievement was the Centenary Translation of the New Testament (1924), the first New Testament translation by a woman scholar. Further, it seems that Helen was the first to put titles on chapters and sections of the Bible - something most versions do now. She also put the verse numbers in the margins so that the sections would read like ordinary paragraphs. These innovations made the Scripture more readable. The sales derived from this translation went directly to mission projects supported by Northern Baptists.

As she grew older, Helen’s interest in missions increased. She especially urged prayer for missions. Helen died in 1934; in her will she left more than $450,000 to colleges, churches, missions and hospitals.

A Little Humor

Los Angeles weatherman Fritz Coleman, after a year that included a few earthquakes, several wildfires, extreme winds, record flooding, and even some funnel clouds, declared: “California - more than a State; it’s an Acts of God Theme Park.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Interested in going to heaven? Get flight instructions from the Bible!”