Showing posts with label bible verse graphics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible verse graphics. Show all posts

Monday

10 Things to Thank & Praise God for that will Encourage Your Heart - Coffee & Conversation







Do you want to be encouraged?

Do you want to encourage others?

Let's have a little thought around how we can use these 
10 thoughts for Encouragement.


Do you want to grab a coffee first but don't forget to come back?







Here's what we need to remember and to share with others



1. His Everlasting Love







2. His Abundant Grace






 
3. His Great & Tender Mercy  
 

Psalm 145 v 8-9

 

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. 
The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. 


  





4. His Powerful Gospel






1 Thessalonians 1 v 5

 

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.


 

  

5. His Blessed Comfort





 

6. His Sending Strength

 

Psalm 71 v 16

 

I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only




7. His Plan of Salvation 


God’s Plan of Salvation from the book of Romans: 


Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 – The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:9-10 – If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Romans 10:13 – For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.


 

 8. His Unfailing compassion



 


 

 9. His Cleansing Forgiveness 

 





Download this FREE PRINTABLE of many of the verses above & "God's Plan of Salvation"

 






 10. His Gift of Eternal Life





 

YOU CAN FIND MORE FREE PRINTABLES IN
















Wednesday

How to Help Others Love The Word of God - A Dose of Encouragement


I work with kids in our church and think it is important to help them learn God's Word and hopefully they will come to love it and love God.



However I think sometimes we are not wise as to how we try to help younger people get to know the Bible.






Some time ago I saw a young girl make an appeal on Google+ for help as to how to go about learning bible verses.


Firstly
I was glad that she was looking to learn verses because doing so is storing up God's Word in your heart and mind and is something we are instructed to do from God's Word.


Secondly
I was sad that she needed to request help on Social Media because I would love to think that any young person would have someone they can personally talk to for this type of help and not have to appeal to strangers.


Thirdly
I replied offering to help by posting my Bible Verse Graphics and giving her permission to copy them to use to learn the verses.  Also with some advice on how to learn them.


BUT 
then I saw other replies by people who just did not read properly what the young girl had written.


This is what the girl wrote

Hey there My name's XXXXX I'm a 13 year old Christian girl who LOVES GOD, and is trying to live it! I need some advice on how to study the bible/memorize verses. I really want to memorize verses but what am I suppose to do? Choose a random book and then Read the same verse a million times till I memorize it? Thanks soooo much ya'll!!! Means a lot. Would ya'll mind praying for me to accomplish reading, and memorizing the Bible please? Thanks again!!!!


and this is part of what I wrote

Hi  XXXXX,  I teach a lot of kids bible lessons and bible verses and would be happy to help you.

followed by

XXXXX
Thanks Sandra Black   What do you suggest?

Me
I put various memory verses on our church website and I write a blog in which I put some Kid's songs and bible verses.
Will you please ask your parents to agree that it would be ok for me to help you.
They can find out about me here on G+ and then they can find my blog and check me out there too.

there was a little conversing back and forward followed by

Me
XXXXX I have publically posted a picture of a simple verse and linked your name to it so you should be able to find it ok.  If you can copy the picture (you have my permission to take my pictures although others do not) and print them out you can stick it up on your wall or pinboard and every time you go past it just read it out to yourself and you will know it in next to no time.

and I posted this





XXXXX
And thanks sooooo much +Sandra Black!!!



Now during this some other people were responding to this young girl


Woman 1:
Pray and wait with your eyes closed. You'll get a book or verse in your soul

Wait for how long?????


Man 1:
Gave a Link to his website which is 100 verses everyone should know by heart: study guide
and it continued for 26 pages.
plus a link for another guide which went on for 6 pages

This was a teenager he was talking to, but even for me it was way too long and too boring.


Woman 2:
Try memorizing the responsorial psalm each Sunday and one verse from the Gospel and Epistle.  That way you have just three things to focus on each week.  That should keep you busy for three years.  

There was more but that was about reading a chapter a day....  and who wants to be thinking of 3 years when you are trying to get started?


Woman 3:
Hello XXXXX  how lovely that you have posted on knowing Jesus.
I see that you have asked about memorizing bible verses - that is wonderful.
Now Katie... if you love the Lord Jesus you will know he died on the cross ..........

and she continued to speak out against the Catholic Church but said nothing about bible verses.


Woman 4:
One of the best ways to begin is to learn scripture verses and more importantly to know them in your heart to be true ..........   Did you know that 51 Things True of Every Christian .........

she continued about a link to a post on the 51 things but nothing about bible verses


Woman 5:
She mentioned music to help you learn verses and then told all about her wonderful journey to knowing God

 but nothing else about bible verses


Man 2:
Try "You version - The Bible" app on Android the give lots of plans to study the bible.

This was a teenager asking about learning bible verses not studying the bible - can we stick to the topic???



Woman 6:
Ask Jesus to come into your heart and reveal His Word (the bible) to you.

This was a girl who told us she was a Christian so we should respect her and believe her


Woman 7: For the reading part, I started with Matthew and have been reading a chapter every night before bed.  If you find a passage which you might like to memorize, read the first few words until you have memorized them, then add a few more and keep going until you have memorized the whole thing.

She is a teenager asking about verses - a passage would be daunting to me let alone her!


Woman 8:
Read the bible with love not as a book to memorize.  If you love it you will memorize automatically.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) 

Yes at least she gave a scripture - But NO, you will not learn it automatically!


There were many more people trying to give advice but all in a similar vein.

I was so disappointed that people had not read carefully before giving their advice.







Think before you give advice

Advice or help does not have to be long-winded a short answer directly related to the question is best with teenagers.

If we are in the position to help then we need to help by keeping their attention focused on what are the important points.

Every single one of those people (if they had thought about it for a little while) could have given a short helpful answer; but if while thinking about it, they had realised that they were not really suited to working with teenagers or had a true helpful suggestion, then they could have ended up a wiser person and not complicated things for her.

I believe as Christians we should all wish to help others love God's Word and to encourage them to read and memorize His Word.

I also believe that we should be willing to help others in any way we can but to remember to stay on the subject and not digress to our other interests.


Let's help others know God's Word

That teenage girl now follows my posts on Google+  so she can read articles on my blog or can use the verses I post to help her memorize scripture.  This is not something that takes a big effort on my part but is just one simple way of helping and encouraging others like her.


I and many other people post bible verses on facebook & google plus and other social media 

because 

for any of us, just to be reminded of a scripture can 

lift our spirits, 

turn our minds back to God in our busy days 

and 

encourage us.



I'm also reminded of something I used to hear older Christians say years ago and it is true today






Sunday

Pondering the Psalms - Psalm 13


Each Sunday I am going to choose a Psalm and write down some brief thoughts on it.


Today I'm looking at Psalm 13


This is not one of those very well-known Psalms.






This Psalm falls into three parts:

V. 1-2
It was because of his enemies that David turned to God here and cried out.
He could feel the oppression of the enemies but not the presence of God.


V. 3-4
David wanted to be refreshed so as not to get tired and relax and let down his guard.


V. 5-6
Even just crying out to God has started to change David and he starts to look on the positive side of God's goodness to him.
Appears that perhaps David has realised that his feelings do not have a direct correlation with the presence of God.


God's presence is not dependant on our feelings.


Questions.
David had questions about the presence of God because he could not feel that God was with him or showing him favour.  He was questioning himself and was sorrowful because of the oppression of the enemy.
How often do we feel like David did?
Do we tell God truthfully how we feel - Yes I know we can say that God knows how we feel, but He also wants us to keep up communication with Him and we can start with expressing our feelings truthfully.








Knowledge.
David knew the situation he was in was a grave situation.
He knew death could be the result of the heaviness and tiredness he felt in the midst of his situation because he could do the wrong things, make unwise decisions when he felt as if he was not in counsel with God.


Outcome.
This Psalm ends up with David lifted up in his spirit and therefore refreshed.
Just by thinking on God and restarting communication with God which we may even feel is one-sided can change our outlook and determination in any situation.


Yes David may have started with


"How long will thou forget me, O Lord"


but ends with




It is important we remember to keep an open communication with God.


Talking to God, even when it starts with moanings about what seems to be happening around us, will end up with us thinking of God and not dwelling on ourselves.