7 “How To’s” I Learned This Summer
~ Today’s Scripture Art and Bible blog post were designed to share the How Tos I learned this summer. ~
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Once a quarter, I look forward to reading Emily Freeman’s “What We Learned” series. I am fascinated with the premise not only because I like to learn (especially from the Bible – as you have probably figured out by now) but because it makes me sit back and take stock.
Emily always includes the most interesting things and I learn several new tidbits from her post every time. So – you guessed it – I am joining in! And I hope you will learn something new from me today. Life-long learning here we come!
Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are 7 helpful “How To’s” that I learned this summer.
Of course, seven!
1 – How To Stay Where He Stays
We usually think of Ruth 1:16 in the context of happy relationships – like family or weddings and anniversaries. In fact, I painted today’s verse as a request for an anniversary gift. But as I studied this verse, I noticed something.
This famous line was spoken smack in the middle of loss and bitterness – nowhere near any kind of happiness. Somehow that makes Ruth’s comment all the more amazing to me. She was committed no matter what.
My study Bible explained that the story of Ruth paints a picture of how we come to faith in Christ: “We begin with no hope and are rebellious aliens with no part in the kingdom of God. Then as we risk everything by putting our faith in Christ, God saves us, forgives us, rebuilds our lives, and gives us blessings that will last through eternity.”
Ruth took the risk and stayed with her mother-in-law, but her sister-in-law didn’t (Ruth 1:14-15). How committed are we to staying with Christ – through happy and hard times?
Will we go where He goes? Stay where He stays? Will His people be our people? His Father our Father?
Remember: the best way to have staying power when times get tough is to stay in the Word.
Romans 10:17 (ESV): So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
2 – How To Keep Your Glasses From Slipping
I have come to the point in my life where the contacts I have worn for nearly 40 years aren’t working for me any more. {boo} I really wanted to see clearly again, so I made the difficult decision to switch to glasses – progressives, to be exact. Long story short – and two pairs of glasses later – I finally feel halfway comfortable.
If you are also in the new glasses boat, here’s something I discovered that you might find helpful. My glasses felt like they were slipping down (even when they weren’t), so I went on a hunt to remedy the problem and I came across this, but the reviews were so-so. As I read further and saw the ingredients, I realized that I already had a bar like this in my drawer. It was worth a try, so I rubbed some on the nose-part of my glasses. The verdict? It did help – as long as I wasn’t too sweaty.
3 – How To Have Endurance During Trials
Remember when we learned about endurance together? This was a reader request – a verse that wasn’t even on my radar. But you always have the best ideas! This quick study in James 1 taught me a lot. James gave us 5 actions we can do today to propel our endurance. Here’s the cliff notes version …
- Pray {James 1:5}
- Don’t look elsewhere {James 1:6-8}
- Desire to be like Jesus {James 1:9}
- Remember trials are actually blessings {James 1:12}
- Stay in the Word {James 1:25}
If you want the detailed version (and who wouldn’t – we all need endurance), read the whole post here.
4 – How To Truly Write God’s Word On Your Heart
I mean truly. Like actual real life change from the inside out. I posted this “secret” on Instagram (which is not a secret at all if you read my blog) and it broke my record for the most hearts ever! I love that you love that too.
5 – How To Make it to Lunch
Here’s my new favorite nutrition bar. I found these at Costco and they are quite tasty. They do have sugar, but not as much as other granola bars. I liked the short ingredient list, and no fake protein. You can read the nutrition label in the Amazon listing here …
6 – How To Stop the Decline of Evangelism
So why might genuine believers lack a personal passion for gospel sharing?
Kathy Litton shares in this thought-provoking article, “After being saved as eight-year-old girl, I unfortunately subtly acquired a spirit of self-righteousness in my twenties, all the while being a pastor’s wife and visible church leader. Self-righteousness is a poison. It poisoned my view of myself. I failed to see myself as in desperate need of rescue—replacing desperation with the attitude that I had “done my part.” That attitude diminished the power of the gospel in my life.”
Now here’s her lightbulb moment: “The gospel is NOT a truth or experience we move on from to deeper things of God … A more powerful personal gospel experience brought me a new boldness.”
Let’s never forget our desperate need of rescue – thank You Jesus! – which will in turn help us be passionate about everyone else’s.
7 – How To Share the Romans Road
Speaking of passion for evangelism … You may remember this hand-lettered Romans Road booklet PDF that I made for you a couple of weeks ago, to help you in sharing the gospel. Well, here’s some more help: I just updated that post to give you some exact wording to use – just in case you are like me and want to be overly prepared. {grin} Now go practice, then let me know how it goes!
Well, there you have it – seven things I learned this Summer.
I keep a running list during each quarter, and it’s fun to see what random things show up. I learned some helpful things this time and I hope you learned something new and useful too!
*My prayer for you is … that this blog will inspire you to open your Bible every single day to seek God’s face and write His Word on your heart – because HE’S the key to lasting heart change!
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