Welcome to Kendra Graham’s Online Bible Study! This is a place where we can come together and share in our journey towards Scriptural truths and spiritual maturity. We pray this will be a safe, respectful, resourceful place to come and discuss God’s Word…to discover What it says…What it means…and What it means to you!
Make sure you don’t miss a post, just enter your email in the “Subscribe Via Email” in the upper left hand corner of our blog. It’s free and you’ll receive these post straight into your email inbox.
Kendra Graham notes from Philippians 2:13.
WHAT DOES IT SAY? THE FACTS ONLY PLEASE.
In this step you need to list the outstanding facts of the passage. DON’T get caught up in the details, just list the facts. Do not paraphrase. Use the actual words of the passage. This is God’s Word, a lot of times this step seems tedious to some, but I urge you, as we read, and say and write God’s Word, it begins to sink deep into our hearts. If you just pick one fact out of the verse, write it down and meditate on it.
FACTS :
“God is at work, in you, for His pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THE LESSONS.
Look for a lesson to learn from each fact. What are the people doing that they should be doing? What are the people doing that they shouldn’t be doing?
Is there a command to follow? A promise to claim? A warning to heed? An example to follow?
LESSONS:
God is at work. I love the C.S. Lewis books about Narnia that my kids and I are listening to AGAIN for the 100th time in the car. The phrase that always gets me is when the books states,
“Aslan is on the move!” The question would be raised, “How do you know such things?” and the reply would be something along the lines of, “Look around, you can’t miss the signs! They are everywhere in everything!” Oh, to be as astute as the characters in those books! I am so slow to learn, slow to obey, and quick to ask questions. I wanted to see God on the move after listening to the excitement of how Aslan was working in those books. Silly, I’m sure. It was a simple prayer, “Lord, open my eyes, today, to see where you are on the move.”
I gassed-up the car and met the student driver who would be driving to get the rest of her hours required for her license, then jumped in the car with my eldest and her friend who we would be taking on a 2-1/2 hour journey to a soccer game.
We made it to the game, without incident, and then we began to work our way back up the mountain. The girls weren’t hungry yet, so we decided to drive on for 30 minutes; by then, my eldest was going to to “die of hunger!” I asked where they would like to stop. “Zaxbys!” was the reply of my child. My eyes got wide, and my brain began to spin… “Zaxbys?” This may not sound like a strange request, but my daughter has NEVER had that request! When she was 5, she had a meal from there and threw up for the next 2 days. I don’t think the restaurant had anything to do with it, I think the stomach bug that hit the kindergarten class did. It has been 10 years. I made sure of her request, because there was a Cookout in the same parking lot. The final choice was Zaxbys. I bought the girls dinner, everyone ate like they were famished and then we got up to leave to go to Cookout for milk shakes.
On our way out, a Zaxby employee stopped us and the girl asked a question, “If you were with a friend, and your friend was hungry and all they wanted was a milkshake from Cookout, would you buy them one?” I was taken back. My head was spinning; “Is this girl asking me for money?” I was confused, I am a slow processor. The girl explained again how she and her friend had gone on break; she didn’t have any money with her, but her friend did. “Don’t friends help each other once in a while?” I told her she was right–they do. Often friends give to one another when they can. Satisfied with my explanation, the girl returned to work.
There was a stirring in my heart, “Aslan is on the move, here!” I was taken by surprise. I spoke up from somewhere–who knows where–and asked, “Excuse me, what kind of shake at Cookout is so delicious that it has strained your friendship?” She replied, “Oreo, of course!” I smiled and walked out with the girls. Again, my heart stirred. I was going to buy that exact milkshake for myself; I had already decided long before that moment, but the Oreo shake was not to be consumed by me, I was to give it to the girl at Zaxbys. I talked it over with the girls in my company, and they all agreed we should do it.
Soon we arrived back at Zaxbys; the girls were so excited to give this shake to this girl they didn’t even know. It was awesome to watch. They found the girl, asked her to turn around, and gave her the Oreo shake. The girl was visibly shaken. She held the cup with the delicious ice cream and crumbled cookies in absolute disbelief. The girl said thank you, and that she never would have imagined
someone would do something like that for her, and she didn ’t understand why.
She tried to give it back. We told her that she was worth it. The girl then put the cup down, and turned her back to us, wiping the tears that had formed so quickly. She could not look at us again.
We turned and left. I have thought of that girl often in the last week, and prayed for her. I don’t know what is really going on in her life, but God is on the move. He’s on the move in her life, and He works through us, not because He is incapable of making an Oreo shake appear, but because He wants to show us just how much He loves His handmade creation…. individually. Crazy as you may think I am, that Zaxbys visit was Providential. God had something to show me, a student driver, two soccer players and a few Zaxbys employees. I will never know the impact He made in that employee’s life, but it made a difference in mine.
God is indeed on the move, because we are His pleasure, and He gave everything He had to prove it. “For God SO LOVED the world (the individuals in it) that He gave His only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in Him (Jesus), will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Oh, that we may see the love of God come to life and work right in front of our eyes!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME NOW? APPLY IT…. TODAY.
Take the lessons you learned and put them into the form of a personal question that you would ask your spouse, or a friend or your son or daughter.
As you write the questions, listen for God to communicate to you through His Word.
*Do not rush. Do not write things down just to have something on paper, this step takes more time that you may think. This is where Scripture meditation becomes real, this is where you begin to hear that still small voice speak to you, and place His finger in your life and begin to direct your paths…. this day, and the next, and the next. Do you trust Him enough to put into place that which He is moving you to?
God is always at work. What would happen if we, who claim to be His church, watched where He was at work and joined Him, everyday, not just once in a while? What testimony of the love of God would we have to share?
LIVE IT OUT!
Hold yourself accountable to LIVE OUT in your daily life that which God impresses upon your heart. Write it out, sign it, date it and claim the transforming power of God’s Word and His presence in your life.
Today, as I go about my day, Lord God, will you open my eyes to where You are on the move, then give me the strength to join You.
*Please note: Kendra will no longer assign specific homework for this study. She will still use the Three-Question approach and recommends you do the same. Kendra would love to hear what Scripture is speaking to you at this season in your life. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Get stuck? www.annegrahamlotz.com and Anne will walk through the Three Questions with you and help you along!