KEMU Bible Study Group

In his book the Tale of two cities Charles Dicken writes; It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. For some of us this could best describe our 2019... We could be having an exciting moment and for some of us it could be the worst of time. Some of is going through grief and lose and maybe some of us have been promoted, gotten a new job or been sick and now out of the hospital... For all of us let's get encouraged from this
Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ...
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe. Blessed times

You are born to a destiny, in the midst of whatever storm or success, always remember that there is a higher calling.

FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness executed in love will blend both judgment and empathy.
Forgiveness executed in love creates vulnerability.
Forgiveness executed in love makes relationships possible. Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into His friends and gave us the task of making others His friends also. Our message is that God was making all human beings His friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and He has given us the message which tells how He makes them His friends. 2Corinthians 5:17-19, Have you received Christ’s offering? What is the specific sin and person that needs your forgiveness? Let's embrace forgiveness and Gods love. Blessed week!

Mark 5:25-34New International Version (NIV)

25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

The Christian life is a constant warfare. A thousand foes beset our pathway, and strong forces are in a perpetual struggle to gain control of our lives. The human heart is the world's greatest battlefield, and the contending forces ‑ are ever struggling for the mast­ery of that heart. Paul gave this command to Timothy: "Fight the good fight of faith, hold on to eternal life whereunto thou art called" (1 Tim. 6:12). When Christ called us through the Gospel, He had a two-fold purpose: First to save us from the serfdom of sin, making us His children, His ministers (kings and priests); and Second, to use us as soldiers to fight in a warfare in which eternal principles are at stake. No one can be a true soldier with­out being an ACTIVE soldier, and Christ needs soldiers people of faith, courage, and devotion who will not quail at any foe, and who will be constant in their opposition to anything that would de­grade the lives of men. To be a valiant soldier, one must know the enemy, his strength, his purposes, and his de­vices.
Peter admonishes us to "Be alert! Watch! The devil is your enemy. He is like a lion. He walks around, roaring and looking for some one to eat" (1 Peter 5:8). Blessed day soldiers

“ I need to worship because without it I can forget that I have a Big God beside me and live in fear. I need to worship because without it I can forget his calling and begin to live in a spirit of self-preoccupation. I need to worship because without it I lose a sense of wonder and gratitude and plod through life with blinders on. I need worship because my natural tendency is toward self-reliance and stubborn independence.". John Ortberg
Good morning family

SCARS OF LIFE
Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida , a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went... He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. . That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, ‘But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go.'
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.
But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.
The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go. God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others.
GOD BLESS YOU
May the love of GOD which is greater than all understanding remain in your Heart, now and forever Amen!

A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, dropped to His knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy of a cross to bear.” The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish.” The man was filled with relief said, “Thank you, Lord,” and he did as he was told.
Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. “I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered.
And the Lord replied, “Son, but that is the cross you just brought in.”
Reflection:
When life’s problems seem overwhelming, it helps us to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined. After all, you cant say that a lump of sand is not too heavy for an ant just because you cant feel it yourself. be strong, Face your challenges and trust in God. Besides, God won’t let you be tempted beyond your ability but with temptations, he will provide away to escape that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Whatever your cross, whatever your pain, there will always be sunshine after the rain.
Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall, But God’s always there to help you through it all

The Old Testament prophet Daniel also anxiously awaited a reply. After receiving a frightening vision of great war, Daniel fasted and sought God through humble prayer (10:3, 12). For three weeks, he received no reply (vv. 2, 13). Finally, an angel arrived and assured Daniel his prayers had been heard “since the first day.” In the meantime, the angel had been battling on behalf of those prayers. Though Daniel didn’t know it at first, God was at work during each of the twenty-one days that elapsed between his first prayer and the angel’s coming.The confidence that God hears our prayers can cause us to become anxious when His reply doesn’t come when we want it to. We are prone to wonder whether He cares. Yet Daniel’s experience reminds us that God is at work on behalf of those He loves even when it isn’t obvious to us.

Lord, help me to trust Your care for me even when I can’t see it.

Luke 5:5 New International Version (NIV)
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.
Peter’s reply demonstrates the beginning of a lifetime of faith in God. He said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets” (5:5, emphasis added). The soon-to-be disciple chose to obey the Lord and to leave the consequences of his decision to Him.
But notice what happened as a result of Peter’s obedience Jesus demonstrated His power and sovereignty. Peter and his partners may have started the day off thinking their efforts had yielded nothing. But they ended it in complete amazement because they pulled in not one but
two overflowing boatloads of fish (5:7). Saying yes to the Lord’s request resulted in a miracle that transformed not only one fisherman’s life but the lives of the entire group. blessed week

GOD'S PROMISES
When it comes to the matter of faith and approaching God in prayer, the people of God have some very precious promises.
1. God invites us to pray to Him – Phil. 4:6; Matt. 11:28; 1 Pet. 5:7 .
2. God promises to hear us when we prayers – Jer. 33:3; Psa. 10:17; 65:2 .
3. God promises to answer our prayers – Matt. 7:7-11; Isa. 58:9 .
When it comes to the promises of God, we have the Lord’s guarantee that He will keep every one of them, Rom. 4:21; Heb. 6:18; Num. 23:19 . God will not back away from a single promise He has given His people!
By the way, you cannot have faith that God will do something for which there is no biblical promise! Prayer and faith are not a blank check! Prayer and faith are an opportunity for God’s people to demonstrate their confidence in the written Word of God. When God says something in the Word of God, we can have absolute faith that He will do what we ask. When we pray outside of the Word of God, we cannot pray in absolute faith because we do not know what God’s will is in that matter.
Faith is always based on a clear word from the Lord, Rom. 10:17 .
So, while it is right to pray about every matter in your life, it is wrong to expect God to do everything you want Him to do. God honors faith, but genuine, biblical faith is always based on the Word of God! Always!...
Blessed week to all

Paul suffered a thorn in the flesh. Three times Paul asked God to remove his thorn. Three times God said no. Did that mean God didn’t love Paul? Absolutely not! It simply meant that God decided to empower Paul despite his thorn, to keep Paul dependent on God’s strength. God proved to Paul that God’s power was made perfect in Paul’s weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Reflection
1. What would you say is your particular “thorn in the flesh”?
2. How might you have grown prideful had it not been for this “thorn”?
3. How has God proven himself strong on your behalf?