I am an avid reader! I typically read Christian Non-Fiction with some Christian fiction sprinkled in to give my brain a rest.
I have also found that being involved in a Bible study helps me stay in God’s Word daily. Add to that having the accountability of a group of ladies who are also studying, learning and growing in the Lord with me & who share their perspectives or what the Lord has shown them, is such an encouragement!
During the winter months (January – March 2020), the Christ The King women’s Bible study worked our way through God’s Cranky Prophets book. First off, I LOVE the Old Testament. Secondly, Habakkuk is my second favorite book of the Old Testament–Hosea, is my favorite.
I have to say, this is one of my favorite Bible studies that I’ve done. I learned so much and learned to see Jonah in a whole new light from this study. He really was a Cranky Prophet. He continually disobeys God. First by running away to Tarshish, then he reluctantly confesses his sin, only to reluctantly go to Ninevah to proclaim God’s Truth to the people of the city, and then he sits and waits; actually Jonah wants the destruction on the people of Ninevah. He’s a prophet of the Lord! And he has no grace to extend. No rejoicing in the pagan city coming to know his Lord. What a prophet!
As you may already know, the book of Jonah is not about Jonah the prophet, but about God’s faithfulness and love for people to know Him as God. The book of Jonah is filled with God’s mercy and compassion, His justice, His sovereignty.
As for the Habakkuk portion of the study. Man! Habakkuk is the complete opposite of Jonah! Habakkuk cries out to the Lord to see the wickedness of the people and to act. And God responds. God responds not the way Habakkuk wanted to hear, but Habakkuk keeps his trust in the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. And he waits. Patiently for God to move as He says He will.
From Habakkuk, we learn to be faithful to God. Even when we desire a different path than God has planned for us. We learn to be patient and to seek and accept God’s will over our own.
If you are looking for an Old Testament Bible study, I highly recommend God’s Cranky Prophets.
After we finished God’s Cranky Prophets, we took a little break & then started a book discussion. This was my second time reading & discussing The Envy of Eve. This book is about being envious & covetous. I believe we all struggle with envy on various levels. Melissa does a great job of pointing out nine areas where women struggle with coveting. She identifies the pattern of coveting: First we see, then we take, and then we hide. Throughout the book, she points us to Biblical examples of people who coveted & how we are much like they were. She also has a chapter that shows us how to overcome the power of coveting: Christ.
This is a great book to read alone or to read & discuss with friends. I found that I resonated with different examples & different covetous behaviors from my two readings. It is a book you will want to keep & re-read multiple times.
The summer of 2020, we read & discussed Nancy Guthrie’s book Even Better Than Eden. Let me start off with saying, I LOVE Nancy! She is such a Godly, down-to-earth woman! She handles Scripture & exposes such richness by drawing Scripture out in her books and Bible studies. This is not the first study of hers I had done.
In Even Better Than Eden, Nancy takes you from Genesis to Revelation by using nine stories that will change how you view the Bible and your part of the story as you relate to the Bible. Each chapter is full & rich by revealing new Truth & perspectives that I had not considered before or realized the fullness of the Truth. You will see the deception of Eve in a whole new light & how that deception is a thread all throughout the Bible. There will be deception until Christ’s return & our home going to the New Jerusalem. She reinforces the need of a Savior; a Messiah; a Redeemer from the fall in the garden all the way until we are reunited with God.
This is a lighter study compared to some of her other studies. You can read this as a book or you can read this as a study. The study questions are in the back of the book. Be ready to make notes in the margins, underline & circle sentences or phrases. This is a great small group book, Sunday school book, Bible study, or personal study.
**As a side note about Nancy. She has a great podcast at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/help-me-teach-the-bible/
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