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Sunday, December 21, 2014

NEW Purex® PowerShot™ Detergent Sweepstakes

NEW Purex® PowerShot™ Detergent is coming soon to a store near you!

Purex® is holding an amazing giveaway in celebration of the release of NEW Purex® PowerShot™ Detergent!

Purex Giveaway


  • Three grand prize winners will receive a Whirlpool® Washer and Dryer set
  • 300 runner-up winners will receive a FREE bottle of NEW Purex® PowerShot™ Detergent
  • All entrants will receive an email with a $1 OFF COUPON when NEW Purex® PowerShot™ Detergent is available in stores

NEW Purex® PowerShot™ Detergent is a super-concentrated liquid detergent that does the measuring for you! The auto-dosing technology Purex has developed will ensure a no-mess, no-guesswork solution to your laundry washing needs. Watch this video to see how it does the measuring for you.

After you watch the video, be sure to go here to enter the sweepstakes and receive your $1 OFF COUPON. 

Your Purex® Insider, 
Laurie
 

Friday, December 19, 2014

A Baby Born To Die (Blogging Through the Bible)

Jesus came as a baby


Christmas is only 6 days away! In the midst of all the last minute shopping, last minute frenzy of gift-wrapping, and deciding on the final menu to feast on come Christmas Day...

...there is a baby in a manger.

A baby born to die.

Today in Psalm 22 we find a Psalm of David that begins with an agonizingly painful scene. Someone who knows God and trusts in Him has been forsaken and is crying out in agony.

"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me. Why are you so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning." -Psalm 22:1 


My friend, the only One to ever experience this painful kind of agony was Jesus Christ. He knew God. He was God...born in the flesh of a tiny baby over 2,000 years ago.

Jesus Christ came as a baby born to die.

He lived a perfect, sinless life fulfilling all the requirements of the Law so that He could be the perfect sacrifice for sin that God required. You and I could never fulfill the requirements needed to restore our broken relationship with God.

God knew this. God loved the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son, full of grace and truth, to die for my sins and for your sins.

"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?', that is, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." -Matthew 27:46


Have you accepted the free gift of salvation and of eternal life? You can today, my friend. Call on the name of Jesus Christ, admit that you are a sinner in need of His forgiveness, believe that He died on the cross for your sins, that He rose from the grave on the third day defeating sin, death, and Satan; and that He is alive in Heaven now.

In the midst of all your celebrations, don't forget about the baby in the manger.

The baby born to die.

Jesus Christ.


I love this song by Bebo Norman, "Born to Die"! Listen and worship Jesus, our King who chose to be a baby born to die...for you and for me.



Today is the final day of Session 1 of Reading Through the Bible! For those of you who have been on this journey with me since we began in August - thank you!

We have read through Esther, 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2, and 3 John; Jude, Genesis and part of the Psalms. WhooHoo!!

We will resume Reading Through the Bible on January 5, 2015 in the book of Exodus. At that time, my Blogging Through the Bible posts will continue. I hope you will join me then!

Here are the last of my S.O.A.P.s for this session: 



Thursday, December 18, 2014

Psalm 21

Scripture: Psalm 21:1-2  O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.

Observations: David is rejoicing in the strength of God and in His salvation in the battle David and his people had prayed for in Psalm 20. The victory they had prayed for seems to have been answered. Here in this Psalm, David is thanking God for the victory and for answered prayer.

Application: We must be as quick to thank God for answered prayer as we are to go to Him with our requests. If it seems my prayers are not being answered by God, I should examine my heart in the following areas according to God’s Word:

Hindrances to answered prayer (source: David Guzik Commentary on the Bible):
1.     Not abiding in Jesus (John 15:7)
2.     Unbelief (Matthew 17:20-21)
3.     Failure to Fast (Matthew 17:21)
4.     A Bad Marriage Relationship (1 Peter 3:7)
5.     Not Asking (James 4:2)
6.     Selfish Praying (James 4:3)
7.     Disobedience (1 John 3:22)
8.     Not Praying in God’s Will (1 John 5:14-15)
9.     Unconfessed Sin (James 5:16)
10.  Cold, Passionless Prayer (James 5:16-18; 2 Kings 20:5)
11.  Prayerlessness and Lack of Persistence in Prayer (Luke 18:1-7; Psalms 55:17)
12.  Sin Against Others (Matthew 5:23-24)
13.  Lack of Unity (Matthew 18:19)
14.  Not Praying in the Name of Jesus (John 14:13-14)
16.  Lying and Deceitfulness (Psalms 17:1)
17.  Lack of Bible Reading and Bible Teaching (Proverbs 28:9)
18.  Trusting in the Length or Form of Prayer (Matthew 6:7)

“Our prayers are not answered as if the avoidance of these things earns or merits God’s response, or if He is in debt to us if we do not do them. Yet they are clearly hindrances to answered prayer.” –David Guzik

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all of the times You have answered my prayers. You have been so faithful to me and my family over the years. Thank You for showing me that You love me even if what I pray for does not come to pass. Today’s study has shown me many reasons why some prayers may go unanswered. May I be sure to take the time to examine myself according to Your Word concerning prayer to make sure there is nothing in my heart or life that is causing my prayers to go unanswered. My heart rejoices in Your strength and in Your salvation through Jesus Christ. It is in His saving name that I pray. Amen!

Friday, December 19, 2014

Psalm 22

Scripture: Psalm 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

Observations: What a painful beginning to this Psalm! Someone who knows and trusts in God has been forsaken and is crying out in agony. We know from Matthew 27:46 that it was Jesus who cried out these words “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me” in agony as He hung and died on the cross for our sins.

Application: In the midst of all the last minute preparations for Christmas which is only 6 days away, may we not forget the true meaning of why we celebrate. A baby born to die to for us – Jesus Christ.

Bebo Norman “Born to Die” YouTube video (link posted above for you)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the precious gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Over 2,000 years ago You loved the world so much that You sent Him as a baby born to die for all sinners, including me. Thank You for loving me so much that You provided a perfect sacrifice for my sins so that my broken relationship with You could be restored. Thank You, Jesus, for willingly laying down Your sinless life, for taking on all of our sins, and for dying on the cross. I love You and I praise You! May we all take time to focus on Your birth, Your life, and the beauty of Your sacrifice on our behalf as we celebrate Christmas. In Your life-giving name I pray. Amen!
 


To all my readers here at Grace-Filled-Moments, I want to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas! I appreciate your faithfulness and look forward to reading God's Word with you in 2015! Love and prayers for you all!

Walking in His Grace, 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

7 Characteristics of God's Word (Blogging Through the Bible)

Perfect Pure Clean Right


Psalm 19 is a long one and there is so much knowledge to glean from it. Today I want to focus on verses 7-11 which speak of seven characteristics of God's Word for this Blogging Through the Bible post. I love God's Word and this study of Psalm 19 really ministered to my spirit! I hope what I share from my study time brings as much joy to your heart as it did to mine.

Here is my S.O.A.P. from Tuesday for Psalm 19.



Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Psalm 19

Scripture: Psalm 19:7-11
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

Observations:  In verses 7 through 9, David praises God for how He reveals Himself in His word using the following expressions to describe the word of God: Law of the Lord, Testimony of the Lord, Statutes of the Lord, Commandment of the Lord, Fear of the Lord and Judgments of the Lord.

Seven characteristics of God’s Word:
1.     Perfect - effectively converts the soul. The Hebrew word for “converting” can also be translated as “reviving” or “bringing new life to the soul”.
2.     Sure - being reliable and certain…making wise in godliness those who are of simple education because they study and trust God’s sure Word.
3.     Right - morally, practically, and universally…because they are words from our God Who is holy, true, and always right. Hearts in relationship with God rejoice because God’s Word shows us all that is right in living.
4.     Pure - because God is pure and holy. We can trust it to lead us in purity as it enlightens our eyes in this dark, sinful world.
5.     Clean - therefore will endure forever. It will never fade or diminish because of impurity. The Word is clean and it makes us clean. The fear of the Lord comes as we read and study God’s Word gaining a deeper understanding of the awe and majesty of God.
6.     True - There is nothing false in the Word of God.
7.     Righteous - There is nothing unrighteous about the Word of God.

Application: God’s word is to be desired more than anything else in this life because of the instruction it gives us as children of God. The reward for living in obedience to walking in the way God wants us to live is peace of mind here and now while we wait for our eternal reward in Heaven.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your word. I pray that I would desire it more than anything else in this life. Only as I spend time reading Your word can I discover more of Who You are and how You desire for me to live as Your child. This world and everything in it will one day pass away, but Your word remains forever. Help me to treat my time spent in the Word as the treasure it truly is. In the life-changing name of Jesus I pray. Amen!

Here is my S.O.A.P. from Wednesday:



Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Psalm 20

Scripture: Psalm 20:1-5

1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
May he grant you your heart's desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over your salvation,
    and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

Observations: The people are praying for King David before he goes into battle. Here are their petitions on David’s behalf:

May the Lord…
1.     Answer you in the day of trouble.
2.     Protect you.
3.     Send you help from the sanctuary.
4.     Give you support from Zion.
5.     Remember all your offerings.
6.     Regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.
7.     Grant you your heart’s desires.
8.     Fulfill all your plans.
9.     Fulfill all your petitions.

Application: What wonderful petitions to bring to the Lord on behalf of those I love! It’s so important to remember the power of prayer and to pray for those the Lord God has blessed my life with.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for my family and for my friends. I lift them all up to You today and ask that You would answer them in their day of trouble, protect them and send them help from Your sanctuary. Give them Your support from on high as they walk this life I pray. Remember their offerings and regard with favor the sacrifices they make for Your glory. I pray that You would grand them their heart’s desires, that You would fulfill all their plans and all of their petitions as they seek to serve You all the days of their lives. In the faithful name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
 

***Here is the reading plan for the rest of this week. Remember after Friday, we are on break for Christmas until January 5, 2015. When we resume in January, we will be in the the book of Exodus.

Psalms Reading Plan

I'll see you back here on Friday for my final Blogging Through the Bible post of 2014! 

Walking in His Grace,
Laurie

Linking up with: Women Living Well, home of Good Morning Girls and Little R&R