In The Word: Series Intro

Hey you guys, welcome to our first series! In The Word is basically a Bible study in a blog post.

Like most people, I personally struggle often with consistent, intentional Bible study and worship. Around November, I purposed to spend time, "being washed in the Light," every night before I went to bed.

A lot of people tell others what works best for them. What they do that positively affects their life. And while that encouragement is perfectly fine, I want you to find for yourself the strategy you [personally] need to become a better you. I don't want to tell you what to do, just because it worked great for me. It's your relationship with God, not mine. I just want to inspire you to pursue a relationship with Jesus while I do the same.

All that said, the first thing I want you to do as we begin this series is discover the specific time that works best for your schedule. I usually start school right away in the morning and work on that stuff hard core until 6 sometimes. Because of that, I usually read a Psalm and short devo in the morning, leaving a longer study, reading, and worship time for before I go to bed.

So, before you finish reading this post, I want you to form a strategy for the time you will purpose to spend with Jesus. Ready? Go!


Alright, now that that's taken care of, let's get to the good stuff!

God inspired me to write this series from the personal Bible study in my life. At night, I will choose a Bible passage, open my journal, title a page, and get crackin. The top of the page usually looks something like,

"In The Word: Hosea 3"

I'll go on to write down verses that stuck out to me and what God was telling me through it. In that same way, I want this series to feel like you and me are sitting down doing a good Bible study together. It won't be perfectly organized, and it certainly won't be perfect. But I'm going to do my best to relate the truths God has given me through His Word, to you!

Three Things to Know:

1. I'm typically using the ESV translation of the Bible, sometimes paraphrased to understand more clearly

2. We will study verse by verse, pointing out vibrant messages

3. I need YOU to get involved! Let's chat about your thoughts and suggestions in the comments!



Let's get out our Bibles and start advancing His Kingdom one verse at a time!
                                      

"And the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an

adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other Gods."

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.

And I said to her, "You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore."

For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without King or Prince-- but afterwards, they shall

return and seek the Lord their God. They shall fear His goodness in later days."

-Hosea 3:1-5 paraphrased



[v. 1] "love a woman who is loved by another man..."

 -We are loved by the world and equally love the world.
 
 -Jesus loved us, as His Father commanded Him, even when we were slaves to the world and                                                          
   sin.

 -He loved us anyways

[v. 2] "so I bought her with 15 shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley..."

 -Jesus bought us with His death on the cross

 -He redeemed us with His resurrection, just as Hosea redeemed Gomer

[v. 3] "you must dwell as mine..."

 -After Hosea redeemed his wife, he commanded her to live as his. 

-Because Jesus redeemed us, we must live for Him as His child and servant and          

 beloved.

[v. 4-5] "the children of Israel will dwell many days without King or Prince-- but afterwards, they                       

              shall return and seek the Lord their God..."

 -We have lived without our King and Prince, but we now know that our King                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

           and our Prince lives and reigns as Jesus! 

-We must seek Him and His eternal goodness

The book of Hosea demonstrates such a beautiful story of redemption. These are the simple truths that God revealed to me when reading this passage, and now it's your turn!

What truths stuck out to you when reading Hosea 3? 

How have you purposed to seek Jesus through personal Bible and worship time? 

What passages would you like to see on the In The Word series? 

Hit me up in the comments and let's dig into God's Word!