Sunday Scripture

 I've been posting  Sunday Scriptures on both of my blogs this December, taken from an Advent study I did in 2013 with Good Morning Girls.  The study, Keeping Our Hearts Focused on Jesus, is still available as a free download.  Scroll down and click on the book-like image, and the pdf should open right up.  More than just a Bible study, this is an ebook that includes recipes, Advent activities, and more.  I think it will be a blessing to you, although you will probably want to save it for next year.  At this point I think I've blogged about every part of that study, so next December I'll be doing something different.  And, in January 2026 I plan to get back to the Fix Your Focus lessons.

I've mentioned before that I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the studies from GMG use a very similar one.  I find this method a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, so I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or passage,  or praise for what it means to you.

This last week's verses are focused on Peace.  If you downloaded the study and are following along with it, this is the one from December 24.

S= "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

"The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out thy enemy; the King of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not see evil any more."  (Zephaniah 3:14-15)

O= This is obviously prophetic.  As C.I. Scofield says, "That this, and all like passages in the prophets, cannot refer to anything which occurred at the first coming of Christ is clear from the context.  The precise reverse is true."

Scofield has titled this section "Israel's restoration and blessing; the King in the Kingdom."

So when verse 15 states "the King of Israel even the LORD, is in the midst of thee", it is not really referring directly to the Baby in the manger, but pointing forward to a time when He will reign during the millennial kingdom.  In that future time, it could be said that God's people will not "see evil any more."

Still, His presence on earth as a Baby was a cause of great rejoicing -- "behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people."  (Luke 2:10). And He was in the midst of His people, even if not all of them recognized it.

A= I can be glad and rejoice with all my heart as I recall and celebrate the coming of the Savior.  I can rejoice that He is my Savior.  He has taken away my judgments in that there is no condemnation to those  who are in Christ Jesus, who walk after the Spirit and not the flesh (Romans 8:1).  He is in the midst of me in the sense that He dwells within me in the Person of the Holy Spirit.  I have much to be joyful about!

P= "Lord, as much as I have tried this season to focus on You, in many ways I feel I have failed miserably.  I have so often allowed busyness and stress in preparing to celebrate to crowd out my joy to a much greater degree than it should.  

"I thank You though for the snatches of celebratory joy that I have found.  I pray that You will help me in this week to show my joy in Christ's coming to a needy, needy world.  I thank You for the opportunities that You will give!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

There is the Sunday Scripture for this week and the last of our Advent study.  We will get back to Fix Your Focus in January!