beencouraged 7 - Barbara Lynn Seibel

May 12, 2024April 13, 2024

Giving to Remember God

What does it mean to give?

Give as a transitive verb has sixteen definitions at Merriam-Webster.com.

There were five more definitions for using give as an intransitive verb and two for using give as a noun.

Then I found the section titled, “Choose the Right Synonym for Give”.

Before listing some synonyms with definitions, this section provided the following definition of the word give:

“Give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.”

This definition, although lacking specificity, is valuable in understanding that “giving” can be a highly personal activity.

But how does this apply to giving to remember God?

May 5, 2024June 22, 2024

Communal Responsibility in Worship

How would you define communal responsibility in worship?

According to Merriam-Webster.com,

A community is defined as a unified body of individuals.
Responsibility involves answering for one’s conduct or obligations.
To worship is to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion a divine being.

So, a communal responsibility in worship could be described as a unified body of individuals answering for each other’s conduct to show great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion to a divine being.

But what does that look like in actual practice for the Israelites in the book of Deuteronomy? And us today?

April 21, 2024April 3, 2024

Removing the Distractions from Worshiping God

Recently I opted to work on my writing at a local cafe.

I thought it would be okay since the cafe had Wi-Fi and many of the research resources I use are now available online.

Plus, several friends of mine who are writers love to work at cafes or shared work spaces.

But it was too distracting for me.

Hearing orders called out, seeing a father play with his son out in the courtyard, and some odd technical difficulties made my writing experience frustrating.

I now know for certain that my home office space is the best place to work on my writing.

This does not mean I never get distracted at home. I do.

But I have more control over my home office space than I do in a public space.

How does this relate to the need to remove distractions from worshiping God?

April 14, 2024April 2, 2024

Reasons to Worship God

Have you given any consideration to why you worship God?

What reasons would you share with others for worshiping God?

Do the reasons vary depending on whom you are sharing with? If so, why?

Or perhaps you came across this post because you have never worshiped God and are curious why others do.

The primary definition of the word worship is to honor or show reverence to a divine being or supernatural power.

Here, I am writing about the God of the ancient Israelites whom Christians also worship today.

I believe the most accurate source to learn the reasons to worship God comes from God himself in the Bible.

Today, we will explore the reasons God himself provided to the ancient Israelites for worshiping Him in Deuteronomy 11:1-20.

March 31, 2024March 30, 2024

Are You an Early Riser?

Some of us rise early, even if it does not come naturally to us.

But for others, rising early is something they cherish. Why?

I can think of many reasons someone might cherish the wee hours of the day.

It affords a quiet time of meditation before the demands of the day begin.
An opportunity to enjoy the sunrise or other aspects of nature.
A preferred time to exercise one’s body.
Time to work on a personal hobby or even a second job.
I’m sure there are other reasons too.

But none of these reasons explain why some rose early to go visit a tomb as shared in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

March 24, 2024March 23, 2024

From Peter’s Confession to Palm Branches

Last week, a group I regularly meet with discussed Peter’s confession of Christ in Matthew 16:13-23.

In this passage, Jesus is alone with His disciples in a location most Jews of their day would never visit since it was a city full of pagan worship. (Matthew 16:13)

While there, Jesus asks his disciples these two questions:

“Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13)
“But what about you…who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

The disciple’s response to the first question was, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:14)

Peter responded to the second question: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

After affirming Peter’s statement, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. (Matthew 16:20)

Why did Jesus issue this warning?

March 17, 2024March 16, 2024

Finding Our Identity Through a Jealous God

What do you see when you look into a mirror or other reflective surface?

Often, images like the one above of the kitten seeing a reflection of a lion are used to encourage self-esteem or bravado in our own identity.

But what if, instead of looking to boost our self-esteem or bravado, we sought our identity through the reflection of the LORD?

Further, what if we considered finding our identity through the reflection of the LORD’s self-revealed identity as a jealous God?

What does the LORD even mean by describing Himself with the name Jealous?

How would that help us in our daily lives?

Join me in exploring Exodus 33:10-17 and other verses for answers to these questions.

March 10, 2024March 9, 2024

Responding to Who God Says He Is

Moses’ life was not ordinary.

First, against the Egyptian Pharoah’s edict, his mother hid Moses for three months after his birth. (Exodus 1:22-2:2)

Then Pharoah’s daughter ends up adopting Moses and raising him with the help of Moses’ mother. (Exodus 2:3-10)

After Moses becomes an adult, he murders an Egyptian for beating an Israelite and attempts to hide his actions. (Exodus 2:11-12)

Yet the Lord called Moses to be His spokesperson to reveal Himself to the Israelites and all the other nations around the world. (Exodus 3:1-22)

After much back and forth in this private encounter with the Lord, Moses asks the Lord to send someone else. (Exodus 4:13)

But over time, Moses’ response to God changed.

The question is, why did Moses’ response change?

March 3, 2024March 2, 2024

Does God Meet with You?

I think we are tempted to think more about our responsibility in meeting with God rather than God wanting to meet with us.

Why?

We gravitate to things we can touch or see more often than spiritual realities.

Plus, making it about our actions means we can check off that box on our to-do list and feel we’ve accomplished something tangible.

I also think we often miss when God is present with us.

Why?

We don’t have the obvious sign of a pillar of cloud showing God’s presence like the Israelites did back in Exodus.

But God wants to meet with us.

How can Exodus 33:7-11 and supporting verses help us grasp this today?

February 25, 2024February 24, 2024

How Teachable Are You?

Merriam-Webster.com defines teachable as apt and willing to learn.

If you were to make a list of everything you enjoyed learning from childhood to the present day, what would you include?

What would you list as things you didn’t enjoy learning?

Which list is longer for you?

Did you include things outside of formal school subjects?

In Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21, Jesus thanks the Lord of heaven and earth for hiding things from the wise and understanding while revealing them to little children.

What does this have to do with being teachable?