Live the Word Bible Studies

Welcome to Live the Word

I am happy you have visited this site, where my goal since 2001 has been to help people all over the world understand and then apply the word of God in their lives. If you look on the right hand side of this blog site, you will see the name of each book in the New Testament, where you will find what I call a devotional commentary for every verse in those books. My goal was not to do a technical study, but rather a practical one that presented not only insights, but also questions and recommendations to help you apply or live the word. I have now published those studies in book form, but it's time to expand my work with something new (pictured here are two of my commentary covers, and they are all available in paper or Kindle format from Amazon).

For several years, I have had the idea to develop a Purpose Study Bible, similar to others on the market like The Spirit-Filled Bible, The Leadership Bible, The African Bible, and The Student Bible. Each one of those incorporates insights about a particular topic right in the Bible itself, like an easy-to-use commentary. I have been teaching on the topics of purpose, creativity, goal setting, time management, and faith since 1991, and have gained insight and often taught about or written about those topics from a biblical perspective. For the remainder of my days, I want to share what I have learned with my readers on these five topics I have labeled the five Gold Mine Principles, and this format seems like an economical way to do so (since I am not ready to undertake publishing a Bible). This particular study will begin in Genesis and move on in an orderly fashion through the rest of the Old Testament. Should God prolong my days, I will then move into the New Testament.

I also want to learn from my readers, so I invite you to post comments to supplement, adjust, or augment what I have written. My goal, however, is not to make us all experts on what the Bible has to say about purpose or creativity, but rather to help us become people of purpose, for as Jesus said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17). That is why my commentaries are called Live the Word, for that is what we are expected to do.

I hope you enjoy reading these studies as much as I enjoy writing them, and I hope you will be an active participant by sharing your own insight and testimonies. Thank you, and may the Lord bless the study and reading of His word!

Purpose Study Bible 76: Remember

As the Israelites left Egypt, Moses described their mindset as they went:

The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly (Exodus 14:9, emphasis added).

The people were so excited to be leaving and had already seen the Lord move on their behalf through the plagues. Yet when they got word that Pharaoh was in hot pursuit, we read

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'" (Exodus 14:10-12).

One minute the people were bold, the next minute they were terrified, complaining to Moses and holding him responsible for their trouble. They had a very short memory where God's provision and protection were concerned so they panicked. This became a regular occurrence as the psalmist reported: "Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power—the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,his wonders in the region of Zoan" (Psalm 78:41-43).

Don't judge the people harshly for we often are guilty of the same behavior. We start out gung-ho to fulfill purpose and express creativity but then it becomes more difficult as we encounter opposition or even persecution. We fail or become discouraged and we too forget what caused us to be so bold in the first place. What is the answer? How can you avoid this all-too-common problem? Psalm 103 gives us the answer:

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:1-5).

Did you start out boldly but now in a funk, stopped dead in your tracks by discouragement? Are you complaining as to how others have not given you a break or pay no attention to you and your efforts? Have you forgotten why you started your purpose quest in the first place? If so, then it's time to remember as the psalmist commanded.

Go back and review what got you started. Block out all the voices, including your own inner critic or complainer, and listen for God's voice that will help you remember why you started on your purpose journey in the first place. Then do what the psalm tells you to do: Praise Him with all that is within you and when you do your part, God will do His by satisfying your desires to create meaning through the good things only He can give you.

Purpose Study Bible 75: God Will Make a Way

When the Israelites came to the Red Sea, the Lord gave Moses these instructions:

"Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground" (Exodus 14:16, emphasis added).

The Lord did not say they would simply pass through the Red Sea. He told them they would go through on dry ground. This obviously must have been an important detail, for we see it a few other times:

• Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left (Exodus 14:21-22).
  
• But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left (Exodus 14:29).
• When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground (Exodus 15:19).

Then in case Israel had forgotten, Nehemiah prayed this: "You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters" (Nehemiah 9:11, emphasis added). Why would the Lord want to make this point so emphatically?

Perhaps it was to show how thorough His care was for His people. Every detail was taken care of. After all, if the waters had been piled up like a wall on either side of the path but the ground wasn't dry, then the people would have gotten bogged down on their way across. The Lord's provision was so complete that He not only parted the waters but also caused the soil at the bottom of the Sea to be dry as a bone. What's more, He didn't do it part of the way; He did it the entire way across the Sea!  When you pursue your purpose or express your creativity, He will do the same for you. When God makes a way, He makes a way! This also relates to what Jesus taught:

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:12-14).

What do you need to get the job done God has given you to do? Are you not crossing your Red Sea because you are afraid you will get bogged down in the details? Do you feel inadequate even though you see the water piled up as a wall along your way? Where are you afraid to pray in faith for fear that you are asking for too much? God wants you to get to your Promised Land. The good news is you don't have to go there alone or find your own path. God is with you, will help you, and will do such a thorough job that your shoes won't even get muddy.

Purpose Study Bible 74: Time to Move On

In the last study, we read how the Israelites complained to Moses when they saw the Egyptians pursuing them after their exodus. Moses had promised that God would fight for them, and they only needed to stand firm and be still. That sounded like they needed to stay put and be quiet but then the Lord gave Moses further instructions:

“Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground" (Exodus 14:15-16).

God had the Egyptians right where He wanted them, but the Israelites could not see it from His perspective. Therefore, the Lord told Moses to be quiet but He told the people to "move on." There they were, with the Egyptians at their rear and the Red Sea dead ahead, and what does the Lord tell them to do? He tells them to move on. The Lord did not part the waters and then tell the people it was time to go. He told them to move on and only then would the waters part to make a way for them. God was setting up a scenario from which the people could claim no credit for what was to happen. It would all be to the glory of God and there is a good chance God has you in the same place.

You may be waiting for your circumstances to change before you move on but there is a good chance your circumstances won't change until you take the next step the Lord has directed you to take. Are you telling God how bad things are, like He doesn't already know, when in reality you are talking yourself out what you need to do? Is it time for you to stop complaining and move on? What faith step can you take that will put you closer to your Promised Land? Can you trust that God will match the step you take today with one of His own tomorrow? With all that in mind, it's time for you stand firm, be still and quiet, and move on!

Purpose Study Bible 73: Stand Firm, Be Still

As Israel left Egypt, the Lord sent them in an unexpected direction:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this (Exodus 14:1-4).

When you follow the Lord to your promised land, He may lead you by a not-so-straight path that to the natural eye doesn't seem very efficient or easy. In this situation, God wanted to teach His people about His ways and faithfulness that would require their trust but also provide an important lesson for where they were going. We read that Pharaoh did indeed take the bait and pursued the people he had given permission to leave: "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord" (Exodus 14:10).

Fear and terror are the opposite of faith when you are following and trusting the Lord and of course, the Israelites gave in to their fear when they saw the Egyptian army. Moses tried to console his people with these words: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:13-14). The problem was that it was too late for this admonition, for the people were already terrified! The same may be true for you. By the time you hear the Lord say, "Fear not," you are afraid just like they were.

As you express your purpose, it may seem like the finances will never flow, the results will never come, and the people will never hear. That is not true, although it sure seems like it when Pharaoh and his army are pursuing you. Paul wrote the Ephesians with advice that resembled what Moses said and it is good for you to hear if you are afraid as you do what you believe God has put in your heart to do: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13).

Do your current circumstances have you afraid? Does it feel like Pharaoh has you cornered? Have you put on the full armor as described in Ephesians 6:11-20? If you have, then the word of the Lord to you is fear not, be still, and stand firm. The Lord will deliver you, although not according to your timetable but His. As He told Moses, He will gain glory for Himself in defeating your enemies as He promised He would do. 

Purpose Study Bible 72: The Bones of Faith

The Israelites had lived in Egypt for centuries but finally it was time to go: " Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years" (Exodus 12:40). Once the plague that took the lives of every firstborn occurred, Pharaoh gave his consent for the Jews to leave. They left in haste (see Isaiah 52:2) but had one important detail to take care of as they left:

"Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place'" (Exodus 13:19).

This is a magnificent example of faith on the part of both Joseph and his descendants. The Jews could have easily forgotten about these instructions as they endured their hostile slavery in a foreign land. They could have thought, "Joseph's been dead for centuries. What difference does it make where his bones are buried—here or wherever we are going?" The people did not forget but kept the promise alive for 400 years. Furthermore, Moses and the people had faith they were going to get to the Promised Land they had only heard about so they decided to take Joseph's bones with them, confident their exodus was the fulfillment of God's promise.

Then consider Joseph and his faith. He had lived a full life and received an elaborate state burial. What would he care about where his bones would end up in the future? Yet there was something in him that said, "God's promise is true and this is not the home of my God or His people. When He fulfills His promises to my people, I want to be a part of it!" Therefore, he left clear instructions that he was to accompany the people back home to the place where he had been betrayed and sold as a slave. Jesus said many centuries later,

"Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’  He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive" (Luke 20:37-38).

Jesus could have included Joseph's name along with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for his faith was a match for theirs. In a sense, Joseph was alive and ready to make the trip with the people, still confident they were going to get where God wanted them to be.

If you are going to fulfill your purpose and be creative, you must also have the faith of Joseph. You will need to create for the present day, exhibiting faith through what you do, but also create with tomorrow in mind, for God can take what you do today and use it to teach or reach a future generation. Finally, like Moses and the people, you must have faith that what God has promised you will come to pass so therefore you must be diligent to obey His directions and commands.

In other words, you must have faith, create in faith, pursue purpose in faith, and trust that God is leading and guiding you in whatever you do—whether you feel His presence or not. Is faith the foundation for your purpose and creativity? Could your name be inserted so it is said that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—and you? For it to be so, then you must be willing to have faith deep down in your bones, like Joseph did—faith that God is who He said He is and will do what He said He will do.

Purpose Study Bible 71: Felt Darkness

Let's examine the ninth plague in Egypt, the last one before the tenth and final death of all the firstborn. In many ways, this is the most fascinating of them all. We read,

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived (Exodus 10:21-23).

If you have ever been in a dark place, as soon as any light is introduced the darkness vanishes. In this plague, however, God was able to keep one part of Egypt in darkness for three days while another part of the country had normal day/night cycles. What's more, the darkness was not just any darkness. It is described as darkness that could be felt, so pervasive that no one could see anyone else or move about. It raises the question: Surely they had fire, so why didn't they light torches? It seems that whatever they could do to generate light could not function in this God-ordained darkness while the Israelites enjoyed light.

Light is something we can take for granted, but when we consider it is a created entity (God said, "Let there be light"), we realize that it is a gift from God—like the air we breathe or water we drink. We also learn from this plague that God controls light and darkness and who functions (or not) in either one. Therefore, the light you have is given so you can see others as they are and move about, the two things the Egyptians were unable to do. Furthermore, the things you see where your purpose and creativity are concerned are things God has shown you because He put the light on them, so to speak. God is the Lord of light and darkness in the lives of all people, some as a form of judgment on their Egyptian residence and others where the light serves as revelation and illumination for their paths so they will not stumble.

You may assumed everyone sees or thinks like you do, but that is not the case. Those things are part of your light and are not to be taken for granted. He gives you the light so you can express your creative purpose in ways that help others whose needs you can "see" because God has given you the light to see them. What do you see that others don't see? When you look at something, what unique perspective do you have that you assumed everyone has but have come to realize only you see? What can you do with that perspective? Write about it? Paint it? Counsel others with it? Innovate with it? Give God glory for it? If darkness can be felt, then perhaps it is possible for you to feel God's light and allow that sense to permeate your life, so that while others stumble around in darkness, you see and act clearly—all by the grace of God's light. Thank Him today for the light you have and then walk in it.

Purpose Study Bible 70: Early to Rise

As the account of the plagues continues in Exodus, there is one verse that caught my attention: "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Get up early in the morning'" (Exodus 9:13a). If you are going to be purposeful and express your creativity, you must figure out when to rest and when to work and it seems that the Bible makes a solid case for rising early to get some things done. In this verse, the Lord directed Moses to get to Pharaoh before he got into his day to give him an entire day to think about God's latest ultimatum.

Prior to this instance, we passed over many other early morning references in this study:

• "Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord" (Genesis 19:27).
• "Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid" (Genesis 20:8).
• "Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar" (Genesis 21:14).
• "Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey" (Genesis 22:3).
• "Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other" (Genesis 26:31).
• "Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it" (Genesis 28:18).
• "Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them" (Genesis 31:55).
  

The psalmists wrote "Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early" (Psalm 57:8 KJV) and "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee" (Psalm 63:1 KJV). Finally, we have an important reference in Mark 1:35: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." All this does not constitute a mandate from heaven that you must get up early, but it does indicate a pattern of how some people who were mightily used by God approached their day—including the Lord Himself.

How do you structure your days for maximum productivity? Do you rise early or stay up late? When is your most productive time? Your most creative time? Do you use sleep to replenish or to hide from responsibility? Are you in a rhythm as to when you go to bed and when you arise? If you are not a "good" early riser, at least consider the verses presented in this study and then prayerfully consider where you need to make some changes for your own creative good.

Purpose Study Bible 69: Hardhearted

Throughout the account of the plagues, the status of Pharaoh's heart is regularly mentioned. We read in Exodus 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken." This was not the first or the last time that Pharaoh would harden his heart in this narrative. It is mentioned that Pharaoh's heart was hard or unyielding nine times (see Exodus 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34, 35). What was the result of this hardening? Eventually it led to the devastation of Egypt but before that occurred, the Lord stepped in and sealed Pharaoh's heart condition he had exhibited in his dealings with Moses: "Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken to Moses" (Exodus 9:12).

This issue of hardening of one's heart also emerged as a common condition among the Jews but it was referred to as their being a "stiff-necked" people 18 times in the Old Testament. Later in this study we will look at Exodus 17 at which the psalmist looked back and wrote, "Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness" (Psalm 95:8, emphasis added). Still later, the believing Jews were warned by the writer of Hebrews who also referred to Psalm 95:

As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:15-19).

What's the lesson here for us? It's that we can just as easily harden our hearts as Pharaoh, the Jews, and the early believers did. That does not mean you necessarily turn your back on the Lord. It simply means you ignore something He has instructed you to do over a period of time, stiffening your neck and hardening your heart. He has prompted you to teach, preach, learn, create, travel, give, move on, or lead, but you consistently refuse, politely and gently and with logical, convincing reasons—but you refuse nonetheless. The lesson we learn from all those who hardened their hearts is that when we do that repeatedly, we forfeit our ability to enter into a blessing God has for us. We still worship and love Him, but we lose something along the way. Perhaps it is what Jesus said to the Ephesian church: "You have forsaken the love you had at first" (Revelation 2:4).

Are you being stiff-necked or hardhearted in any area of life? Don't answer too quickly, but ask the Lord to reveal if you are and specifically look at areas of purpose and creativity to see if you are avoiding playing to the full stature of your gift or calling. If God shows you an area where you may be hardened, then quickly repent and get started on the journey of obedience, leaving your stiff and hard ways behind.

Purpose Study Bible 68: A Transcendent Economy

Let's revisit a concept we touched on in the last entry and that is how God began treating His people differently than He did the Egyptians:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’” The Lord set a time and said, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land.” And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go (Exodus 9:1-7).

God is able, if He so chooses, to set His people apart not physically but spiritually from those who do not serve Him. His people don't have to separate themselves or live in a special place. He can do it without making any special designation or distinction. This is actually the message of Revelation, which has been misinterpreted to mean that those who don't know Him will have to wear a mark of the beast. God needs no external marking to know those who are His and those who aren't, and He promises to give special attention to His people who put their trust in Him.

This has important implications for you if you are looking to be purposeful and creative. God can provide for you in ways that are not directly connected to your work so you can continue to do what He has assigned. That means you can create and be purposeful without charging for your services and He can promise to provide (supernaturally if need be) regardless of the economic condition of the culture in which you live. In other words, you can count on God's economy that transcends the secular economy on which the world depends to take care of you.

Where are you not creating because you assume that artists must always "starve"? Are you holding on to a job you hate as if it is the last job in the world? Are you holding back from starting your business or ministry because it's not the right time economically? It's time that you made the transition in your mind from what the world system has taught you about economics to what God has to say. That shift is enough to allow you to live under the benefits and protection of God's transcendent economy no matter what work He has given you to do.

Purpose Study Bible 67: Purpose Prayers

The plagues began in Egypt with the Nile being turned to blood. Then there was a swarm of frogs throughout the land, but the Egyptian magicians were able to replicate what Moses had initiated. Then there was a plague of gnats and it was the first plague the magicians could not match and they told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19). Then there was the fourth plague which also brought a major shift in how the plagues were experienced:

“‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow'" (Exodus 8:22-23).

The first three plagues also affected God's people living in Goshen, but with the flies, God set them apart from the Egyptians to prove that His favor was upon them. You can always count on this being true that you live in a different world than those who don't know the Lord. He can preserve and protect you while there is famine and lack all around you. That means you can fulfill your purpose and express your creativity no matter the external conditions in which you must function.

That is not all that was different about this fourth plague:

Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord." Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained (Exodus 8:29-31).

The Lord left it up to Moses as to when this plague would end. Moses prayed and God answered his prayer and stopped the plague. Because Moses was flowing in his purpose, God was listening, as Jesus had promised would happen:

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:12-14).

Jesus did not make this promise so you could get whatever you want at any time. He made it so that you can do greater works than He did, which you will do when you are in your purpose and expressing your creativity. That is where you can ask, like Moses did, and God hears and responds. What do you need to fulfill your purpose? Ask for it! What do you need to express your creativity? Ask for it! What fruit has God anointed and empowered you to bear? Ask for it in abundance! What wisdom do you need for the work God has assigned you? Ask for it and don't doubt!

Just like He did with Moses, God is waiting to hear from you as a partner in the work He has for you. Don't trivialize or waste this precious connection to the Creator of the universe who has promised to provide whatever you need in order to do His will, but speak bold purpose prayers and see God act on your behalf again and again.