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 and creativity since 1991, and have seen, gathered, and have often 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 two topics, and this format seems like an economical way to do so (since I am not ready to undertake publishing a Bible).

I also want to learn from my readers, so I invite you to post comments to supplement, correct, 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 Bible 8: Your Creativity

It became clear that if man was going to tend the Garden, he was going to need suitable helpers.
Therefore, we read

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found (Genesis 2:18-21).

As stated in a previous study, God directed Adam's work but Adam was free to structure and complete the work as he saw fit. In this instance, God brought the animals for Adam to name. God did not tell Adam what to name them. He did not lay on his heart or whisper in his ear what the name was to be; that was up to Adam for him to express his creativity to do so.

Jesus came to reconcile all things to God, which includes man's purpose and his creativity. He did not come to control humans, but He came rather to make them all they were created and intended to be before the Fall in Genesis 3. That means that God gave us our ability to create and now expects us to express it in the context of our Garden purpose. That means your creative talents are not to be a hobby or something you do when you have time, but are to be front and center in your work and life. 

Do you consider yourself a creative person? If not, why not? Perhaps the problem is your definition of creativity? Do you see time management, problem solving, raising children, and planning a vacation as creative expressions? You don't have to paint like Rembrandt, write like Hemingway, or compose like Mozart to be considered creative. Therefore, what are your creative expressions? How often do you express them? Have you submitted them to God so He can direct them while you work to make them all they can be so you can bring Him glory by using them regularly? Where has fear robbed you of your ability to create? 

Purpose Bible 7: Garden Assignment

After God created, He gave man an assignment and placed him in the Garden:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" (Genesis 2:15-17).

In this passage, we learn that man once existed outside the Garden, for God took and placed him there. That indicates God assigns us our sphere of His creation that He wants us to be in so we can "take care of it." Then God gave man freedom to eat whatever He wanted to eat from any tree except one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God then set the consequences if man, in his freedom, ever chose to disobey. That consequence involved death, decay, and misery.

We see here that God gave man purpose along with freedom to structure and plan his work as he saw fit, with God directing the work. This Garden was not to be the end of God's creation, but only its beginning, for it was man's job not only to care for it but to expand and develop it as the number of people increased and man's creativity impacted his environment to bring about technology and the systems of existence, which included things like education, government, business, the arts, and worship.

Are you working in the portion of the Garden that God assigned to you? Are you expressing His creativity that He placed in you? Do you work for the Lord and trust Him to give you the food He promised, or do you work for money? Do you enjoy your work and the freedom God designed you to have to structure it as you think best? If you answered no to any of those questions (or don't know the answers), then perhaps it is time to ask yourself where you need to be and what it will take to get you connected to your Garden assignment.

Purpose Bible 7: Garden Assignment

After God created, He gave man an assignment and placed him in the Garden:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" (Genesis 2:15-17).

In this passage, we learn that man once existed outside the Garden, for God took and placed him there. That indicates God assigns us our sphere of His creation that He wants us to be in so we can "take care of it." Then God gave man freedom to eat whatever He wanted to eat from any tree except one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God then set the consequences if man, in his freedom, ever chose to disobey. That consequence involved death, decay, and misery.

We see here that God gave man purpose along with freedom to structure and plan his work as he saw fit, with God directing the work. This Garden was not to be the end of God's creation, but only its beginning, for it was man's job not only to care for it but to expand and develop it as the number of people increased and man's creativity impacted his environment to bring about technology and the systems of existence, which included things like education, government, business, the arts, and worship.

Are you working in the portion of the Garden that God assigned to you? Are you expressing His creativity that He placed in you? Do you work for the Lord and trust Him to give you the food He promised, or do you work for money? Do you enjoy your work and the freedom God designed you to have to structure it as you think best? If you answered no to any of those questions (or don't know the answers), then perhaps it is time to ask yourself where you need to be and what it will take to get you connected to your Garden assignment.

 

 

Purpose Bible 6: God the Artist

Not only did God create, but God created well, and that included beauty, symmetry, and taste:

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:8-9).

When the Lord planted a garden, He paid attention to how the garden looked and how it tasted. That indicates that God is interested in beauty, color, shape, diversity, order, and structure. Not only that, but God created man with taste, otherwise why would God have made the food in the garden good to eat? That means those people who give themselves to gardening, cooking, or artistic endeavors that are pleasing to the eye and in "good taste" honor and glorify God by following His example. Later we will see, however, that man decided to eat of the wrong tree (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), and that meant people and not God would be the ultimate judge of beauty and art. Those things no longer existed to glorify God but instead to express mankind's fallen nature and rebellion.

Do you appreciate not only nature, but the other aspects of God's creation He made, things like culture, language, economics, fashion, culinary arts, and diverse artistic endeavors? Are you being creative in the image of God as He would have you do? Do you have a theology of creativity that grounds it in God's will and purpose for your life, thus making it more of a calling and less of an optional hobby or diversion? What more can you do to be creative as part of your purpose mandate?

Purpose Bible 5: God Rested

When God had finished His creative work, we read this report:

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made (Genesis 2:1-3).

People have developed a doctrine of the Sabbath from these verses for the Hebrew word for rested in verses two and three is sahabat. It says God sanctified the day as a pattern for man to follow. Yet, God did not need to rest because He was tired; He rested because He saw that His work was good or complete: "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31).

The New Testament sheds more light on this concept of rest in Hebrews 4:

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” [see Psalm 95:11.] And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest" (Hebrews 4:1-5).

Jesus was clear that the Sabbath was instituted for people and not for God: "Then he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath'" (Mark 2:27).

Could there be a meaning in the sabbath that we have not considered? Could it be to step back and enjoy what we have created and the purpose work we have done? Is there also a joy and therefore a rest and contentment in the creative purpose work we do? Did God intend for people to slave for six days and then take a nap on the seventh day so they can resume their brutal, debilitating labor?

Could the Sabbath be for us to keep from being driven by work but to reflect on our enjoyment of  it and our fruit from it? If you don't enjoy your work, do you believe that is somehow God's will for your life? If that is your assumption, then what about this verse: "A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God" (Ecclesiastes 2:24)?

Purpose Bible 4: Our Provision

After the Lord gave us purpose, He then promised to meet our every need:

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so (Genesis 1:29-30).

Notice that God did not say we would work for our food. Instead, He assigned us work but then promised to give us our food. That means our food and provision are gifts and not wages. This flies in the face of culture that says we must work and get paid by an employer. Instead, God directs us to do His work and He promises to pay us. That frees us from doing things simply for the money so we can pursue our individual purpose, trusting God for what we need. 

Jesus reiterated this promise when He directed us to "seek first His kingdom" and all that we need—food, clothing, shelter, transportation—would be provided for us (see Matthew 6:33). Are you a slave to your work because that is the only way you believe God can provide for you? Do you see that your income is a gift from God and not the result of your work contract? Do you see that this means God is your provider and not your employer? Armed with this truth, what adjustments can you make in your thinking and then in your approach to work and the provision you need for life?

Purpose Bible 3: First Sign of Purpose

The concept of your life purpose is found in the earliest verses of the Bible:

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis 1:28).

This verse contains what many refer to as the dominion mandate. God commissioned the first humans He created to do purposeful work He would assign, and that would involve them increasing in number and exercising control over His creation. God's creation at first was mostly agricultural, but it would eventually extend to the major spheres of life like business, government, education, the military, ministry, and communication. 

Notice that God blessed them when He spoke purpose into their lives, and you are blessed when you find and fulfill your purpose. Your purpose is not to attend church, or to simply work and make a living. You are here to do more than eat, play, breed, and sleep. You have a purpose: something for you to do but only you can do, something to be that only you can be. Do you see that purpose precedes the Fall of man, and that means Jesus came to restore the vitality and importance of purpose in the lives of each one of His people? Do you know what your purpose is? What price are you willing to pay to discover it? What price are you willing to pay to fulfill it? 

Purpose Bible 2: In His Image

Let's look at the concept of creativity as described in Genesis 1:26-27:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Throughout Genesis 1, we see God portrayed as the Creator, deliberately making His creation on a day-by-day basis. Then God decided, in His infinite wisdom, to create mankind, but distinguished them from all His other creation by making them "in our image and likeness." Once God decided to create, He did not put it off or procrastinate, He immediately set about to create mankind "in His own image" (that phrase was mentioned twice for emphasis). 

Theologians have debated what part of mankind reflects God's image, but in this context, let's focus on creativity. The Creator made us to be creative, and we are little creative machines, producing body chemicals, dreams, new cells, ideas, sentences, written and verbal communication, and a host of other daily activities that are creative. In fact, you will probably utter a sentence today that has never been spoken before in the history of mankind in just the way you spoke it. Do you take your creativity for granted, or do you receive and express it as an important aspect of who God created you to be? What more can you do to reflect His image in what you create? Is your creativity to be a hobby or is to be receive front-and-center attention in your life's work and daily routine?

Purpose Bible 1: Order Out of Chaos

Welcome to the start of my Bible commentary on the topics of purpose and creativity in the Bible. We start today at the beginning, not only of the Bible, but where purpose began for me:

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1:2).

I noticed this verse when I was a young man and turned to a Bible commentary to read more about it. The author wrote "the Spirit was present to bring order out of chaos." Those words jumped out at me and have become the summary of my life purpose with one small adjustment: my purpose is "to create order out of chaos." Those few words perfectly summarize who I am and what I have done all my adult life.

There is also a Bible verse, passage, chapter, or book that summarizes and describes who you are as well. Do you know what or where it is? What does it say about you? If you know, are you being true to its meaning? If not, then be watching and waiting, for you may not recognize it right now, but one day you will be reading the Word, and your biblical purpose will literally jump off the page as mine did many years ago. Remember, the goal is a simple statement of purpose with some biblical justification or definition to go with it. Happy hunting!

Jesus and Purpose

I am in the final stages of edits before publishing my commentary on Luke's gospel. This will be the seventh volume in my Live the Word series and it has been tedious work. The volume has 145,000 words, many of which I wrote in 2004. I have become a more efficient (and I hope a better) writer since then, so this has gone more slowly than the other volumes.

As I have edited, I am going through some lean times, which has caused me to seek the Lord for His will. Years ago, I heard a woman of God say, "When God wants to speak to us and direct our steps, He uses finances." That is so true, and I am all ears!

I thought I would share an excerpt of what i wrote from Luke 23:42-43 because it spoke to me concerning where I am at, and I wrote it!

Then he [the thief on the cross next to Jesus} said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:42-43).

Here is what I wrote about those verses.

Jesus was hanging naked on a cross, beaten beyond recognition, dying an agonizing death as He drowned in His own bodily fluids, and mocked and observed by family, friends, followers, and enemies. Yet He had the focus, courage, and grace to fulfill His purpose to seek and save the lost (see Luke 19:10) even from the cross. If Jesus fulfilled His purpose under those conditions, we have no excuses. Jesus was true to His mission to the very end and managed to bring one more lost sheep with Him before He died:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! erefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).

Here is how you can access all my material, all of which is laid out and presented as above:

1. Every Bible study from every New Testament book is available to you free of charge on my Bible study blog or my website.

2. I have published six of those studies in book format (both paper and electronic):

1.     Matthew
2.     Mark
3.     John    
4.     Acts
5.     Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon
6.     Revelation
7.     Luke (set to be available October 31)

Just click on any of the titles above and you will go to the Amazon link where you can purchase or download your copy. I am currently working on preparing Luke, as you saw above, for publication, and I hope to have all 12 volumes out by the end of 2019.

I may write more devotionals in the near future, and I will send you what I produce. In the meantime, I urge you to use my studies as a reference for you study the Word of God for preaching, teaching, or meditation purposes. If you have any questions or testimonies to share, please don't hesitate to send them to me at johnstanko@gmail.com.

May God open your eyes to learn wonderful things from His word as you invest the time and effort to study and learn.