Live the Word Bible Studies

Welcome to Live the Word

I'm 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 through Amazon).

Once I completed the New Testament, I wanted to continue my Live the Word series but wasn't sure how. For several years, I 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, providing a convenient and 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'm not ready to undertake publishing a Bible) and a good next step for the Live the Word series. This particular study began with Genesis and is moving in an orderly fashion through the rest of the Old Testament. Should I live long enough, I'll finish the Old Testament and then move on to the New.

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, isn't to make us all experts on what the Bible has to say about purpose or creativity or goals or faith, 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's why my commentaries are called Live the Word, for that is what we are expected to do once we know it.

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 reading and study of His word!

Purpose Study Bible 179: God Breaks

Moses took time to go over God's requirements pertaining to the festivals or celebrations He set aside for the people to observe:

"Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. . . . Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God. . . . Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. . . . . Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles" (Deuteronomy 16:1, 9-10, 13, 16).

Then there were two things that all the festivals had in common, behaviors that God expected the people to have:

"Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns" and "No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you" (Deuteronomy 16:14, 16b-17).

What does this tell us? The Lord expected the people to give themselves to their daily lives and work, raising their families and making a living. However, He also required that they build into their schedules and mindset times that were strictly devoted to the Lord and their own refreshment and rejuvenation. Giving and enjoyment were vital parts of these God breaks.

Travel was also a part of that refreshing process, for the trips would require planning and a major investment of time and money. While the people were to work hard six days a week, their Sabbaths and their feasts were meant to keep them close to the Lord and the mentality that all they did was an expression of their service to God.

What regular God breaks do you take in your annual schedule that are similar to the Jewish festivals? Do you build into your schedule not only weekly times to worship and rest but also longer, extended times that serve the purpose of bringing your mind and focus back on God, the source of your blessing and purpose? Do you invest money and time into your spiritual growth while also strengthening your relationship with the Lord?

Do you plan these activities well in advance to ensure that life's busy-ness doesn't crowd them out? Like Israel, God's people must be proactive in order for these God breaks to serve the purpose in their lives and the life of their family that God intended.

Purpose Study Bible 178: For Life

Moses laid out the rules for the people with servants who had sold themselves into servitude:

"If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed" (Deuteronomy 15:12-13).

The period of service was to be for six years at which time the one who had owned the servant and had benefited from their work was to set them free and bless them in the process, allowing them to share in the fruit of their labors. However, Moses also made provision for those who chose not to be set free:

"But if your servant says to you, 'I do not want to leave you,' because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant" (Deuteronomy 15:16-17).

This commitment and relationship were then for as long as the servant and the masters lived and was irrevocable. However, it wasn't just an economic bond between the two, it was a relationship based on love and was in the best interests of all concerned.

When you first come to the Lord, you may have come out of great need. Perhaps you were oppressed by sin, lonely, and needing a fresh start by being "born again." Then when your life improves through your obedience and God's blessing, you have a choice to make. Will you continue to serve the Lord with the same zeal and determination as when you were in need, or will you allow your passion for God to be replaced by formality and maybe even legalism? It seems the believers in Ephesus had allowed this to happen, allowing their passion for the Lord they once had to wane: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first" (Revelation 2:4-5).

Notice what the servant did if they wanted to stay with their master. They surrendered their ear to be marked on the door of the master's home so every time they entered there, they would be reminded of their decision. Have you lost your first love and the enthusiasm and determination that went with it? Are you at a point where you need to decide if you are all-in on serving the Lord or somewhat, halfway in? Are you prepared to give everything you have to God now that He has given everything He has to you? Perhaps every time you enter God's house now you should remind yourself that you have surrendered everything to Him and His purpose for life and then follow through on that commitment.

Purpose Study Bible 177: Benefits

Again and again, the Lord reiterated the importance of obedience if the people wanted to prosper and enjoy the Land which He was giving them. The benefits of obedience were clearly spelled out:

"If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him—then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go" (Deuteronomy 11:22-25).

God promised to 1) drive out the nations before them; 2) give them their own territory; 3) make them seem invincible to their foes; and 4) establish their reputation to be such that their enemies wouldn't dare advance against them. Those are great and wonderful promises that the Lord vowed to stand behind and fulfill.

Yet, when the Lord mentions obedience, we usually relate that to the moral code of the Ten Commandments and all the supportive directives of how to live a holy life. However, obedience isn't only about the things we are not to do but also the things we are to do as the Lord directs. That means accepting the gifts God has given you and not waiting for Him to direct their use, but developing and using them as common sense would dictate. (If your gift is teaching, for example, then you do all you can to become the best teacher you can be and then proactively seek opportunities to express your gift.) The same would hold true for your purpose and creativity; making the most of those is part of your obedience to the Lord who bestowed those on you to do His work and will.

Are you experiencing the benefits of obedience as described in this passage? Are you increasing in responsibility and fruitfulness? If not, is it because you have allowed your creative gifts and God-assigned purpose to languish? What can you do to kick your life into high gear and live an abundant life?

Purpose Study Bible 176: Strength and Time

The people were on the verge of the Promised Land and Moses was giving them his last words to equip them for the crossing:

"Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey" (Deuteronomy 11:8-9).

Moses explained to the people that obedience to God's commands was in their best interests if they wanted to make the most of their occupation of their God-given territory. If they obeyed, he promised they would have the "strength to go in and take over" after they had exerted energy to "cross over the Jordan." Then they would "live long" in the Land. What does this tell us?

If you are going to do God's will, you will need many things to do so. Two of them are the strength or energy (let's call them health) and the time to fulfill long-term projects (let's refer to this as life span). If you are obedient to God's moral code with the Spirit's help and you accept your allotment of good deeds to do, you will have the health and life span to do what you need to do. Perhaps this is best summarized by Proverbs 12:11: "Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense."

Do you have the good sense to obey God by accepting His life assignment of your purpose and creativity? Do you have the stamina and organizational wisdom to do what is in your heart to do? What changes do you need to make to engage and embrace the fullness of the Promised Land God has for you for the rest of your life?

Purpose Study Bible 175: Generosity

Last week, we learned that we are not only to put out our gifts and talents for hire but we are also to use them to help the poor and oppressed. Let's revisit those verses for another lesson:

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).

God is generous toward those who have little, giving them food and clothing and defending their cause. He expects you to be generous as well, freely devoting your time and talent to help them where and when you can. A good example of this is a woman in the New Testament: "In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor" (Acts 9:36). What exactly was she doing? "All the widows stood around him [Peter], crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them" (Acts 9:39). She was a seamstress and devoted her skills to help others in need.

This woman didn't sell clothes for the poor or get paid for her services. Instead, she used her creative gifts to design and make garments for them, thus distinguishing herself in the sight of God. You're now expected to follow in her footsteps. Are you being generous with your gifts or do you only utilize them if you are paid to do so? What can you do that will help those in need besides giving money? How can you do more of it? God is a generous God and wants you to emulate His example by fulfilling the words of Jesus: "Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8b).

Purpose Study Bible 174: Not For Hire

Moses had this to say about the God Israel served in his sermon to the people in Deuteronomy:

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing" (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).

Moses reminded the people that God was the God above all gods, who was all powerful but also consistently pure and holy, not like gods people created who were as flawed and corrupt as those who made them. Then he told the people that God's heart is for the "fatherless and widow and the foreigner among them," providing for their needs. The implication is that God's people will be like Him: acting with integrity and with a heart not just for their family and friends but for those in need.

That means who you are and what God has empowered you to do are not just aspects of your being that your hire out for money on your job or through your company. You are to devote some of who you are and what you have to relieving the pain and suffering of those who are in need. What you are doing to express God's heart for the poor and oppressed? Can you describe some of your activities consistent with who God made you to be that are benefiting the disadvantaged? What more can you do than you are now to help the widow, orphan, and foreigner?

Purpose Study Bible 173: With His Own Hands

If you remember, Moses broke the tablets he had carried down the mountain after his meeting with God when he saw the people involved in worshiping the golden calf. God wanted the people to have those tablets for posterity so He directed Moses to do the following:

"At that time the Lord said to me, 'Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.' So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now" (Deuteronomy 10:1-5).

Once again, notice how God involved Moses' creativity in the recovery process. First, he had to carve out two stone tablets upon which God could re-write His command. Then he had to build an acacia wood ark to place the tablets in when he returned. If God wanted you to build an ark or carve out tablets, could you do it? If He asked you to do it, then He must know you can do it, for He won't ask you to do what you can't do. He knows your gifts and capabilities.

Is God asking you to do something creative, but you keep putting it and Him off because you're afraid you aren't capable or that it won't turn out well? Are you making the most of your creative gifts? What can you do that once you do it, God can put His signature on it so it can be a blessing to others with a message from Him through you? Don't take your creativity for granted or dismiss it as a hobby or side show in your life, but make it available to God to use as He sees fit, and watch what He can do when you yield it all to Him.

Purpose Study Bible 172: A Creative Juggernaut

While reviewing their journey to the border of the Promised Land, Moses reminded the people of their great failure at the mountain of God:

"So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf" (Deuteronomy 9:15-16).

When the people didn't know what to do while they were waiting for Moses to return, they became creative. First, they created a god in their minds and then they commissioned Aaron to build one. Aaron came up with a design and plan and then finalized the work after which the people partied and worshiped. It was all a creative feeding frenzy, but unfortunately, Moses broke up the party when he returned. Quite simply, the people had misused their God-given creativity.

Just like those people, you're also a creative juggernaut. Every day you express your creativity to the max in how you structure your sentences, plan your day, do your work, raise your kids, solve your problems, and give thought to the future. You can't help not to be creative, whether you acknowledge it as such. Therefore, what more could you do, how much more creative could you be, if you accept the fact that you are a creative machine by God's design and involved Him in the process along with you?

Do you see yourself as a creative person? What creative areas are you neglecting or would you like to explore more fully? Are you misusing your creativity to produce excuses in your mind of why you can't do something for the Lord right now? Could your creativity be a source of revenue for you if you took it more seriously? God is the Creator (capital C) and He made you in His image, which makes you a creator (small c). It's time you get busy being who and what God creatively made you to creatively be.

Purpose Study Bible 171: Raw Materials

Moses spent considerable time reminding the people of the many benefits in the land they were inheriting, along with the opponents they would face that God would help them overcome:

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills" (Deuteronomy 8:7-9, emphasis added).

While most of the benefits had to do with food and water, Moses mentioned that the people would also find iron and copper in the Land, This is interesting, for seldom do we hear of any mining going on in Palestine. Why would this be mentioned if it wasn't really that significant?

Copper and iron don't exist in a form that can be harvested or picked. The ore has to be mined, then the metal extracted through heat, and then shaped into some useful instrument or tool. They are both raw materials, which is consistent with how God works with His people today. You can pray for provision, but often God gives you an idea, something you have to work at and develop to extract what is precious. Perhaps the people weren't interested in working that hard to bring forth something in which they could not see the value, and some of God's people are the same today.

Do you have any raw materials in your life—ideas or strengths like writing or painting or teaching—that have to be cultivated in order to receive any return? Where are you asking God for the finished product when He may want to have you produce what you are asking for from an idea through your own ingenuity, creativity, and hard work? There are probably things you can do or produce that have value but you can't see them as such. Ask God to open your eyes so you can derive the full benefit of all the resources He has put in the land He has given you.

Purpose Study Bible 170: Your History

God prepares everyone for the work and walk to which He has called them. In Moses' long discourse to his people, he reminded them of how they could be successful in the Land they were entering:

"Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:1-5, emphasis added).

You have a testimony of how the Lord has led you in the past and it will serve you well as you prepare today for your future success. However, it's easy to forget the way and how far God has brought you when you encounter new trials and challenges. Then you must work not only to call to mind the way you have come but also why God did it the way He did: to humble you, to teach you, to discipline you. Also note that their clothes did not wear out or their feet "swell" over a 40 year span. God provided for them in ways that defied natural law (which He can still do that today) and actually caused then to hunger so they could learn about His provision through gathering daily manna! Perhaps God has done the same to and for you.

How has God worked with you in the past to humble, teach, and train you? Has God provided for you by you not having to replace things that normally wear out or break? Where do you need to spend some reflective time going over your history in the Lord? How can your history help you today to get through what you are encountering? What can you do to make your history more accessible to your own memory and for the benefit of others?