Thinking

It’s All From Jesus: A Bible Verse Study

April 5, 2019 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Last Sunday, I started reading through Ephesians, and one thing I noticed in the preface to the book in my study Bible was the mention of the words “in Him” or “in Christ” in the book. And, since I absolutely love discovering (or rediscovering!) patterns in the Bible, I though it would be fun to copy all the instances out. They were a great encouragement to me to meditate on this week, and perhaps they will be to you, too.

Due to the amount of verses (I just counted up, and there are 33 references!), I’ve limited the quotations to just the ones dealing specifically with our relationship with Christ.

There’s still a lot, though. 🙂

It's All From Jesus A Bible Verse Study 01 — Farewell Spit, July 2015

“…blessed us with all spiritual blessings…in Christ…” (Eph. 1:3)

“… chosen us in him before the foundation of the world…” (Eph. 1:4)

“…he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Eph. 1:6)

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins…” (Eph. 1:7)

“In whom…we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated…” (Eph. 1:11)

“In whom…after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise…” (Eph. 1:13)

“…the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power…wrought in Christ…” (Eph. 1:19-20)

“…quickened [made us alive] together with Christ…” (Eph. 2:5)

“…raised us up…and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 2:6)

“…we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…” (Eph. 2:10)

“…now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:13)

“…to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace…” (Eph. 2:15)

It's All From Jesus A Bible Verse Study 02 — Farewell Spit, July 2015

“…through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Eph. 2:18)

“In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:22)

“…strengthened with might by his Spirit…rooted and grounded in love…” (Eph. 3:16-17)

“May be able to comprehend…the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge…filled with all the fulness of God.” (Eph. 3:18-19)

“…him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…” (Eph. 3:20)

“…the truth is in Jesus…” (Eph. 4:21)

“…for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light…” (Eph. 5:8)

I love all the promises here! We are blessed, chosen, accepted. We have redemption, forgiveness, and an inheritance we can’t even imagine. We have been sealed, made alive, raised up, brought near, built, strengthened, rooted and grounded in love…and the list goes on! I have to wonder what this list would look like if one were to go through the entire New Testament—and what about the promises in the Old Testament?

In Christ, we have been given everything. God is so good! I love how through all these verses the emphasis is always on the Lord doing this; it’s not us, or anything we have done. It’s HIM. All Jesus.

And I’ll close with one final one, which also happens to be the last one I copied out, too!

“…be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Eph. 6:10)

How has the Lord been speaking to you through His Word this week?

Monday Inspiration: Two Quotes

March 4, 2019 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

First, this “quote-of-the-month” for me:

“Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” — Corrie ten Boom

And this verse I wrote up and have tacked on the cork board next to my desk:

“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” — Acts 2:28

Following God in Our Inciting Incidents (Thoughts from My Bible Time)

November 29, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

In fiction writing, there is almost always an “inciting incident”, when the main character is called—or forced, depending on the situation—to step out of their comfort zone to change their life or work to help or save someone else.

The only reason why this is used in story is because it happens in real life. All the time! Once one has responded to the call, there is no going back—quite literally! Their life has changed forever, and there is no handy “undo” button hanging around, either.

This morning in my Bible time, I was reminded of the inciting incident when reading about Mary and her calling. For Mary, when the angel appeared to her to tell her what God had chosen her for, she had a choice to accept or deny God’s call on her life. She accepted, as I’m sure we all are thankful for, and that singular incident catapulted her into a completely new (and not necessarily very easy!) life. And it changed world history…forever.

King David’s inciting incident came when he went to play harp for King Saul (1 Sam. 16:19)—or, perhaps, when he was anointed. Probably the later more than the former, although I think it’s entirely possible that we could have more than one major call/life-change in our individual lifetimes!

The prophet Samuel, as a boy, was told to deliver a dangerous message to Eli (1 Sam. 3).

Ruth had to choose between her wishes and Naomi’s wellbeing; her old gods and the God of Israel.

Esther had to choose whether she would utilize her life circumstances, and possibly lose her life, or grow bitter by them and in doing so lose her own life.

Moses…Nehemiah…Isaiah…Hezekiah…Jael…Miriam…Jeremiah…the Apostle Paul…Stephen…all had times in their lives when the call of God came to them, some audibly, often circumstantially, and they had to decide what to do.

And as Mary of old said, “behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38), I’m praying that I, too might follow the Lord in whatever “inciting incident” He calls me to!

What have you been learning from the Word lately?

Keep on Serving!

October 18, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Yesterday, my dad arrived home after a two-week trip to the States to see his sick mother. We were all so thankful he could go back to see her again, even though it cut into our family time and he had to leave his new job for two weeks.

Relationships with others—distant or close—always take time. And often, it takes time when you’ve got many other things to do, too, so it might not seem as easy to make time to pour into others.

What I’ve been trying to put in practice lately is making time for others even when it doesn’t suit my schedule. Yes, I may have to push some to-dos off for this week, but I can always come back to them next week.

I’m not saying this is an easy choice! And after the first few times of doing something out of the ordinary like this, my brain starts to complain that “you’re not getting enough done!”. But each time, I’m trying to remember the verse I read this morning in Matthew:

“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” —Matthew 20:28

Right now, I’ve got a friend who could use some encouragement. I could drop something and meet up with her for a coffee. Another friend could use help with homeschooling. Another could perhaps be feeling overwhelmed, and maybe a quick note on Messenger would be helpful to her today.

Whatever it is, recognising the ways I could be of service to others today—despite my perfectly-planned schedule or other obligations—these are the things that really count for eternity. Even if it isn’t fun. Even if it hurts.

No, I’m not good at serving. But with the Lord’s help, I’m praying I can become better at it.

Lord, please help me seize the moments and act on them!

Keep on serving others! What a beautiful way to spend our lives!

What is one way you could encourage or help someone else today, even if it just takes five minutes? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!

Winter Wondering

June 28, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

The sun has just set behind the mountains. It’s going to be another cold one tonight. These days, we often wake up to hoar frost outside and wish we could cuddle under the covers for another couple hours until the bedroom grows a little warmer.

Now is the time of year when sunsets are dusty pinks—not a huge amount of color, but beautiful all the same. It’s the time of year when few birds flit around, but the ones that are still here are precious and welcome. They carry the promise that winter will not always be here—that just as cold has slowly settled onto the land, warmth will follow with a riot of color and mud come spring. This is the time when multiple hot drinks are the norm on chilly days, and soft, fuzzy blankets are a must. When reading in a cozy spot is an absolute delight. When candles burn brighter, and we let them go longer, because their soft, hazy glow is such a delight on chilly evenings.

As much as I used to hate winter, I’m learning to embrace it. Yes, it’s cold in the mornings—but when the sun breaks into the world, you feel like cheering. There’s a beautiful view of the mountains from the kitchen where I work, and I’ve grown to really appreciate seeing the sunrise reflecting in oranges and pinks on their peaks first, then fuller in paler yellows as the sun gets higher, before it finally touches the high board fence around the garden and the green fern trees within it and voila! another day has begun.

Winter has put me into a meditative mood.

I wonder about why it’s so hard for me sometimes to be thankful, to see the blessings around me, when it used to come naturally like a needle in a seamstress’s hand.

I wonder why I don’t blog very much, even though I still enjoy the idea and used to love sharing my musings on my own online platform.

I wonder why my sourdough bread is turning out with consistent results, and my yeast bread isn’t—with the same recipe, week after week.

I wonder what the gardens of our souls will be like in another ten or fifteen years. Are there things I’m not watering and feeding that I should be? Or things that I’m over-emphasizing right now?

I wonder what simple, childlike faith really looks like. When encrusted with do’s and don’ts and preoccupations and misconceptions, life can get muddly (is that a word? probably not…I’ll go with it anyway).

I wonder at the beauty and simplicity I see in bare tree branches with little buds prepared, just waiting for the whisper of warmth to breathe through their twigs and announce “life has come!”

And I wonder…when that same Voice whispers in my heart, do I listen?

So while I continue catching glimpses of sunrises and sunsets, and birds talking in the trees outside, I will wonder. I will live each day with hope of being able to serve my Savior more. I will keep seeking for beauty, reaching for stars. And maybe—in the looking, wondering, and trusting—I will find that though I may wish for parts of my life to be different, the life I’ve been given is already more enough. Even in winter.

Like Spurgeon so ably put it,

“Beloved, it is not the office, it is earnestness; it is not position, it is grace which will enable us to glorify God. […] [B]e not discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position, or your work, abide in that, unless you are quite sure that he calls you to something else. […] Fill your present sphere to his praise, and if He needs you in another He will show it you.” (From Morning & Evening by Charles Spurgeon, June 27 evening reading)

Let’s discuss: What are you pondering right now? What are you appreciating about your season right now?

“I Get To!” (Life Update)

March 15, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

One thing that’s become clearer and clearer to me over this past week is the fact that I need to work on developing better daily and weekly rhythms. No longer am I working three-hour days; when I work, I’m doing nine-hour days! That makes a significant difference in the amount of time I have in a given week—not to mention the fact that after I get home from an 8-5 day, I don’t have a whole lot of extra energy left to do much else (yes, mothers, you are allowed to laugh).

My weeks are definitely going by a little faster than I was used to, but I’m loving it, too. 🙂 And I definitely don’t have any grounds to complain!

In the three days per week left to me to do things, I’ve been working at a myriad of jobs. Last night, I finally sat down and took five minutes to write out all the things that I really need or want to get done in the next month:

River Rocks

Finish my aunt and uncle’s wedding video (I got the files for this 2 1/2 years ago…it’s about time I finish it, methinks!)
Sand, stain, and varnish my new (old) wardrobe (this has been in progress since soon after we moved here—my sister and I need it for our room, and preferably the sooner the better!)
Catch up on book reviews (I’ve finished quite a few books lately…and am set to do more soon)
Get the category sorting function on my new website figured out (this has been waiting for several months now)

Most of these jobs are ones that will take several days apiece to do—and that’s not counting the ones I need to complete on a weekly basis (like bread making) or roughly once a month (like uploading new book reviews to the website).

But wow. I look at that list and think, “how many people out there have time to even think about jobs like this?”

Two or three weeks ago, I came across an interesting point about the Indians that lived in the Pacific Northwest: “Because food and wood [were] easy to gather, the Northwest Indians [had] much leisure time. Their lives [were] full of playacting, dancing, and singing.” (From A History of Us, Book 1 by Joy Hakim.)

I have to wonder, statistically speaking, how many people these days do not have time for things like this—or “relaxation” as we know it at all!—simply because it’s a daily fight for survival. It’s a struggle to even find a little food to feed their family.

None of those jobs listed above would be on my to-do list if I lived in a country where food was scarce. If anything, they would be a someday/maybe dream. That fact makes me feel very thankful. My food almost always appears, ready to eat (thank you, Mom!).

I live in plenty. So even if I struggle with a very first-world problem of figuring out prioritization and how to get the most out of my days, I know that I am blessed. Of course, there are the negative aspects of having too much plenty, but that’s a completely separate topic!

For now, I’m choosing to focus on the fact that I get to do these things, when for many people it’s an impossible dream. That it’s a privilege. Remembering that cuts down on the overwhelm factor quite a bit.

But, seriously—getting overwhelmed over something as trivial as what I should do with my days?

Okay. I’ll stop. But thanks for sparking the thought, Mr. History Book.

Let’s discuss: What are you working on right now? What are you thankful for today?