Just confirming what you all suspected. We are taking a little break from our blogging efforts here under the fig tree. Please check back soon. Thanks and God bless.
This devotional insight comes from Shan's fig tree. | No Comments »
Delilah…Okay, so I just had to type her name to see what came to your mind.
This bad girl of the Bible certainly seems to evoke some strong emotions in people. Heartless, cruel, whiny, evil, relentless, I don’t know if these are some of the words that come to mind when you think about Delilah. For me, the word that kept coming to mind was selfish. I clearly saw a woman being motivated by self, even at the expense of someone else that obviously loved her. She was blinded by her own wants and desires. Samson had no chance at that point! The money did the talking! That fateful haircut not only brought down a giant, but it was a disappearing act for this bad girl. Once the deed was done…Delilah was neither seen from nor heard from again. It seems so easy to look at Delilah and judge her for this act. But how often does a focus on self pull us away from anything and everything. When our motives are self directed we all have the ability to hurt the one’s we love and that love us.
Something I have been taking from all of these bad girls, and Delilah is no different, is the realization that those bad girl tendency are not so far from my own if they are not put to death. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, Let me help you get rid of the speck in your eye, when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5, NLT) It is easy to believe that we are smarter or better than these ladies, but the flesh is universally self focused and self obsessed. And it is definitely not opposed to hurting others. We can’t think ourselves above falling victim to the world, the flesh, and sin. Jesus has won the victory over it all, so that is why it is so important for us to live this out, “…If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” (Luke 9: 23-25, NLT).
Eve, Potiphar’s wife, Lot’s wife, the woman at the well, Delilah, and the bad girls to come all have much to teach us, so lets keep learning from their mistakes and taking to heart the examples of the one that does it so perfectly…Jesus!
He is the reason for the season,
Lacey
This devotional insight comes from Lacey's fig tree. | No Comments »
This story is actually one of my favorites in the Bible. While reading, Bad Girls of the Bible this week I was so excited. This is a story of love, compassion, honesty, forgiveness, passion and a thirst to know more. While Jesus was speaking to the woman he knew he. He knew all about her. He knew her past and what she has come from. The woman did not have a great reputation to say the least. She had been married 5 times and living with her sixth prospect. Back in bible days it was unheard of to be married five times. The lady’s whole town had judged her, the gossiped behind her back, you can imagine some of the things they could say. This woman tried to stay away from everyone. That is why she went to the well when she did, it was a time no one would be there. But, this time Jesus was there. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to fill her thirst. He knew she was more then just physically thirsty. She was spiritually dry. Jesus did not judge her. He wanted to speak with her one on one and fill her thirst. She engaged in a conversation with Jesus not knowing who he was and he told her about an eternal water that can quench your thirst for all eternity. The lady said,” I know the Messiah is coming, when He comes He will tell us all things.” And Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” At that point she left her water pot at the watering hole and went into town and told everyone, “Come see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
Now her pot represented her sin, everything she has done in the past. All the lies, adultery, sins against her spirit, etc. When it says she left her pot, they were saying she left all her sins behind and was filled with the Holy Spirit. The eternal water. What we all want. When we are filled completely we should want to tell everyone, just as she did, what we have found. We will not thirst again, we will have eternal life. God has loved us so much that he wants us to be with Him forever. God doesn’t want our pasts to get in the way. All we have to do is be willing to lay down our own “pot” and drink from his well. God is always there for us. Always gives us what we need. He will fulfill every hope, dream, prayer. God wants the best for us and He uses us all!
I hope you all have a blessed week,
Sis
This devotional insight comes from Sharon's fig tree. | 1 Comment »
“Wise is the woman who, when her sins are revealed, confesses, repents and rejoices in the knowledge that even though Jesus sees through our smokes screens, he loves us completely.” (Bad Girls of the Bible, Liz Curtis Higgs)
The story of the woman at the well is one that showcases the love and compassion that Jesus has for sinners, not sin. He did not dance around her sins, but directly and gently revealed them to her. No doubt she already knew. After illuminating her sins the woman could have run from the truth, but she didn’t. “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah? So the people came streaming from the village to see him.” (John 4: 29-30, NLT) The living water flowed from her and made others thirst for the same thing. How different the story would have been had she chose to run from who she was. Not only would she have been unchanged; the others would have as well. But the gentleness of Christ, the directness, and the willingness to reach out to her made the story what it was.
The man Christ was in the story is still the man he still is today. He does not condemn us for our sins; he only seeks to bring to us that which we are lacking on our own. Himself! His goal isn’t to chain us down to our sins. His goal is to set us free… He is the well that never runs dry! Seek out his resources of living water and share it with others!
Happy Friday,
Lacey
This devotional insight comes from Lacey's fig tree. | 1 Comment »
Water is very important for the human body. It not only maintains it, but it also helps to purify it. If it weren’t for water our systems, on their own, would struggle to remove toxins and waste out and away from the body. Also, keeping water in said systems has to be a continual process. One couldn’t drink water one day and then decide to drink water again two weeks later. The body could survive, but would have to work twice as hard than it would if it were “watered” every day.
Jesus, GOD, is that water for our souls. He MAINTAINS us.
I love this weeks chapter and Higgs’ rendition of the Woman At The Well. She introduced her as Crystal, the bartender/waitress. A woman who’s multiple failed relationships labeled her as used goods and unclean, yet, Jesus in his infinite kindness showed no prejudice, just love. The only thing he was seeking from her was her attention. Attention just long enough to offer her a priceless gift, life. The water he offered her was of the special sort. In fact, it is one of a kind. LIFE!! LIFE!! LIFE!! There’s nothing like it!!!!
“…but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
Have you had your water? Once you have, it will be All Better:)
AMEN!
Natali
This devotional insight comes from Natali's fig tree. | 1 Comment »
This week in Bad Girls of the Bible we are reading about Jesus & the Samaritan Woman at the well. If you are unfamiliar with the story, please check out John 4. I love this passage of scripture. I love Jesus’ ability to take the concept of quenching a natural thirst and use it to reveal salvation to the Samaritan woman. It is obvious that since we are discussing this woman that she was a well known bad girl and it is a given that Jesus already knew all about this woman because He is all knowing. Christ knew all about this scandalous woman and knew she had been through five husbands and living with a man that she was not married to. Yet, Jesus the Messiah was offering her springs of living water that would quench the thirst of her very soul. The woman was forever changed after her encounter with Christ. In fact, she ran back to her village and told everyone about her encounter.
This week as I was reading about this Samaritan woman at the well, I was reminded of how thankful I am that I had my very own encounter with Christ. I’m thankful that even though He knows all my sins of the past and my human frailty and daily struggles that He still offers me living water. I’m thankful Christ offers me something that quenches the thirst of my very soul.
I hope everyone is having a lovely week!
Love ya’ll,
Fast Twitch Out
This devotional insight comes from Steph's fig tree. | 2 Comments »
Bad girls of the Bible. Chapter 3. Lot’s wife + disobedience= pillar of sand. Liz’s fictional retelling of the biblical story of Lot’s wife, starring Lottie and her beloved….stuff. Liz does an amazing job with this fictional piece, it’s really one of my favorite in the entire book. It starts with Lottie and her beloved mountain cottage, sitting on a beautiful lake, underneath a gorgeous mountain. Lottie happens to have a bunch of pretty nice stuff. Handmade baskets, quilts, spinning wheel. You name it, she had AND cataloged it. Then one, ahem, fateful day, some men came a-knockin’ at Lotties door and told her she needed to hot foot it out of there, because her beloved mountain, was acting pretty angry. Well all Miss Lottie could think about was her precious cabin and it’s contents. So she decided she’d fib a little, and stay put. Oh, did I forget to mention her cabin was next to Spirit Lake? As in Mount St. Helen’s Spirit Lake? Yeah. We know where this story goes, and it includes a pretty grisly volcanic eruption, leaving Lottie…well, toast. I know this is a little different from Lot’s wife’s story, but the essence rings pretty true for this gal. I’m a stuff girl. I hate it, I wish it weren’t so, but I have SUCH a hard time tossing/donating/giving away stuff. I have many a cherised baby dress, shoe, stuffed animal, magazine, birthday card, you name it, I have it stuffed in a box. I can just see myself as Lottie, thinking about all my stuff I have tucked away. All my little treasures. Wait, treasure. Hrmph. Rewind, my brain is taking me to Luke. 12:34 to be exact.
“For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also.”
Dannng it. My treasure is in HEAVEN. Not tucked in tissue paper in a box, in my garage. Before I head off on a gazillion mile long trail, I’ll keep it simple. Let’s keep our priorities in line. Not on stuff, on earthly treasures, let’s keep our eyes on the real prize. The eternal one. He’s so much better than a beanie baby collection anyway. I love you sisters, I pray you have a blessed week, and keep your (and my) eyes on Jesus.
Loves!
Anna
(also, Lacey, sorry for hijacking your day, again)
This devotional insight comes from Anna's fig tree. | 1 Comment »