http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1 America's Voice of the Caregiver Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:19:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Read Ruth 1:19-22 How much does it take to make news in a small town? When Naomi arrived in Bethlehem accompanied by this strange foreign woman Ruth, it created a stir. The Hebrew word translated “stirred” or “excited” is like its English counterpart, “hum,” an imitative word, probably originating in the ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=157 Read Ruth 1:6-18 After living in Moab, Gentile territory located southeast of the Dead Sea, for at least ten years, Naomi decides to go home to Bethlehem. Why do you think she urged her daughters-in-law not to join her but to return to their native Moab? She unselfishly thinks of their ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=156 Read Ruth 1:1-5 Did you ever have a prized possession that was tiny, exquisite in detail? The book of Ruth is like that. It is a little gem gleaming in the middle of Old Testament books full of wars and lists of names. It does not contain one extra word. But ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=155 Read 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 The Bible gives many names to the one transcendent God. Shaddai, the Almighty and Adonai, Lord, come to mind. “The God of all comfort” Paul calls him, 2 Cor. 1:3. We know well Jesus’ “I Am” names for himself which John records. “I am the good shepherd,” ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=154 Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 “If a man will not work, he shall not eat,” v. 10. It’s hard to get much clearer than that. Many in the Thessalonian church thought the Lord’s return was so near that they had quit work. This distressed Paul. He calls them idle busybodies, v. 11. ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=153 Read 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 Paul has been praying for the Thessalonians. Now, he asks them to pray for him. His requests are that the gospel he is preaching would spread rapidly and be well received. He wants prayer that he would escape his persecutors. He is writing from Corinth where the ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=152 Read 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 Paul packs an entire system of theology into these verses. Notice how much you learn about God and our relationship to him here.What does God think of us? He loves us. What power saves us? The Holy Spirit’s work, not our good works. How did you hear ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=151 Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Has judgment day come and gone and we missed it? These precious Thessalonian Christians were bothered. Evidently someone had sent the church a false letter, claiming to be from Paul, saying the day of the Lord had already come. “No, no,” cries Paul. “Don’t be upset by ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=150 Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Paul had an ability we all should develop. He made the persons to whom he wrote feel good about themselves. Yet what he said could never be interpreted as insincere flattery. How did he do that? Was it because he never said anything that was not true? ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=149 Read 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 Paul announces the most devastating news in human history with no fanfare at all. You are suffering, he says. Do not worry. Relief is on the way. To repay your persecutors is not your job, Paul says. The Lord will eventually deal with such persons in his ... http://martha-evans-sparks.com/WordPress1/?p=148