What's in My Bucket??

           Recently, I joined a women’s Bible study that is a mix of many denominations and many different women from all walks of life. I have already met some incredible ladies. I’ve been two times and it has blessed me so richly. It is very structured, and the entire time is spent strictly studying God’s Word. You know how we women can rabbit trail all over the place, but this study keeps us on the task of delving deep into God’s Word. I love it. We study at home, then meet together weekly to discuss our answers and then sit through a lecture. At home, we go over our notes from the previous week and then start the process all over. It is such a blessing. Wow, I’m blown away every time by what we learn. I pray that it sticks in my old brain!

           This week our study focused on Hebrews 11-13. We learned about many of the “heroes” of faith, Abraham, Noah, Moses…” It was wonderful to be reminded of all of the truths of this book. There were many wonderful lessons throughout the study. Chapter 11 truly is the faith chapter. I felt so encouraged as we left today. I’m thankful for the friend who invited me and told me about the study.
           I want to share a couple of the comments that our speaker shared today in the lecture. There was so much that really grabbed me, but these few things have stuck with me throughout the day today. First, after studying these chapters, I’ve realized once again just how much I need God’s Word in my life every day. If I want to live out and demonstrate a life of faith, and I do, then I must be consistently filling myself with God’s Word. I really desire to respond back to God’s Word with a trusting and obedient heart. I want to persevere and finish my faith race well, fixing my eyes on Jesus until I see Him face to face.
           Secondly, the speaker made a comment about buckets. She asked us a question. It was something like this; “What comes out of a bucket when it is kicked over?” She answered, “Whatever is it most full of.” Wow! That brief question really got my attention. It made me wonder what I am “full of”. Is it myself, or my loved ones, selfishness, pride, sin, materialism, busyness…? Or, is it Jesus Christ and His Word? What is going to flow out of me when I’m kicked over? I hope the answer is more and more of Jesus and His Word.
            We also talked about what faith really is. As she put it, “Faith is not merely THAT we believe, but WHAT we believe”. Lots of people believe. but, what is it that I believe? Do I know the facts of God’s Word? If all of my many Bibles were taken from me, how much of His Word would I be able to recall? She finished her lecture saying that she believes in some ways, Hebrews is still being written. In some ways, our faith walks are being recorded before God and before others. She asked what we thought would be “recorded” about our own personal faith walks. Will there be one sentence about my faithfulness or will there be a paragraph? I pray with all of my heart that I can live a life that demonstrates my faith in Christ to others in powerful and profound ways. Do I have a thankful heart? Do I worship God in all circumstances? Do I spend more time in God’s Word than I do watching my favorite TV show? Am I following the examples of the faith heroes in the Bible, or more importantly, of the One who died to save me? I pray that my bucket is full of more of these things than of the things of this world. If I’m kicked or put under pressure, I hope the love of Christ pours out of me. I know this is not always true of me. In fact, more often than not, it is probably not true. But I pray that my bucket is filling up with more of God’s Word and that it is changing me. So, I’ll close with a question to you, what’s in your bucket??