Inscribe the Word . . . May Scripture Writing Plan
Life happens in spite of our best-made plans. We can make preparations but sometimes life throws us a few curve balls that cause us to drop everything.
Last year, I created the Philippians Inscribe the Word plan. I posted the session for all of our followers who Inscribe the Word with us. I was so excited to get started, and I couldn't wait to dig into this life-changing epistle.
Can I be transparent with you for a minute?
My heart was excited, I had the desire to write and study the book of Philippians, but I didn't have the diligence. Life happened. Work got busy. Sleep was more important than getting up early to study. I dropped the ball in my personal time with Jesus.
And then, if my lack of commitment and diligence wasn't enough to drive the wedge in cultivating my relationship with the Lord, my father had a massive stroke and went on to be with Jesus toward the end of the month, and I never finished the book of Philippians. Let's be honest . . . I hardly ever started.
And maybe you can relate. I have been creating the Inscribe the Word plans since July of 2016, and many have been diligent each day to Inscribe the Word. I have not. I have let a few days slip, I have allowed a month to go by, and in 2016 and 2017, and while I read the Word each day, I was not committed to Inscribing the Word each day.
This year, the Lord burned in my heart a fresh and new commitment that no matter what was happening in my life, my time with just Him was precious and was not to be ignored. Since making that commitment to spend time with Jesus each day, I have seen such beautiful changes in my life, and more importantly, I am closer to the One who my soul loves.
I tell you all all of this, being fully transparent, to encourage you not to give up because you've missed a day, a week, a month, or never even got started in spending time in the Word with your Creator. I tell you my shortcomings so that you can be encouraged that you are not alone if you experience similar. We all fall short of the glory of God, but we are not meant to stay in that fallen state.
Wherever you are today, I encourage you to get back to the Word. Pray, read, write, and start to understand the heart of your Father. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
This year, 2018, the Lord put on my heart to begin inscribing the New Testament Epistles. Writing these letters in full and in context is a powerful way to study Scripture. You follow the thoughts of the author from beginning to end; hearing their heart and abiding by their words.
In January, we inscribed 1 John. We learned that God is light, love, and life. How blessed we are that we serve a God who LIGHTS our path, LOVES us with an everlasting love, and has given us LIFE abundantly.
In February, we studied the books of 2 and 3 John, Titus and Philemon. Written by the apostles John and Paul, these four books gave us extensive insight into living the Christian life.
In March, we took apart the Book of Galatians word by word. Written by Paul, the overall theme of this book showed us that we no longer live under the law. We live in the faith and freedom of Jesus Christ.
In April, we inscribed Ephesians and understood that we are the unified body of Christ; fitly joined together.
To continue these beautiful epistles, we are going to Inscribe the Book of Philippians once again. This book is so powerful that I encourage you to re-read and re-write it if you already have. However, if you are looking for a different study, and would like to try a different plan, you can discover HERE and HERE the variety of plans I have available.
So here we go. The wonderful Book of Philippians.
THE BACKGROUND
* Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul around 61-63 A.D. from Rome. It is one of the four epistles to be written from prison. (Acts 28:16, 30-31) Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were the other three.
* The city of Philippi was name after Philip of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great, and it was a major city of Macedonia on the road to Rome. In Acts 16, Paul, Timothy, and Silas were traveling through Asia Minor when a vision appeared to Paul. In the vision recorded in Acts 16:9, a man from Macedonia stood and pleaded with Paul saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
* Paul, Silas, and Timothy (joined by Luke) left the area of Asia Minor and immediately went to Macedonia to bring the Gospel to those in Philippi. During his second missionary journey, Paul founded the church at Philippi.
* The account of the establishing of the Philippian church can be found in Acts 16. With Lydia’s conversion, and the amazing story of the Philippian jailer, the church was established. It is clear from the writings of Philippians that the church became a significant support to Paul, (Phil. 4:15-16) and is a church that is very near and dear to his heart.
* The Church at Philippi shared a special bond with Paul. This letter, therefore, is very personal and is filled with much love for the church. In Phil. 4:1, Paul tells the church that they brought him “much joy”. That brings us to the purpose of the book.
THE PURPOSE
Throughout this short book, one word stands out among all others . . . JOY. The word “joy” is found five times throughout the book of Philippians, and the word “rejoice” occurs eleven times. This epistle has often been called Paul’s “hymn of joy”. The purpose of the book was to remind the Philippians, and all Christians alike, that true joy is found only in Jesus Christ.
In today’s world, we tend to chase happiness. Those moments of falling in love, opening gifts on Christmas, buying a house, going on a date, or organizing your kitchen junk drawer! We seek happy moments. There is nothing wrong with seeking happiness in and of itself, but if happiness depends only on ones circumstances, despair will eventually set in. Circumstances change all the time. If our happiness is rooted in circumstance, we are bound to be disappointed.
Joy, on the other hand, runs much deeper and stronger than fleeting moments of happiness. I once read that “Joy is the confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives.” That fills my heart with such excitement.
Happiness is found in Happenings. Joy is found in Jesus Christ. In Him is the fullness of our joy. It doesn’t matter what is happening around us, we can find JOY in Jesus Christ.
THE STUDY
As we study this book, I encourage you to dig deeper beyond your daily Scripture Writing. Take a look at our WORD Study, or any other Bible study you use and seek to find the deeper understand and meaning of each verse.
The Life Application Bible breaks the book into four distinct sections. As you study, see if you can pick out these themes:
Chapter 1: Joy in Suffering.
Chapter 2: Joy in Serving.
Chapter 3: Joy in Believing.
Chapter 4: Joy in Giving.
THE FOCUS
As we Inscribe Phillipians, my prayer is that our hearts get back to finding the true joy that comes through Jesus Christ. I pray that we no longer are tossed back and forth on the winds of happiness, but that we can be confident in the joy that comes with living a life that pleases Jesus; no matter what the circumstances. I am praying that we rededicate our lives to finding our Joy in Jesus Christ.
A note to parents . . . As you Inscribe the Book of Philippians with your kiddos, feel free to altar the plans to fit their individual needs; giving them clarity and understanding as you go. Be blessed as you teach your children to love the Word of God.
All My Love . . . Erika💛
CLICK HERE to download your plan.
CLICK HERE to download your plan.