Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.

• Isaiah 61:1-4

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

• Mark 12:28-30

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

• 1 John 3:18

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.

• Malachi 3:16-17

Sing, Daughter Zion;
    shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
    never again will you fear any harm.
On that day
    they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

• Zephaniah 3:14-17

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.

• Psalm 1:1-4

Then all your people will be righteous
    and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
    the work of my hands,
    for the display of my splendor.

• Isaiah 60:21

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

• Jeremiah 17:7-8

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

• Matthew 12:33

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

• Ephesians 3:17

The Boilerplate

My wife took a Bible Study in 2011.  (There was a note in the study guide that identified September 2 and that the study was being held on Friday mornings, or I might not have ever figured out what year.)  My wife had become a Christian in 2000. She greatly respected the pastor’s wife who was also a pastor.  The pastor’s wife spent time as the interim associate pastor, and this Bible study might have been during that time.

My wife passed away in March 2023, and I found this study guide as I was cleaning up.  It is a Beth Moore study guide.  Most of the questions are close-ended, mostly fill-in-the-blank.  But my wife was eager to learn.  She wrote her thoughts in the margins, sometimes encouraged to do so by Beth Moore.  I will use her comments as I did once before, calling this a “with a little help” series in that my wife contributes.  There is more to follow in that she wrote Scriptures and prayers in a notebook.  Probably what she found in her personal Bible study, giving her encouragement through the long illness that took her life.

So, instead of writing about a topic at random, I am going to write on my wife’s comments in the Study Guide.  It may follow the study guide topics, but it may not.

Discussion on this topic

What does Mark 12:28-30 say about the greatest commandment?

“We should show love in actions and in truth.”

• My wife’s response

She also wrote “and your neighbor” in the margin, but it did not fit any of the discussion, although we are to love one another, love our neighbor, and even love our enemies.  I’m thinking that something came up in class and only she knew the context.

She also wrote Isaiah 61:3 in the margin, but that was prompted by Beth Moore.

My wife was asked to write her thoughts about Malachi 3:16-17, while considering Zephaniah 3:14-17.  Her response seems to be mostly a paraphrase of the Malachi Scripture.

“People who agreed with the Lord and talked with each other… They will be remembered to the Lord as prized possessions.”

• My wife’s response

I can imagine her in Heaven right now, a prized possession, talking to everyone about everything.  She was overflowing in love for others, even strangers, and she loved to have conversations – a combination of loving to talk and loving to listen, hearing and understanding how others thought about things.

What are your thoughts about Psalm 1:1-4?

“Believe and trust in God’s law and I will be watered and not withered.”

• My wife’s response

I have often joked about my wife’s black thumb.  She overwatered desert plants and forgot to water tropical plants.  If she knew anything, she knew a lot about withering.

What are your thoughts about Isaiah 60:21?

“Only the saved will have full blessing of God’s land.”

• My wife’s response

What are your thoughts about Jeremiah 17:7-8?

“Blessed be those who trust in the Lord.  No matter what, we’ll bear fruit.”

• My wife’s response

What are your thoughts about Matthew 12:33?

“We’ll be like yeast – grow.”

• My wife’s response

What are your thoughts about Ephesians 3:17?

“Love.”

• My wife’s response

Odd. Last week had few Scripture references and a lot of my wife’s comments.  This week, there is a lot more Scripture and she had terse answers, skipping a few of the questions in the study guide.  She could have not felt well that week, or since this was the last week of the Bible study, she could have gotten into a blue mood.  She loved going to such Bible studies and meeting new people, or discussing new topics with old friends.  Since I have discovered only a few other things that she made comments on, and only one is appropriate, I think, I want to wade through this last week, four more lessons.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory