Welcome, September! This month’s theme is God is Able, and we’ll explore the Scripture and share stories that confirm this marvelous truth. We’ll also bid summer farewell, put on a sweater, and keep our eyes open for colored leaves.

It may turn out to be as unusual an autumn this year as spring and summer have been. But we will look for small delights and trust the Lord through the storms that loom. We’ll hold tight to God’s hand, trusting him to walk us through. And we will hang out together, getting to know each other as the weeks go by.

Let’s start the month with some Bible study.

My concordance lists several verses with the word “able” in them. There are seven I’d like to share with you. We’ll do a study together of one of them. I hope you will choose one or more of the others for some personal Bible study. Please feel free to share any insights in the comment section or on the Salt & Pepper Blog Facebook page.

Jude 24-25 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Here are some questions (in red) and answers for our study of this passage:

What is God able to do, according to this passage? Two things—to keep us from stumbling and to present us without fault and with great joy to himself when we stand before him. Amazing!

How/why can he do it? The answer is not in this passage, but Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:25-26 that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” This was Jesus’ intention for us, and he is able to make it happen. (It is not something that we ourselves can do, but we can rest in the grace of God that he himself will do it. Praise the Lord!)

What is the end result for the believer? Joy, and grateful praise to God our Savior.

What clues do you find in the context? Jude 18 reminds readers that in the last times “scoffers will follow their own ungodly desires,” and warns them in verse 21 to keep themselves “in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Now, in this doxology (verses 24-25), he praises God that Jesus is able to keep them and us blameless.

How does this truth impact your life? I will stand firm in all that Christ has done for me. I will not waver in my commitment to him. I will obey whatever he asks of me so that, when the day comes, he will be able to present me faultless, and with great joy (joy for him that I have remained true to him, and joy for me, that Jesus himself made all this possible for me.)

Are there any steps you should take because of this truth? I should search my heart and take care of any business that needs to be tended to so that I can walk in obedience and freedom. (See Psalm 139:23-24, Psalm 51)

Below are the other six passages that give us insight into what God is able to do. I invite you to choose at least one of them to study by asking the questions that we have applied to Jude 24-25. Again, if you’d like to share any insights from your study, you can leave a comment on the blog or on the Salt & Pepper Blog Facebook page.

Romans 16:25-27; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 3:20; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 2:18, Hebrews 7:24-25.

Grace and peace to you.

Ginger