Reading the Bible Prayerfully and Obediently

Today I read the results of a recent study of evangelicals and their spiritual lives. One of the stats cited as a result of this research is that only about 30% of those surveyed said they were in the Bible daily. That's less than one third. Ouch! Given how important the Bible is to living out our faith (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:14-17), the reality that only 1 in 3 Christians are interacting with the Bible on a day to day basis in quite disturbing.

So my question for you is this? Are you that 1 of 3? Or, if push came to shove, would you have to admit to being 1 of the 2 who are not daily in the Word of God?

One reason we launched this spiritual growth initiative that we have called CARPE DIEM is to encourage our people here at Grace to get into the Scriptures on a daily basis. Anything else is simply not enough!

If you have a few minutes, I would STRONGLY encourage you to read the following article, Reading the Bible Prayerfully and Obediently. It's good ... really good. And it may be just the push you need to be doing what you really need to be doing: spending time daily in the Bible!

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE THE DAY by KNOWING and LIVING God's Word!
pj

When We Best Learn the Bible

Since late April, I have been suffering through a health issue. My family doctor referred me to an orthopedic
doctor. He in turn ordered an MRI. I had the MRI on Monday ... now I am waiting for the results. I must admit that I am getting a bit frustrated with the time it has taken to get to this point (in part due to my own already scheduled vacation time). But I am glad I can see the light of at the end of the tunnel (and I sure hope it is NOT the light of an approaching train!).

One thing God is teaching me through this is patience! Patience is something I seem to have on some days ... but totally lack the next (especially when driving)!  But patience is a good thing. And patience in reading and studying the Bible is a necessary thing! Really?  Take a moment and read the following blog post from Desiring God Ministries: When We Best Learn the Bible. 


And thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Reading the Old Testament for All It's Worth!

For many Christians, the thought of reading the Old Testament can be quite intimidating. Apart from a few of its more familiar stories (Noah and the Ark, Joseph and his many colored coat, David and Goliath ... just to name a few), the Old Testament is a strange and mysterious place. We don't understand the Old Testament world nor do we understand how the 39 books of the Old Testament fit together.

For this reason, I thought I would encourage you to take a moment to read some insights from Chuck Swindoll on Reading the OT for All It's Worth! It's a good and profitable read!

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE THE DAY ... by KNOWING and LIVING God's Word!
pj

Why Reading the Bible Needs to Be a Part of Your Daily Routine

I probably start sounding like the proverbial broken record when I bring up the need for Christians to be in God's Word on a daily basis. I do so because I know from observation that probably the vast majority of professing Christians are NOT in the Word daily. This is concerning because we live in a world system that is under the control of the Evil One (1 John 5:19). This means that we are being bombarded 24/7/365 with a lot of godless garbage. We MUST combat that input with the input of God's Truth. God's Truth is found in the pages of the Bible (John 17:17). And we must do so everyday.

I invite you to take a moment and read this very brief article that answers the question, Why read the Bible? It will be time well spent!

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE THE DAY by KNOWING and LIVING God's Word!
pj