Final Carpe Diem Post

Today, my friends, brings an end to our year long journey through the Bible. I actually finished my year-long Bible reading plan the day after Christmas. What a joy it was to read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice. I hope you found blessing reading God's Word this year!

As I close out these postings ... here are two final thoughts for you to turn over in your mind:

1. The Bible is a special book. What makes it special is that it is the very word of God. I know that is probably a given to many who read this blog. But we do need reminded of this from time to time. God moved in forty different individuals so that, at the end of the day, when they laid down their pen, what they had written was exactly what God wanted written (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). Therefore the Bible can be said to be sufficient (it contains all that we need to live godly lives), clear (it's truths are plainly taught and can be understood by all who have ears to hear or eyes to read), authoritative (God always has the last word on what we are to believe and how we are to behave) and necessary (we need God's word to tell us about ourselves, our world and our savior, Jesus Christ). Now given all of this, it makes sense that this special book needs to have a special place in our lives. Neglecting it will lead to only heartbreak and misery.

2. The Bible is like other books. I write this because some approach the Bible (given what I just wrote about it above) as if it were some sort of magical or mystical book. Therefore, only those granted some sort of special supernatural insight can truly understand it. Now, it is true that the Holy Spirit does illuminate the Scripture for us and does work in our hearts to prepare the soil there to receive God's truth. But the Bible is a piece of literature, and therefore, we cannot ignore the basic principles of interpreting what we read. This past summer, during a series on understanding what the Bible really says, I offered up a the following basic principles (or TIPS) toward a proper understanding of the Scripture:

Take a look at the context: Every verse has a certain context … and if you ignore the historical and literary context of any Bible passage you are reading, you are setting yourself up for wrongly handling the Bible!  (I would guess that 80% of the wrong handling of Scripture occurs when people rip a verse of out its context. Once this is done, you can make the Bible say a lot of things that it does not say!) So make sure you take a look at the background of the passage … answering basic questions like WHEN was it written, WHO wrote it and to WHOM were they writing, WHY was it written, etc.) One of the best tools to use is simply a good studyBible (vs. a devotional Bible).  

Intentionally compare Scripture with Scripture: Since the Bible, though penned by forty different human authors, is the product of one divine mind … then it would make sense that what God says in one place in the Bible would help us to make sense of what he says elsewhere. So we must get intentional about using the Bible to help us understand the Bible! Or in other words, the Bible should be the Bible interpreter’s best friend!  Again … a good STUDY Bible will help you do this!

Pray before opening: Since the Bible is unique among books as God’s living and active word, then it would make sense that we should ask God to speak to us through it. To help you to do this, consider these three distinct prayers from the Old Testament love poem (Psalm 119): 

Psalm 119:18

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Psalm 119:36

Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

Psalm 119:133

Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Start Digging!  Just MAKE the time, open your Bible, and get to reading!  Or, in the words communicated by the famous Nike swoosh, JUST DO IT!

I surely do hope and pray that the effort you made in 2014 to SEIZE THE DAY by knowing and living God's Word will carry over to this new year of 2015 (and beyond!). 

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Toward Understanding the Bible

A reason given by many Christians as to why they do not read the Bible with any consistency is because they are unable to understand it. Now I will readily admit that there are some sections of Scripture that can be a bit intimidating when it comes to trying to understand what is being said (Leviticus and Revelation come to mind!). But God did not give us His Word to confuse us. He wants us to read and understand the Bible so that we can get to know HIM better!  

To help you better understand the Bible, here is a brief article that I found to be quite helpful. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and don't forget to SEIZE THE DAY by knowing and living God's Word! 

pj

Five Questions to Ask to Better Your Bible Reading

Did you ever read a passage in the Bible and wonder what it all meant? Of course you have. I know I have. But there are ways to take the "mystery" out of our Bible reading and replace it with understanding that will impact how we live. To help you, check out this article Five Tips to Improve Your Bible Reading. In it, the author suggests five questions to ask each portion of the Bible that you read. Looking over his questions, I would say that you won't go wrong in utilizing any or all of them!

Thanks for stopping by . . . and don't forget to SEIZE THE DAY by knowing and living God's Word!
pj

Why Doesn't God Ever Speak to Me in the Bible?

Often when we open the Bible, we do so expecting to "hear" from God. We desperately desire this as we want our lives to change for the better. But all too often, we open, read, and then close the Bible and God remains silent.

If this is you ... or even if it isn't ... take a few moments and head to Desiring God Ministries web site and read (and watch) ... The Bible Is a Book Like Any Other. It will be time very well spent!

Thanks for stopping by . . . and don't forget to SEIZE the day by knowing and living God's Word!
pj

Too Busy to Read the Bible!

Many people who claim to want to follow Jesus also claim they are just too busy to take the time necessary to read the Bible on a consistent basis. However, since Jesus makes His plan for this life (and the next!) known to us through the pages of the Scripture . . . then how in the world can we follow him if we are not reading HIS plan?

I realize that all of us our busy. But I do NOT believe any of us are too busy to be in God's Word. To help you make the time necessary to get into the Bible . . . here is an insightful article that should prove helpful: How to Find Time to Read the Bible: Ten Christian Tips. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and don't forget to SEIZE THE DAY by knowing and living God's Word!

pj

Why Read the Bible

A couple of my youngest grandchildren are at the age when a child discovers the magical word "why." And so after every statement we make, we can anticipate being asked "why?" I am sure you know how it goes ... 

"Time to pick up your toys." 

"Why?" 

"Because your mommy will be here soon to pick you up." 

"Why?" 

"Because it's time for you to go home." (and thinking ... "So Grammy and Papa can get some rest!") 

"Why?" 

And on and on it goes. 

Even though little children may go a bit overboard in their use of the "why" question, it remains a good question to ask. So ... WHY READ THE BIBLE? Here is a brief article from the Pocket Testament League that answers that question. I hope you take some time to read it ... and then read your Bible! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and don't forget to SEIZE THE DAY by KNOWING and LIVING God's Word!

pj

Why Should We Read the Bible?

D. A. Carson is one of the leading evangelical New Testament scholars of today. In this five minute video, Dr. Carson answers the question (and answers it quite well!), "What should be our goal in reading the Bible?"  I encourage you to "take five" and watch this insightful interview. It will be teim well spent!

Why Read the Bible? from Desiring God on Vimeo.


Thanks for stopping by . . . and don't forget to SEIZE the day by knowing and living God's Word!
pj

When Your Chid Asks Why You Believe the Bible . . .

Part of parenting involves being asked those difficult questions by our children. Questions like "Why is the sky blue?" and "Why do dogs chase cats?" And then there are those tough theological questions. I can still recall as if it were yesterday an occasion when I was pushing one of my children on a swing. We began talking about God and Jesus. Then the question came: "Daddy, if Jesus is God, then who is Jesus talking to when he was praying to God on the cross?" I must admit that it was a tough road trying to explain the concept of the Trinity to a six-year-old!

Among the questions our children are prone to ask concerning our faith, is the question as to why we believe the Bible to be God's Word. To help you along this way in answering this question not only for your children but also for yourself, take a moment to read the following excellent article titled, Be ready to answer your kids questions about the Bible. It's a good read! And of course, you will have to take this material and make it age appropriate for your children.

Thanks for stopping by… And don't forget to seize the day by knowing and living God's word!

PJ

Reading and studying the Bible does not have to be hard!

All too often, after spending time reading our Bibles, we walk away confused ... frustrated because three simple steps for studying the Bible. These steps are well proven (I have been using them for years). Many who have applied them in the reading of Scripture, have discovered a far richer experience in reading the Bible than they had ever experienced before. This can be true for you.
we did not understand what we read, or disappointed that we got a lot less out of our reading than we had hoped for. Well I have good news for you if you are in this camp: this does not have to be your experience. You don't need a PhD or even a Bible college education to read and study the Bible in a profitable manner. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read through this brief article which discusses

Thanks for stopping by… And don't forget to seize the day by knowing and living God's word!
Pj

Reflections on God's Word from God's Word

I have a lot of what I would consider favorite chapters of the Bible. For example, I just love the first chapter of the Gospel of John and what it tells us about God the son and how he became one of us. I also can't get enough of Philippians chapter 2,  and what Paul tells us about the Lord Jesus Christ and his humiliation followed by his glorification in verses five through 11. Romans chapter 8 is yet another favorite as the chapter begins with the reality of "no condemnation" and finishes with the truth of "no separation" for those who are in Christ. But I also have some Old Testament chapter faves as well. Isaiah chapter 40 speaks of the greatness and majesty of our God. Genesis 1 reminds us that the Bible is preeminently the story of God. And then there's Psalm 119. This particular psalm is not only the longest psalm in the book, but it is the longest chapter in the entire Bible. It is a love poem. It's not about the love of a man for a woman, or a woman for her children. Rather it describes an individual's love for God's Word. It's the kind of love for God's Word that I hope to one day have!

To help you to better understand this tremendous Psalm, here's a link to an excellent article on the Psalm and what it teaches us about the Bible. I hope you take a few minutes to read it, and even go back to it more than once. It's that good!

Thanks for stopping by ... And don't forget to seize the day by knowing and living God's Word!
Pj

Charles Spurgeon may very well be the most read pastor of all time. Even though he died over 120 years ago, dozens of his books can still be ordered off of  Amazon's web site. If you haven't read anything by Spurgeon, you wouldn't go wrong by deciding to do so! 

To encourage you to continue in the Scripture, here is a quote that I must say is vintage Spurgeon. Enjoy!  

“There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for labour in his service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. . . . Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord. . . .” 

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

pj

Reignite Your Passion for God's Word!

Wow! Here we are almost half way through the month of September. A quick look just now at my calendar reminds me that autumn arrives in just 9 days! Already, night is coming quicker and leaves are beginning to litter my back yard. For those of you who took up our Carpe Diem challenge, the year will soon be up. Some of you are still "at it," reading your Bible on a regular if not daily basis. I know. You have told me so. Others are still in the Book, but have fallen behind (in some cases, way behind) in their reading plan. And there are are still others who have just given up.

No matter where you are, all of us could stand from time to time a reigniting of our passion for the Word. I encourage you to take just a few moments (that's all it will take) to read this writer's take on 7 Ways to Ignite Passion for Reading the Bible. It will be time well spent!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to SEIZE THE DAY by knowing and living God's Word!
pj

How to Read the Bible and Enjoy It!

Since committing my life to Jesus Christ at the age of 16, God has instilled in my heart a love for His Word. I recall in the first weeks following my conversion, I read through the entire New Testament. It seemed like in those early days of my faith journey, I could not get enough of God's Word! Now, some forty-two years later, I still love the Scriptures. However, there are days that my time reading the Bible get squeezed out by other demands. I am not all that surprised by that, for I know that the Enemy of our souls doesn't want us in the Bible. So if he can push us away from God's book ... he will! Therefore, we all need encouragement and help stay the course! With this in mind, here are seven helpful tips to help you keep on keeping on in God's Word from Michael Hyatt,  the former CEO of the massive Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson. He has some really good things to say. I hope you will take the time to read and think about his suggestions. They will help you!

How to Read the Bible and Enjoy It!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

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

Is Your Bible Reading Just One Item on Your To Do List OR Is It Something More?

All of us have many activities screaming at us day in and day out. Call for a dentist appointment. Fold the laundry. Cut the grass. Feed the dog (or the kids). Pay the bills. Fold more laundry. Clean out the cat's litter box (so GLAD I don;t have a cat!). Vacuum the living room. Empty the dishwasher. Drive to work. OHHH ... and at the end of the day ... collapse into bed! Few of us want to add anything else to our daily routine. Yet we know we should be in the Bible regularly, if not daily. SOOOO ... how can we approach our time in God's Word as something more than just an item to cross off our to do list?

Lydia Brownback offers an insightful and brief article, Deleting Bible Study from Your Mental Checklist. Take a moment and give it a read. You will be better for it!

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

PJ's Spiritual Meanderings: Are You Bored with the Bible?

PJ's Spiritual Meanderings: Are You Bored with the Bible?: I am sure you have had the experience (more often, I'd guess, than you would like to admit) of opening your Bible only to find yourse...

Bible Abuse and Neglect

The Bible is all too often a "victim." That's right ... a "victim." How so? More times than one would think, the Bible is abused, most often by being misused. Yep. People rip a verse or two from the Bible, twist it, add some of their own seasoning to it ... and then seek to apply it to a particular situation they are facing. Bottom line: they end up making the Bible say something that it doesn't say! This summer at Grace we are addressing this rampant problem through a Sunday morning sermon series, "What Does the Bible Really Say? A Closer Look at Some of the Most Misused Verses in the Bible." This series will run through Sunday, August 31st.

But what about the other "crime" against the Bible: that of neglect? Really? Do people who claim to love God and follow Jesus neglect the Bible? Hmm. All we have to do to answer this is to take a look in a mirror. So ... what can we do about this?  I encourage you to take a moment to read, Why We Neglect Reading Our Bible.  The author, former Lancaster Bible College professor, Steve Nichols, offers up some very helpful insights ... that will help you as you seek to SEIZE THEY DAY by KNOWING and LIVING God's Word!

Thanks for stopping by  . . . and Carpe Diem!
pj