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

Two Words to Remember as You Read Your Bible

The Bible is indeed a unique book. That means it is ONE OF A KIND! It claims to be inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). This means that even though the Bible was penned by forty different individuals, it has one ultimate author: God (2 Peter 1:21)! Every time we open the Book, we are about to hear from God Himself! Wow! Truly amazing!

Knowing this, there are a couple of words that should describe how we read the Bible.

1. We should read dependently. Not only has God given us the gift of His Word, but he has also given us the gift of His Holy Spirit. One of the activities of the Spirit of God is to shed light on God's truth so that we might understand it (John 16:13-14). Knowing this, every time we read the Bible, we should begin with a prayer like that of the psalmist, "Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (Psalm 119:18).

2. We should also read expectantly. Since the Bible is God's word to us and has been given to us to "thoroughly equip us for ever good work" (2 Timothy 3:17) and given that God has saved us and continues to work in us so that we might do good works (Ephesians 2:10), it makes sense to believe God wants to speak to us through His word. Therefore, when you open your Bible, expect to hear from God! The Scriptures are alive (Hebrews 4:12). God WILL, through the working of His Spirit in your mind and heart, give you wisdom and insight for whatever you need as you spend time in the Bible. You can count on it!

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE TODAY by knowing and living God's word!
pj

Asking the Right Questions Can Be a Key to Knowing and Living the Bible

When it comes to reading the Bible, do you open it ... quickly read through whatever your daily plan tells you to read ... and then close it, never giving much thought to what the text actually means? I am guessing that we (and note I include myself in this) all too often rush through our reading just to get it done. Then we put our Bible down (or close the Bible reading app we use) and get on with life. It's no wonder that the Bible does little for us as we seek to live out our Christian Faith.

One powerful tool we can use to reverse this ... and see the Bible come alive (because it IS a living book - Hebrews 4:12) is the ASKING OF QUESTIONS. But to be effective, we must ask the RIGHT questions of the text.

Steve Nichols, former professor of Bible and Theology at Lancaster Bible College and now President of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier teaching fellow, has some very insightful comments. Find them here in his blog post, Don't Miss the Point: Questions to Ask While Reading Scripture. It's good stuff! 

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

Putting God's Word into Practice!

I recently ran across a great blog post about applying the Bible to life. I have cut and pasted the opening thoughts of the blog in hopes that it will motivate you to read the whole thing. It's good stuff! From Desiring God Ministries . . . 

We all want to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

"Who wants to feel the failure or share in the shame of being pegged like one “who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror . . . and goes away and at once forgets what he was like” (James 1:23–24[2])? It would seem like Bible application is an essential spiritual discipline to consciously pursue every time we encounter God’s word — but that depends on how we define “application.”

The key question we need to answer is what effect should regular Bible intake have on our hearts and lives — and how does it happen?"

IF you would like to read more on this topic of applying the Bible to our lives, please click here. You won't be disappointed! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE THE DAY by knowing an living the Word of God! 

pj

The Need for God's Word

Bill Bright, founder of CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), authored well over one hundred Ten Steps to Spiritual Maturity. The fifth step involves the Bible. Among the topics he discusses concerning the Bible is the Christian's NEED for the Bible. What he has to say is really good stuff!  Here is his introduction:
books and booklets. Among these is the classic,

"Before I became a believer in Jesus Christ, God's Word didn't make any sense to me. I tried to read it occasionally during my high school and college days, but found it boring. Finally, I concluded that no really intelligent person could believe the Bible.

But when I became a Christian, my life was transformed, and my attitudes concerning the Scriptures changed. I realized that the Bible was truly the holy, inspired Word of God. For almost fifty years it has been more important to me than the thousands of books in my library combined.

Why is the Bible so important to the Christian? Let me share five basic reasons..."

 

To discover his five reasons as to why Christians NEED the Bible, check out his full article here. 

I hope you are keeping on with your Bible reading plan for 2014. Knowing and living the Scriptures is the path toward a deeper love for God, a hotter love for others, and a growing impact upon the world we live in! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and CARPE DIEM! 

pj

The Powerful Rain of God's Word!

The Bible is no ordinary book. It claims to be the written word of God. Yes, the Bible was written by some forty different men. But, the Bible itself claims that these men were "carried along by the Holy Spirit" so that, at the end of the day, what they had written was indeed God's words (2 Peter 1:21). Elsewhere, the Bible tells us that "all Scripture is God-breathed" and as such is profitable for all of life (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Best selling author Paul Tripp recently wrote an article on the power of the Bible. He concludes the article with these words:

"The purpose of this Article is not to persuade you to rise at 5:00am everyday and read the entire Bible in 365 days. It's very possible to read the Bible diligently and with a hard heart. 

Instead, I wrote this Article in the hope that you might admit to three things: your dependence on God, your sinful heart, and your need for change. If you read the Bible with that type of humility, get ready to be soaked with the powerful rain of God's Word!"

Do you need a heart penetrating article that will remind you of the power of the Bible? Take a moment and read the rest of Tripp's article. Then open your Bible and experience what he calls, "the powerful rain of God's Word!" 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE YOUR DAY by reading and living the Word of God! 

pj