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