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

Are There Good Reasons to Believe the Bible is Indeed God's Word?

Often Christians are seen as people who check their minds at the door of Faith. According to many, Christians may be people of faith, but it is a faith based on fanciful myths and legends. Yet in reality, nothing is further from the truth. God wants us to have an informed faith. A faith that is based on hard evidence from time space-time history. Much of this evidence is from the Bible.

So that begs the question, "Are there good reasons to believe the Bible is indeed God's Word?" The answer is YES! There are numerous lines of evidence that point to the reality that the Bible is indeed the inspired ("God-breathed") Word of God. The president of Scripture Union, Whitney Kuniholm offers up his list of the Top Ten Reasons the Bible is True.  I encourage you to take some time to read through his list. Your faith will be better informed and therefore stronger as a result.

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE THE DAY by better knowing and living God's Word!
pj

Help! I Keep Trying and Failing to Keep My Bible Reading Plan!

So many Christians set goals and adopt plans for daily Bible reading. But after a fast start, the missed days turn into missed weeks and ... all too often ... the well intended goals and plans go by the wayside. 

SO ... is this YOUR experience? If so what can YOU do about getting back into the Word and staying on track? Is there any hope?  The answer is YES ... there IS hope! Please take a moment to read this article from Desiring God Ministries. It's good stuff! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and SEIZE THE DAY by knowing and living the Scriptures!

pj 

Open and Read!

Our Carpe Diem, Spiritual Growth Initiative is based on the assumption that Bible reading is not merely a good spiritual discipline to practice ... but a necessary one. One of the best web sites that offers answers to questions about the Bible or the Christian faith is www.gotquestions.org. It is my "go-to" site to find quick (and solid) answers to questions that I am sometimes asked.

In answer to the question, "Why should we read or study the Bible?", the website offers the following answers:

1. We should read/study the Bible for it is God's word to us.
2. We should read/study the Bible because it is totally reliable and without error.
3. We should read/study the Bible because God does not change and because mankind's nature does not change; it is as relevant for us as it was when it was first written.
4. We should read/study the Bible because there is so much false teaching.
5. We should read/study the Bible for it equips us to serve God.
6. We should read/study the Bible for it helps us to see beyond the attractive "bait" to the "hook" in sinful temptations, so we can learn from others' mistakes rather than making them ourselves.

Wow! Those are six VERY SOLID reasons as to why we need to know the book ... and apply the book! And if you want to read more of this article, check it out here. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . and CARPE DIEM by knowing and living God's Word!
pj