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