“It is not that you will think about what you have read, but you will feed upon what you have read. Out of a love for the Lord you exert your will to hold your mind quiet before him. In this peaceful state, swallow what you have tasted … take in what is there as nourishment.”
Jeanne Guyon
“I am sitting here after a wonderful meal and I feel so stuffed full of food. I feel like I could not eat another bite. It has become so bad that I have to loosen my belt just so I can breathe, or maybe I loosen my belt so I can make room for more.”
How often have you heard someone say something like this? Usually this happens around holidays where the family is all together with a huge variety of different foods. Ashamedly I have been one of the people who have said this phrase. What if we said that same thing about our spiritual time of study? If you think about it, the same could be true. We just finish a time of digging into the Word and we feel like we are filled to the brim with knowledge and questions all at the same time. The only difference is that we can take more and more bites from this spiritual food. We need to take bigger and bigger bites and sometimes we just need to sit there and chew on them for a while. That is how the study life should be for us all. During one of our class times I mentioned four key words in the life of a Bible Student: Repetition, Concentration, Comprehension, and Reflection.
The more time you spend in study and digging through scriptures, the more you will want to do it again. It becomes addictive. The problem though, is so many of us never take that first step in making the effort to set aside time to be in the Word. The chewing on the Word is so important as well, because sometimes you just need to take one verse and go over it again and again to understand it. After the understanding, you start realizing what it truly means and you apply it to your life. When you can bring yourself into the story or the situation, you have allowed God to open up a whole new world for your spiritual walk.
If your study life seems like it needs a boost, or feels non-existent, then take this moment to say, “Today, I begin again, and I will be with my Lord!” Let me leave you with some words from the Word, that you can chew on today.
"So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say? I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins."
Luke 6:46-49
Jason
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Imagining the story ...
It has become more and more evident that I need to set up study times with my children, but as we all know, it can be very difficult to find the time. A couple of weeks ago my son, in all of his wisdom, came up to me and asked if we could do a Bible study together. I started putting it on our chore list in the mornings for our family to do together. I can always find the time for my own personal study in the morning, but it has been difficult lately to sit down as a family amidst all the busyness. That first morning we sat and started studying this passage. We even read the passage out of Elijah's little Bible that he was given to take to Bible class. This is the passage we read.
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'
He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.'
'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied.
' And who is my neighbor?'
In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, 'Look after him,' he said 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him.'
Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'
We read this story as a family and asked the questions that Jesus did. Who was the neighbor? The coolest thing happened that day. Our children fell in love with being in the story of Jesus. They started asking questions about the Good Samaritan, and how they could be a good Samaritan too. We made a little list of ways we can serve others. Ever since that day Elijah has been trying to find ways of serving others.
It is so important that we make the Bible come alive both to ourselves and to our family. When we study the Bible, we can dwell on a passage long enough and let it soak into our lives to the point that we are a part of the story. Our kids actually imagined the story in their own eyes. They imagined the good Samaritan putting Band-Aids on the hurt man. They imagined the robbers on top of a mountain looking down on the poor man. The story became so real to them that they actually wanted to live like the good Samaritan. I have been studying for years from the Bible and in that one afternoon of studying with my children I heard so much theology just flowing out of my kids. The things we can learn from studying. Wow!
We as parents need take some time to sit with our children, as much as we can, and read with them. We can make the Word come alive to them. We can let it come alive for us. Let’s act on what we read. Like in the Good Samaritan story, we can find some kind of service project we can do as a family.
The Word of God is living and active in our lives.
Jason
Luke 10:25-37
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'
He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.'
'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied.
' And who is my neighbor?'
In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, 'Look after him,' he said 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him.'
Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'
We read this story as a family and asked the questions that Jesus did. Who was the neighbor? The coolest thing happened that day. Our children fell in love with being in the story of Jesus. They started asking questions about the Good Samaritan, and how they could be a good Samaritan too. We made a little list of ways we can serve others. Ever since that day Elijah has been trying to find ways of serving others.
It is so important that we make the Bible come alive both to ourselves and to our family. When we study the Bible, we can dwell on a passage long enough and let it soak into our lives to the point that we are a part of the story. Our kids actually imagined the story in their own eyes. They imagined the good Samaritan putting Band-Aids on the hurt man. They imagined the robbers on top of a mountain looking down on the poor man. The story became so real to them that they actually wanted to live like the good Samaritan. I have been studying for years from the Bible and in that one afternoon of studying with my children I heard so much theology just flowing out of my kids. The things we can learn from studying. Wow!
We as parents need take some time to sit with our children, as much as we can, and read with them. We can make the Word come alive to them. We can let it come alive for us. Let’s act on what we read. Like in the Good Samaritan story, we can find some kind of service project we can do as a family.
The Word of God is living and active in our lives.
Jason
Luke 10:25-37
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Your mind quiet before him ...
“It is not that you will think about what you have read, but you will feed upon what you have read. Out of a love for the Lord you exert your will to hold your mind quiet before him. In this peaceful state, swallow what you have tasted…take in what is there as nourishment.”
Jeanne Guyon
Today we begin the next step on this journey into the disciplines. Study is a time where we can dive into the Word of God and allow it to change us. So many times we look at the Bible and our time with the Bible as a time where we feel like we have to read, but shouldn’t it be a time where we want to read? How often do we sit down and rush through our time just so we can mark off the page that states our daily bible reading.
I had a discussion just the other day about reading our Bible and memorizing scripture. A couple of our boys sat there and just kept telling me that there was no way they could ever memorize scripture. I argued that I knew without a doubt that they could and that they could do it very easily. In the end I helped them understand this by doing my own rap version of a passage of scripture from the Psalms. They laughed at me, but just in that one minute they remembered half of the passage of scripture. Isn’t this doable for all of us as well? We and our boys all know the words to so many songs and commercials. We devote our precious time to memorizing all of these things, but won’t devote the time to sit, stand, walk, and study God’s Word.
“Out of a love for the Lord you exert your will to hold your mind quiet before him.” I chose this quote purposefully. Out of our love for our God, we should feel an urge to spend time with our God in this way. As we sit and go through some of these devotionals, let’s make sure that we are putting our whole heart into this. If you are not giving your whole heart, what are you giving on a daily basis? What are you giving to your family? What are you giving to the boys to whom we minister? What are we giving to our God?
“Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.”
Psalm 119:1-8
Jason
Jeanne Guyon
Today we begin the next step on this journey into the disciplines. Study is a time where we can dive into the Word of God and allow it to change us. So many times we look at the Bible and our time with the Bible as a time where we feel like we have to read, but shouldn’t it be a time where we want to read? How often do we sit down and rush through our time just so we can mark off the page that states our daily bible reading.
I had a discussion just the other day about reading our Bible and memorizing scripture. A couple of our boys sat there and just kept telling me that there was no way they could ever memorize scripture. I argued that I knew without a doubt that they could and that they could do it very easily. In the end I helped them understand this by doing my own rap version of a passage of scripture from the Psalms. They laughed at me, but just in that one minute they remembered half of the passage of scripture. Isn’t this doable for all of us as well? We and our boys all know the words to so many songs and commercials. We devote our precious time to memorizing all of these things, but won’t devote the time to sit, stand, walk, and study God’s Word.
“Out of a love for the Lord you exert your will to hold your mind quiet before him.” I chose this quote purposefully. Out of our love for our God, we should feel an urge to spend time with our God in this way. As we sit and go through some of these devotionals, let’s make sure that we are putting our whole heart into this. If you are not giving your whole heart, what are you giving on a daily basis? What are you giving to your family? What are you giving to the boys to whom we minister? What are we giving to our God?
“Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.”
Psalm 119:1-8
Jason
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