How to Read Your Bible

^{By F.B. Meyer, from Light on Life’s Duties}

All sermons and addresses, all classes, all religious magazines and books can ever take the place of our own quiet study of God’s Word. We may measure our growth in grace by the growth of our love for private Bible study; and we may be sure that there is something seriously wrong when we lose our appetite for the Bread of Life.

Here are a few simple rules which may help to acquire this holy art.

Make time for Bible study. The Divine Teacher must have fixed and uninterrupted hours for meeting His scholars. We must give Him our best and the firstfruits of our days. Hence, there is not time for Bible study like the early morning. WE cannot give such undivided attention to the holy thoughts that glisten like diamonds on its pages after we have opened our letters, glanced through the paper, and joined in the prattle of the breakfast table.

Look for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. No one can so well explain the meaning of his words as he who wrote them … if, then, you want to read the Bible as you should, make much of the Holy Spirit, who inspired it through holy men.

Read the Bible methodically. On the whole there is probably no better way than to read the Bible through once every year. It is sometimes well to read a book of the Bible at a sitting, devoting two or three hours to the sacred task. At other times, it is more profitable to take an epoch, or an episode, or a life, and compare all that is written of it in various parts of the Scripture.

Read your Bible with your pen in hand. None, in my judgment, have learned the secret of enjoying the Bible until they have commenced to mark it neatly: underlining and dating special verses which have cast a light upon their path on special days. Our Bible then becomes the precious memento of bygone hours, and records the history of our inner life.

Seek eagerly your personal profit. Do not read the Bible for others, for class or congregations, but for yourself. Ask, “What does the Holy Spirit mean me to learn by this? What bear should this have on my life?”

Above all, turn from the printed page to prayer. If a promise lies upon the page as a blank check, cash it. If a prayer is recorded, appropriate it and launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire. If an example of holiness gleams before you, ask God to do as much for you.

Practice what you learn. It is useless to dream of making headway in the knowledge of Scripture unless we are prepared to practice each new and clearly defined duty which looms out before our view.

We are taught, not for our pleasure only, but that we may do. If we will turn each holy precept or command into instant obedience, through the dear grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, God will keep nothing back from us. He will open to us His deepest and sweetest thoughts.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN .....

FOR STAFF LEADERSHIP: How to Use the 'Transformational Church' Assessment Tool - http://www.lifeway.com/article/170567/

FOR STAFF LEADERSHIP: "How to Choose a Bible Translation" http://www.youtube.com/user/BHPublishingGroup#p/search/5/yRqaKSmKgsU Part of the 9 Session "Read the Bible For Life" Leader Kit for Small Group Study: http://www.lifeway.com/product/005253507/

FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: North Georgia Mountains Sunday School Conference, April 15, 16 - First Baptist Church/Blairsville: keynote speaker, Ken Hemphill - for info email bob.crowe@bptn.org

FOR YOUNG ADULT LEADERSHIP: Threads "NOW" Conference: Challenging & Equipping Young Adults to Live Missionally, April 15-17, Nashville, TN - http://threadsmedia.com/now

FOR YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY: "Secret Church" simulcast with David Platt, April 22 - http://www.lifeway.com/article/170629/

FOR WOMEN'S MINISTRY: Devotions Audio CD from Beth Moore Library (7 Ten Minute Devotions: Only $1.99) Great Gift for Mothers on Mother's Day! - http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/product.asp?isbn=L10744448X

FOR WOMEN'S MINISTRY: YOULead Conference, July 21-22, Charlotte, NC, "life-changing discipleship that shapes women into a life that reflects Christ" - http://www.lifeway.com/event/339/?cid=women-enews-youlead-021511-sidead

FOR WOMEN'S MINISTRY: You & ur Girl simulcast with Vicki Courtney, April 9, "A mother/daughter enrichment event" - http://www.lifeway.com/event/408/?cid=women-enews-YYGSim-020811-featuread

Sharing the Pain of Lonliness

adapted from "When We Hurt" by Philip Yancey, pp. 97, 98

Early in his career, Dr. Paul Brand heard a lecture from the anthropologist Margaret Mead. “What would you say is the earliest sign of civilization?” she asked, naming a few options. “A clay pot? Tools made of iron? The first domesticated plants?” “These are all early signs,” she continued, “but here is what I believe to be evidence of the earliest true civilization.” High above her head she held a human femur, the largest bone in the leg, and pointed to a grossly thickened area where the bone had been fractured, and then solidly healed. “Such signs of healing are never found among the remains of the earliest, fiercest societies. In their skeletons we find clues of violence: a rib pierced by an arrow, a skull crushed by a club. But this healed bone shows that someone must have cared for the injured person – hunted on his behalf, brought him food, served him at personal sacrifice.” With Margaret Mead, I believe that this quality of shared pain is central to what it means to be a human being.

Ministering to the loneliness of a suffering person requires no professional expertise. When I have asked, “Who helped you the most?” usually patients describe a quiet, unassuming person: someone who was there whenever needed, who listened more than talked, who didn’t keep glancing down at a watch, who hugged and touched and cried. One woman, a cancer patient, mentioned her grandmother, a rather shy lady who had nothing to offer but time. She simply sat in a chair and knitted while her granddaughter slept, and made herself available to talk, or fetch a glass of water, or make a phone call. “She was the only person there on my terms,” said the granddaughter. “When I woke up frightened, it would reassure me just to see her there.”

We can never over estimate the value of our small acts of kindnesses done in the name of Christ. They often have a physical healing value in the life of the recipient and, more importantly, there is a spiritual impact that is of eternal value. – RLE

THINGS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN .....

STAFF LEADERSHIP: "Seven Signs of Hope for the Church in 2011" by Dr. Thom Rainer -
http://bit.ly/fzKtwB
SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: "SS in HD" Conference, FBC/Woodstock, March 10 & 11 - http://www.sundayschoolinhd.org/
DISCIPLESHIP LEADERSHIP: "Experiencing God Leadership Summit", Ridgecrest, NC, March 17 & 18, 18 & 19 - http://www.lifeway.com/event/426/?CID=RDR-EGLeadershipSummit
FOR YOUNG ADULT LEADERSHIP: Threads "NOW" Conference: Challenging & Equipping Young Adults to Live Missionally, April 15-17, Nashville, TN - http://threadsmedia.com/now
FOR YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY: "Secret Church" simulcast with David Platt, April 22 - http://www.lifeway.com/article/170629/
FOR WOMEN'S MINISTRY: "Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask" by Angela Thomas - http://www.lifeway.com/product/005342721/

On Holy Ground

Rob Bell, founding pastor of Mars Hill church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, shares how he became aware of God’s call on his life. He had just graduated from college and was working as a water-ski instructor at a summer camp. He was with a group of counselors planning the weekly chapel service when he volunteered to give the message sometime. They said, “Great! How about this Sunday?” He spent the rest of the week praying for God to give him something to say by Sunday. Let him explain what happened that Sunday.

“Sunday eventually came. I remember standing up to talk in front of those hundred or so people gathered among those pine trees and being aware of the presence of God in a terrifying way. Seriously, it was terrifying. But in a good way. The word that comes to mind is ‘holy’. I became aware of something so real, yet I couldn’t see it or touch it. I was standing there and I hadn’t said a word yet, and what did I do? I took off my sandals because I knew the ground I was standing on was holy and that my life was never, ever going to be the same again. It was in that moment that I heard a voice. Not an audible, loud, human kind of voice, but inner words spoken somewhere in my soul that were very clear and very concise. What I heard was, ‘Teach this book, and I will take care of everything else.’ In that moment by the side of a lake, barefoot, with my tongue tied and my heart on fire, I found something I could give my life to.” (Velvet Elvis, p. 40)

Sometimes we lose focus of the fact that what we do in our office throughout the week is holy and where we stand (or sit) on Sunday mornings or any day we are carrying out a ministry in the name of our church is holy ground. I know there are times late on Saturday nights or at other times in the week that we scratch our heads and think to ourselves, “Why am I killing myself doing this? What am I really accomplishing? Does it really matter to those that I will face in a few hours?” When those times inevitably come, I encourage you to take your shoes off, either physically or mentally, and remember that what you are doing is holy work. Take assurance in knowing that, like He did to Rob Bell that summer’s day, God will whisper to your soul, “Teach this book, and I will take care of everything else.” And you, like Rob, will feel that tightening of the throat and the glow in your heart and you will know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, “this is something I can give my life to.” You are making a difference in untold numbers of lives, not just for today but for eternity. God bless you!

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ......

FOR MINISTERS OF EDUCATION: Annual GBREA meeting, January 20-21, 2011, "Being a Transformational Church" with Bruce Raley - http://www.gbrea.org/

FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: Sunday School in HD Conference, March 10-11, 2011 - http://www.sundayschoolinhd.org/

FOR YOUNG ADULT LEADERSHIP: Threads "NOW" Conference: Challenging & Equipping Young Adults to Live Missionally, April 15-17, Nashville, TN - http://threadsmedia.com/now

FOR DISCIPLESHIP/BIBLE STUDY: January 2011 Bible Study: The Truth About Grace (Studies from Galatians) Preaching Suggestions, FREE Age Group Resources http://www.lifeway.com/JBS

FOR WOMEN'S MINISTRY: Bundle discount for Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer simulcasts in 2011 - http://www.lifeway.com/event/423/

FOR WOMEN'S MINISTRY: Girl's Ministry Forum, February 25-26, 2011, Nashville, TN - http://www.lifeway.com/event/330/?cid=women-eupdate-GForum-121310-feature


FOR CHURCH-WIDE BIBLICAL LITERACY: "Read the Bible for Life" study - http://www.lifeway.com/product/005253507/

A Month for Giving

^{(adapted from an article in www.Carepages.com)}

December is known for a time of giving. Here are some ways to give something to someone this month or any other month of the year.

1. Give blood. One pint of blood can save three lives.

2. Give life. By being an organ donor you can save the lives of up to 50 people.

3. Give companionship. Call someone and brighten their day.

4. Give entertainment. Host a table game tournament for family and friends.

5. Give before you’re asked to. Volunteer to help an organization in your area.

6. Give confidence. Donate your locks to a child suffering from long-term hair loss due to illness at www.locksoflove.org.

7. Give wisdom. Become a role model to someone who can benefit from the wisdom of your experience. Mentoring.org can help you find the right opportunities in your area.

8. Give love. Adopt an abandoned or mistreated pet from a local shelter. Or volunteer your time to walk dogs on your lunch hour.

9. Give togetherness. Volunteer with your family. Familycares.org offers ideas for several kid-friendly projects you can do all together, from helping the homeless to holiday-specific projects.

10. Give warmth. Clean out everything in your closet you haven’t worn in more than a year and donate it to your thrift store.

11. Give energy. Call you local utilities company and give to their program to help families in need with their electric bill.

12. Give gratitude. Write a note to a parent or good friend, telling them how much you love them.

13. Give compliments. Point out something special about every person you encounter today.

14. Give yourself a break. Enjoy a timeout from chores today. Do something "frivolous" instead: eat cake for breakfast, get a massage or watch bad TV.

15. Give yourself time. Get up 30 minutes earlier in the day to do something you never have time for. Meditate, exercise, read or just enjoy the stillness!

16. Give yourself props. Write down three things you really like about yourself. Refer to this list the next time you need a boost.

17. Give it a shot. Resolve to take up that new hobby or register for that new class you’ve been thinking about forever.

18. Give hugs. Never underestimate the power of the human embrace.

Things You Might be Interested in ....

FOR CHURCH STAFF: "The Exchange with Ed Stetzer", a free monthly live webcast featuring Ed Stetzer to discuss issues of the day that confront churches and church staff - http://www.lifeway.com/article/169973/
FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: Sunday School in HD Conference, March 10-11, 2011 - http://www.sundayschoolinhd.org/
FOR MINISTERS OF EDUCATION: Annual GBREA meeting, January 20-21, 2011, "Being a Transformational Church" with Bruce Raley - http://www.sundayschoolinhd.org/
FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP: How to use the Transformational Church Assessment Tool to its Greatest Effect - http://www.lifeway.com/article/170252/

FOR PASTORS: "Pastoring with Passion" by David Holt - http://www.churchsmart.com/store/viewItem.asp?idproduct=1263
FOR CHURCH STAFF: "Kickstarting a Plateaued or Declining Church" by Ed Stetzer - http://www.edstetzer.com/2010/10/kick-starting-the-plateaued-an.html
FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP: "Courageous" the movie, to be released in September - http://www.courageousthemovie.com/home
FOR CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: Theo, an upcoming animated small group discipleship for kids - http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/kidsministry101/2010/11/a-sneak-peek-at-theo.html
FOR DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY: "Read the Bible for Life", a whole church emphasis for biblical literacy - http://www.lifeway.com/product/005253507/