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Ronald Horton Live it, show it, share it, teach it, and above all, actively love those around you whether they listen and believe or not!
 Jesse Vaught There is a great need for solid Bible teaching. Here there are some who believe in translation (as in “beam me up Scotty”!). Others teach about “house cleaning” and “demon-free zones” or claiming ownership of entire islands through armies of intercessors. Then of course there is the entrenchment of Islam, Hinduism, Bu…ddhism, and secularism.
And yet God loves them and desires them to be saved.See More
Jesse Vaught Excellent church service this morning followed by a three-hour, 10-course meal! Thank you for your kind generosity Shereen, Wendy, & Johanna (three faithful members of the new church here in KL).
Jesse Vaught Our hosts in Kuala Lumpur, Pastor Heng and wife Eunice.
Jesse Vaught 12:50am after a full, blessed day of relationship building and information gathering in Kuala Lumpur. Off to bed. I will give my first class in the morning on how to lovingly approach doctrinal differences – how to avoid unhealthy tension in the relationship and yet also not compromise the truth.
Jesse Vaught Had very productive two days in Singapore. Now in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and heading off to a planning meeting with the new house church here.
Jesse Vaught So I’m sitting here eating breakfast in Singapore, day one, Aug 24, and open my Bible to read Ps 24. Verse 1 says “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein”
Praise the Lord! How true it is!
Jesse Vaught Landed safely in Tokyo, boarding flight to Singapore in 20min. Read an excellent book “Foreign to Familiar”. It describes several cultural categories such as “relationship vs task orientation”, “direct vs indirect communication”, “individual vs group identity”, etc. Very eye-opening even if you never leave your home country.
Jesse Vaught Just boarded my flight to San Francisco then to Tokyo and then arriving in Singapore about 23hrs from now!
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Ronald Horton Sounds interesting. Hi from Seoul… be flying back the way you came in a couple of hours, but stopping in ANC. Fair winds, good fortune, and God’s blessings on your survey.
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Dan Martinez Let them know we are on Fire for Jesus, here in Colorado!
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Genesis Maraat I am glad you took time reading the book. Praying for your survey trip. May God direct you in every way…
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Jesse Vaught Thank you for the recommendation! I read the whole thing on one flight. Made many mental notes and have already applied it to my tasks here and back in the US.
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 John 14:6 is the oft-quoted verse where Jesus says,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Have you ever considered the context of that verse? It is Jesus’ answer to Thomas’ question:
“Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Thomas asked this question after Jesus had just said he did know.
“Where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Thomas’ problem is a classic case of a person having too much of an earthly, physical perspective and not seeing things with spiritual, relational eyes. Thomas keyed in on the words “where” and “the way”. He thought in physical terms. If I say “where” or “the way”, you will think of a location, or a route. This was what Thomas did, but that’s not what Jesus meant! Jesus answer redirects Thomas to himself, the person of Jesus Christ, God Himself. Jesus IS the way. Knowing HIM is the key, not some mapped out route or location. How well do you know HIM? Isn’t a relationship with Him the point being emphasized here? We would do well to check our level of intimacy with Him, rather than always checking our circumstances, or our knowledge.
The next conversation solidifies this point. Now, it’s Philip’s turn to be human! He says,
“Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
I believe Philip was also speaking from a physical point of view. He wanted to see the Father with his eyeballs. Jesus’ answer again points us to a relationship with Christ. Jesus said to Philip,
“Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’”
The rest of Jesus’ teaching in John 14 explains an interrelationship between God the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and his followers.
Praise God that, through Christ, anyone who believes in Him has been reconciled to the Father, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and now has access to the level of intimacy Jesus spoke of in this chapter. Keep your spiritual eyes centered on the Way, the Truth, and the Life today.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you into a lifestyle of having this perspective and remind you when your physical perspective is getting in the way of seeing the Way!
Telling someone the good news (gospel) of the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ certainly is the most important message we can give anybody. For this reason, it is important to discuss the various methods, although the best method is simply the one you use!
Years back I read a book that helped me tremendously when sharing the gospel. It’s called “Engaging the Closed Minded” by Dan Story.
In the opening chapter Dan Story acknowledges the full range of methods from friendship evangelism to street preaching. Some methods emphasize the grace of God (Gospel), while other methods emphasize the law of God (Law), and still other methods emphasize proving the things of God (Apologetics). He argues that the application of Law, Gospel, or Apologetics depends on the person to whom you are speaking.
We must be aware that not everyone will benefit from the same approach. Since different people go through life with different views of God and different views of salvation, we must adjust our methods to reach them more effectively. This is not to be confused with changing our message. The message does not change, only the method.
When it comes to their understanding of God, people typically fall into one of four groups.
- They believe in God, but do not understand or believe in Jesus as their personal Savior
- They consider themselves to be “spiritual” people or “religious” but do not necessarily believe in the God of the Bible.
- They do not believe in God at all or question His existence (atheist, and agnostics)
- They are “Christian” in name only – by family, or morals, or worldview.
And when it comes to their understanding of salvation, a person typically:
- Feels unworthy of salvation or doesn’t know how to be saved.
- Believes there are many paths to God.
- Doesn’t believe in or rejects their need for salvation, or even the concept of salvation.
- Understands and believes the gospel but chooses to rest on their own merit. They haven’t made the gospel personal.
Which method best fits each person in these different groups? Spend a few minutes thinking of different scenarios and whether Law, Gospel, or Apologetics would be appropriate. Pray that God will speak to you through his Holy Spirit to show you how to best share the good news of salvation to those around you. If you feel weak in one of these areas, please tell someone about it today who can help you grow in that area.
Many years ago I was admiring the knowledge of a trusted teacher. He said to me,
I’m still confused, just at a higher level!
Sometimes I feel this way in my studies of the Bible. I have been reading the Bible regularly for 32 years and studying it seriously for 21 years, and there are so many things that I still can’t explain. Don’t get me wrong, hard work and diligent study has paid off. I love knowing the Word of God as I do. It is transformative, life-changing. It is sharper than a two-edged sword. Every Christian should study the Word passionately. But I’ve also seen that there are many things in Scripture that are ambiguous, confusing, and hard to explain.
It used to bother me when people talked about the difficulties of understanding the Bible, because oftentimes the people seemed to me to be lazy, or unwilling to diligently study. It is true that many people use the complexity of the Bible as an excuse, but I’ve discovered that, like my wise teacher, there are people who understand an important truth about Scripture. It is both ambiguous and certain.
If you say the Bible is “too hard to understand” and don’t study, you are missing many of its wonderful riches.
But if you say the Bible “can be completely understood by hard study”, you too are missing many of its wonderful riches.
Expert theologians work very hard to remove ambiguity. Translators of many of the modern English Bibles in attempting to create an “easy to read” version have intentionally removed ambiguity that was there in the original language. Again, don’t misunderstand me, much confusion IS cleared up by proper translation and good theology. However, an honest student of God’s word will confess that tensions remain. When I am honest, I must admit that even my most solid doctrines contain some elements of uncertainty. In fact, if we don’t admit that, we run the risk of developing strange, even ungodly, ideas. And on the other hand, if we cannot admit that there IS certainty in Scripture, we also run the same risk. There is both ambiguity and certainty in Scripture.
The proponents of study often quote 2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
And on the other side, many quote Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
But both are true! These are both quotes from the same Bible.
Consider Romans 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
and Ephesians 1:17-18 where Paul was praying
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
So what of it? What can be said in conclusion? God wants us to relate to HIM. The facts of scripture tell us something about HIM. But He leaves enough ambiguity there that we should not put our faith in facts, but in Him. The ambiguities also tell us something about Him, but He presents enough facts about Himself that we are not lost in confusion. So, study hard, read diligently, pursue wisdom and knowledge, but never forget that His ways really are higher than your ways!
Click on the picture to the left and watch the first 7 minutes or so of the video (if you’re in a hurry, skip ahead to chapter one “In the Beginning” and watch for just a minute or two).
My favorite spot is shortly after chapter one begins where it shows the universe exploding into existence upon God’s command!
Pretty amazing, huh?
But, have you ever wonder where God came from? Let’s look at what the Bible tells us:
God was there in the beginning
“In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was God” (John 1:1)
In fact, God was the beginning
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13)
And He was before the beginning, no god existed before him.
“Before me there was no God was formed, nor shall there be any after me” (Isaiah 43:10)
“I am the first and the last, besides me there is no god” (Isaiah 44:6)
How do we wrap our minds around this? Of course, it is impossible to truly comprehend, God is spirit, but we are spirit and body. Our entire human existence has been in the context of physical matter, space, dimension, time, and limits, where things have beginnings and ends. So, to imagine or understand something beyond those parameters is inherently difficult.
Some try to explain this by describing a fictitious man who lives in Flatland. This is helpful indeed but it’s still difficult to understand where the sphere came from. What was its beginning? Who or what created it?
When thinking of God, sure, I can imagine my eyes being opened to another dimension and suddenly understanding more clearly the nature of God. But it’s still hard for me to imagine somehow understanding the origin of God.
There is something I believe we do without even knowing we do it, which makes this topic so difficult. We assume a context outside of God. We imagine a space in which God exists. A timeline into which He began. A measure of power against which His power is measured. Our difficulty in understanding a limitless God is that we assume there must be something beyond Him which defines those limits. We imagine a limitless God as being HUGE or an eternal God as being really OLD, but can’t truly comprehend words like “limitless” or “eternal” because words like “huge” and “old” imply a context. Those words are always pictured from a point of view outside the thing being measured.
 So, when we attempt to “size God up”, we do our best to picture the biggest, most powerful being ever. It goes something like this: imagine all the power in the whole universe, then imagine someone more powerful than that, that’s God. The problem with that is that we imagine Him as if He is an envelope around all that power. The problem is that envelopes still have limits. Our mental picture is still take from outside, and hence from a vantage point beyond God. We don’t even recognize our arrogance in assuming that perspective!
How can we get back to the proper vantage point? We have to understand that there is NO “IS” beyond God. There is no vantage point beyond God. No power exists beyond God’s. We only struggle with this because we envision the empty space after “beyond”. Do you see how that puts God into a context? But the context isn’t there. God IS the context.
In fact, to even say that God has power is a bit misleading. God is power (1 Tim 6:15).
To say that God has love implies a source of love outside of God. The Bible says “God IS love”. (1 John 4:8)
God IS light (1 John 1:5), truth, and life (John 14:6).
God does not have a beginning, He IS the beginning (Revelation 22:13).
The key to our understanding of God is to worship Him for who He really is. He IS the context. Everything we know and can measure came from His essence, His character, His nature. It is a truly terrifying adjustment of perspective to meditate on this. To imagine that the thing we call “power” is something that came from God, that He himself IS the context for “power”. It isn’t something he just has a whole bunch of, HE IS!!!
It’s interesting when Moses asked God what he should say to Pharoah when Pharoah asked Moses who sent him. The answer: “tell him ‘I AM’ sent you.”
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Let’s hear your thoughts and questions on this! Leave a comment below.
The message I preached Sunday (01/10/10) was from 1 Corinthians 4:6-17 where the apostle Paul urges the Corinthians to imitate him (vs. 16), but not before giving an ironic comparison between them and him. I had to ask myself, do I really want the apostles’ adjectives to describe my life? Is it worth it? I also used 2 Cor 11:23-27 where Paul gives his “résumé” of suffering. What does that mean for me? I aspire to be like the leaders in scripture. Sometimes (like even in last week’s message) I will relate to the apostle’s position and example. Not this week. I’ve never been beaten, etc. and do I really even want to???
First of all, it is worth it.
The One with the power to raise Christ from the dead wants to empower you with that power.
He told Paul in the next chapter after the “résumé”, in 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
And Paul responded with
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
I am praying for you friends, that
“ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (Eph 1:18-20)
And that you
“may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (Eph 3:18-20)
Second of all, I realized when Paul says, “imitate me” he doesn’t mean go looking for a beating. He tells the Corinthians that he was sending Timothy to “remind you of my ways”. We should aspire to DO the things that the apostles DID. So, we don’t aspire to suffer, but we aspire to have the same eternal mindset, focused on the heavenly rewards. However, knowing that suffering is inevitable frees us from the bondage of the fear of it. When we see that it is inevitable we go through that soul-searching process of asking “IS IT WORTH IT?” Coming to the answer or “Yes, it is” then we are left with our minds set on doing those things which lead to godly lives and eternal rewards.
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim 3:12)
I didn’t mention earlier, but I believe persecution comes in many forms, not just your standard torture/starving/beating stuff. Any trial is a kind of persecution if you recognize that we are in a spiritual battle.
In each of these passages, the pain is worth it, and the response is a renewed desire for godly living and perseverance. Read them and meditate on them today! 2 Cor 4:7-18; Rom 7:24-25; 2 Tim 4:6-8; 1 Cor 15:54-58
 Life has ups and downs. It is unavoidable. We have all experienced this. Even godly people in the Bible experienced trial and triumph, burden and blessing. How do you handle this reality? What are the marks of maturity when it comes to the ebb and flow of life?
Some people believe and teach that if you are a good Christian then you will avoid the sorrows of life. While it is true that exercising godly wisdom will bring “life to your soul and grace to your neck” (Proverbs 3:21-22), it is also true that it “rains on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45). 2 Timothy 3:12 even says “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
So there will be good days and there will be bad days. The absence of bad days is not the mark of a godly person. However, there is a notable stability in the mature believer that may sometimes be mistaken for a problem-free life. A closer look reveals that it is not the circumstances that are stable, but the person’s disposition. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is consistently evident even in inconsistent circumstances.
The funny thing is that, oftentimes, this “temperate” (1 Tim 3:2) behavior even in bumpy times tends to smooth out the bumps. The ups and downs aren’t as extreme or as frequent. In the life of the immature believer or the non-believer, the swings from good to bad can be quite extreme and quite frequent.
Imagine the response of the average child on their first few roller coaster rides. Compare that to the response of the veteran adult amusement park rider. The size of the hills and the valleys are the same for both. The child has extreme emotional swings throughout the ride. The adult, while still feeling some of the same emotions, has a steadiness about them and an overall sense of joy, even in that clickety-clackety ascent to the peak of impending doom; because they know that it is not doom after all.
How can you “even out the bumps” in your life?
It is not very enjoyable to be tossed around by your emotions as you react almost uncontrollably to the things that come your way – good or bad! How much better to have an steady response, whether to good or to bad. Oh, to always have the perspective that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” Rom 8:18 or the other-wordly attitude of 2 Corinthians 4:7-18.
What a beautiful thing instead for our every knee-jerk reaction to be one of “love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”!
We must walk in the Spirit! This is the promise of Galatians 5:16-23.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says it nicely.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
This last phrase “direct your paths” means literally to “make smooth or straight”. Some of the curves may go away as you live more wisely, but the best part is that the inevitable curves which remain will not hurl you off the embankment; but God will give you superb traction, such that the road, for all practical purposes, is “made straight”!
Blessings in your journey,
Jesse
 The sermon today from 1 Corinthians 3:9-17 focused on the practical issues of doing good or bad works. The passage teaches us that Jesus Christ is the only foundation but that there are different ways to build on that foundation. Our works are likened to various building materials and the day of judgment is likened to fire. Certain building materials will burn up in fire and others will survive. In the same way our good works will earn us rewards, while our bad works will suffer us loss.
What was not covered in the sermon, at least in any detail, was the subject of Eternal Security. Can a saved person lose their salvation? Is it correct to say “Once Saved Always Saved”?
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 is a powerful passage in this debate. But before, I elaborate, let me invite you to post your questions or concerns about this topic by leaving a comment below.
Jesse
I recently gave a sermon entitled “Seven Facts about You” (click to listen) from 1 Corinthians 1:1-9.
A question came up after the sermon about verse 7. What does it mean when it says “so that you come short in no gift”?
For verse 7, there are a few possible interpretations. Consider this quote:
“The exact meaning of you are not lacking in any spiritual gift is uncertain. The possibilities are:
(a) there is not one of God’s gifts that you do not have (TEV and REB have this interpretation);
(b) there are none of God’s gifts that you do not have enough of;
(c) there is not one of God’s gifts that you have less of than any other gift (the King James Version [KJV] seems to take this meaning).”
from Ellingworth, P., Hatton, H., & Ellingworth, P. (1995). A handbook on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators. New York: United Bible Societies.
However, I think the best explanation for this verse is that no believer is left without a spiritual gift.
Examine the context. Paul is establishing several facts about the Corinthian believers and any “who call on the name of the Jesus Christ our Lord”. So this must be something that is true for every believer.
We know from experience that not every believer has every gift. We also know logically, if that was true there would be no diversity, and passages like 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 would lose their meaning. The metaphor of the body with all its different parts would also lose its meaning. This addresses (a).
It is also not true that every believer has their particular gift maxed out. Quite often I see people with a particular gift, but they fall short in it. I suppose you could say that they aren’t really falling short, they just aren’t appropriating the gift’s full potential. You might also say that it applies at the church level, but again, you’d have to admit that it sure doesn’t seem to be true in many churches. This addresses (b).
Lastly, I can personally testify that some gifts are stronger than others in me, so I don’t think (c) is true either.
It IS true, though, that every believer is given one or more spiritual gift(s). No believer comes up lacking by not having a spiritual gift.
Do you know how the Lord has gifted you? How are you giving back to Him?
Please contact me or seek out a friend to help you discover or use a gift for the Lord.
Jesse
For verse 7, there are a few possible interpretations. Consider this quote:
“The exact meaning of you are not lacking in any spiritual gift is uncertain. The possibilities are:
(a) there is not one of God’s gifts that you do not have (TEV and REB have this interpretation);
(b) there are none of God’s gifts that you do not have enough of;
(c) there is not one of God’s gifts that you have less of than any other gift (the King James Version [KJV] seems to take this meaning).”
–Ellingworth, P., Hatton, H., & Ellingworth, P. (1995). A handbook on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators. New York: United Bible Societies.
I, however, think the best explanation for that verse is that no believer is left without a spiritual gift. Consider the context. Paul is establishing several facts about the Corinthian believers and any “who call on the name of the Jesus Christ our Lord”. So this must be something that is true for every believer.
You and I both know that not every believer has every gift. If that was true there would be no diversity and passages like 1 Cor 12 and Romans 12 would lose their meaning. The metaphor of the body with all its different parts would also lose its meaning. This addresses (a).
It is also not true that every believer has their particular gift maxed out. Quite often I see people with a particular gift, but they fall short in it. I suppose you could say that they aren’t really falling short, they just don’t realize it. You might also say that it applies at the church level, but again, you’d have to admit that it sure doesn’t seem to be true in many churches. This addresses (b).
Lastly, I can personally testify that some gifts are stronger that others in me, so I don’t think (c) is true either.
It IS true though that every believer is given one or more spiritual gift. No believer comes up lacking by not having a spiritual gift.
Hope this helps,
Jesse
 I wanted to post some thoughts on spending time with God. Some people call this “quiet time” or “devotions”, but whatever you call it, make sure you strive for a regular, uninterrupted, quiet, devotional, and personal time with your heavenly Father.
I initially wrote this as an email for a couple members in the church and I decided it would be helpful for everyone.
Don’t be overwhelmed by all this, go with whatever you think fits you the best; then come back to this from time to time to get a new idea. It’s good to keep things fresh!
Like any relationship, there are suggestions and guidelines but what you ultimately do will be living, dynamic and unique to you and the Lord.
The right mindset and worship
In 1 Corinthians 2:14 explains how things from God are spiritually discerned so keep that in mind as you read. When we go to God’s word to learn more about him, we should do so in spirit. It’s not just about learning facts. Learning facts are important but that’s only a piece. Just like the facts you learned about each other when you were dating were important, but if that’s all there had been you wouldn’t have ever gone further in your relationship.
To have this spiritual mindset it is helpful to include worship in your quiet time. This is a big area for further discussion, but basically it’s the idea of attributing worth to God and setting your mind on Him. You can utilize music, or looking at creation, or photos, or reflecting on God’s attributes, or anything to help you focus on who He is.
Since worship is appreciating who God is, you must learn who God is so you have something to appreciate! This is where Bible reading comes in.
The book of Psalms is a great place to start to incorporate learning about the attributes of God and also worshipping. The psalms were written to be songs so they have a musical, lyrical feel to them and are mostly easy to read. David is the main author of Psalms and you can journey with him through the full range of emotions – from sheer delight, to anger, to confusion, loneliness, persecution, celebration, gratitude, confidence, doubt, etc.
Bible Reading
Again Psalms is good for many reasons. Just skim around until something jumps out at you and read that Psalm, then spend some time reflecting.
For your questions, simply keep a notebook with your Bible and jot the question down for later and keep on going. This will help you keep your quiet time as primarily relational, connection time with you and God. Of course if pursuing the question is part of that, then by all means pursue it right then and there. But if it’s more of an intellectual curiosity or something you need to ask someone about, write it down. Then, whenever you’re with someone you think might know the answer, you can bring it up. I love getting questions by email, so that’s always an option too.
There are many techniques that you may try. I mix and match and even come up with new ones.
- Read until something stops you, then stop and talk to the Lord about why it stopped you. What does He want you to learn? Ask questions about what you read like “What does God want me do get from this? What is the point?”, “Who is God? What is He like? What does this passage tell me about Him?”
- Read a single verse or two in a book of your choice (I suggest books by the Apostle Paul first), really digesting every word. Read it over and over emphasizing a different word each time. For example using Rom 5:8:
- For GOD demonstrates his love for us, that…
- For God DEMONSTRATES his love for us, that…
- For God demonstrates his LOVE for us, that…
- For God demonstrates his love for US, that…
- etc.
- Go through a large passage at once, read for the big picture. Read an epistle such as Ephesians as a letter (just like if you get a letter in the mail, you read the whole thing)
- Listen to the Bible. Or listen and read at the same time. Or listen, read, and journal at the same time. This is one of my favorites. I use www.biblegateway.com and listen in the NIV while I read in the NKJV.
- Read a Psalm corresponding to the date. There are thirty days avg in each month. Begin with whatever the current date and read the corresponding psalm. Then add 30 to that date and read that psalm. Keep adding 30 until you have read five psalms. For example, if it were the 7th of the month, you would read Psalm 7, 37, 67, 97 and 127. Tip: Psalm 119 is long. You may find it helpful to save it for the thirty-first day of the month.
- Read a chapter in Proverbs corresponding to the date. There are 31 chapters in proverbs.
- Use a devotional guide. Read whatever scripture is on that day’s page along with the devotional text. There are several in The Point library you may check out.
- Read through the Bible in a year (or two years). www.oneyearbibleonline.com
- Develop a “portfolio” of favorite passages. go to them according to your mood.
- Pick something you have always wanted to know more about and study it. I can give you some pointers on doing this.
- I try to meditate on some key passages related to the Christian life regularly, regardless of where else I am reading.
- Galatians 5
- Ephesians 5
- Philippians 3:12-16, 20
- Colossians 3
- Romans 6-8 (ch 8 is easier to understand than 6-7)
Prayer
- Praying the Psalms is nice, since many of them were prayers to begin with. Just say them out loud and personalize them a bit as you go.
- Write your prayers. This is my favorite because it helps my concentration. Sometimes I’ll write what I think the Lord is saying to me to, like a little back-and-forth dialog – very helpful.
- Pray out loud and pray quietly, both have different benefits.
- There are different kinds of prayers, make sure to have a balance. Praise, adoration/worship, thanksgiving, requests, needs, intercession (requests on behalf of other people), confession, wants, questions, simple conversation / small talk (that’s fun too!).
- Keep a prayer journal. Note the requests you are making. Go back every so often and write down any answers you’ve seen.
Other Considerations
- A good thing to remember is all the Bible is for us, and Paul’s books are specifically to us. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Colossians 1:25. I’m eager to see your questions about this!
- Take a topical journey for a few days or weeks. For example, every day at the beginning of your quiet time write “God is…” at the top of your journal page. Fill it out with whatever you find in your reading that day. You can do something similar for any topic you want to explore.
- Try various times of the day (upon waking up, before work, lunch time, after work, at mealtime, before bedtime, in the middle of the night)
- Ask others how they do it.
A great pattern to start with is prayer, Bible reading, then prayer again. You might add journaling and some exercises in worship too. Mix it up whenever you feel like you’re starting to get in a rut. Please post any follow-up questions as comments below.
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Danny Sandoval My prayers are with you JesseAugust 24 at 6:32am
Dan Martinez Let them know we are on Fire for Jesus, here in Colorado!August 24 at 5:17pm
Genesis Maraat I am glad you took time reading the book. Praying for your survey trip. May God direct you in every way…August 25 at 10:29pm
