| Studying Your Bible |
| Are you straving yourself spiritually? Example: Late Saturday night a group of friends leave McDonalds and they say goodnight. Rita asks Bobby, 'Do you want me to pick you up for church in the morning?" "Uh, I don't think I'm going. I'm really tired. I've been so busy lately, I think I'll sleep in." "Bobby that's three weeks in a row." "Rita lighten up! It's just church. I won't die or anything." The topic is spiritual food. You go to a resturant to eat right. You might order something to drink, eat and then dessert. Well you can get the same effect with the Word of God. To Drink- 1 Peter 2:2- "as newborn babes, desires the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby," To Eat- John 6:51- "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of the bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." For Dessert- Psalms 119:103- "How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!" What if your physical intake of food was tied to your spiritual diet? In other words, suppose you were permitted to eat one calorie of physical food for each word of Scripture you presently read per day? Would you enjoy a fest b/c you have a healthy appetite for God's Word? Or would ou experience a famine? Try a 3-step experience: 1st- ask God to give you a greater hunger for his word 2nd- get together with a Christian and agree that you will read Galations, Ephesians, Phillippians, and Colossions during the next week. Discuss what you have read daily. 3rd- at the end of reading the 4 books evaluate the experiment. Deuteronomy 8:3- "'So humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know tha tman shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that preceeds from the mouth of the LORD.'" Example: When Jack set aside 6:15-6:45 each morning as his "appointment with God" he noticed a big spurt inhis spiritual growth. Carol's evening devotions became more meaningful when she began to spend a few minutes spend a few minutes softly singing her favorite praise songs to God. Remember that effective devotions depend on: -Determination Deuteronomy 4:29- "'But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with allyou heart and with all your soul.'" -Discipline 1 Timothy 4:7- "But rejuect profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness." -Doing what God says James 1:22- "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only deceiving youselves." Is there a right time for devotions? NO!!! Some perer teh morning (Psalm 5:3), while others find that evening works better (Psalm 119:55,62,148). Still others take short times with God all through the day (Psalm 55:17, Daniel 6:10). The POINT is to have your devotional time whenever you can concentrate best. Tips to help improve your devotional life: 1. Begin by asking God to talk to you (1 Samuel 3:10). 2. Use any kind of short devotionals as a starting point. You can find devotionals on the internet and in books, Some bibles have them included. 3. Meditate onteh verse you read each day. Biblical meditation (Psalm 199:97-99) involves concentration on the meaning of a passage. Its like soaking your mind in a portion of God's Word until the truth becomes a part of your life. 4, As you read, ask yourself questions like: Is there a sin to avoid? Is there a promise to calim? Is there a new insight about God? Is there a command to follow or an example to follow? Psalm 63 Think about it: What would happen right now if there were no Bibles, no hymn books, no churches, no worship services. What would your life be like if starting today you never again heard God's Word? Would your life lack direction? Would you rlife's purpose be removed?Would joy leave? OR Would your life go on pretty much the same as it always has? If in your life there is a"a famine of hearing the words of the LORD," you can do something avout it. Put your hand on the front cover of a Bible. Put your right hand on the back cover. Open and read. Psalm 119:9-11, 97-105 Luke 29:25-45 1 Timothy 4:13 |