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“This is my daily bread, your very word, spoken to me” (Barnett 2002)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
(Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Psalms 119:105)
… Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures…” (ibid. Matt. 22:29)
Every believer knows that they should read the Bible; however, it is a sad fact that many Christians do not have a daily routine of reading through God’s word. This is not meant to be a guilt trip. Being guilted can often lead to a begrudging habit, and that does not sound like a productive action in one’s spiritual formation. Therefore, you do not need to build up a defense against the feeling of guilt. Instead, why don’t we begin to explore some ancient Christian practices that were developed for productive time in God’s word. When you gain something from a habit, you’re more likely to do it without a sense of guilt.
Have you
ever been in a conversation with someone who isn’t really listening to what
you’re saying? They may be hearing your
words but before you’ve finished your thought, they have already formulated a
response. Perhaps, they are the type who
takes one part of your speech and goes off in a personal story that has nothing
to do with what you’re saying. They
dominate the conversation and you’re not even sure it should be called a
conversation, maybe it is more like a monolog.
We’ve all been in situations like this and therefore, we can relate to
the frustration that comes from not being heard. Now ask yourself, how often do you listen to
God’s word?
Hearing
could be described as a passive activity, but you cannot passively listen to anything. Many of us have received an email or text
message and only glanced at its content.
Our eyes quickly scan the words only looking for a generalized
understanding. The same can be said
about reading the Bible, a person can read the words without engaging the
text. Other times, we stop and read each
word, seeing the whole sentence and gaging its meaning. Therefore, starting with a short passage or
section of scripture, begin by reading and imagining the text.
For
example: “Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done
for my soul” (Ps. 66:16 NASB). This Psalm
is not attributed to any person, so start by imagining yourself within an Old
Testament scene. Perhaps you’re with the
children of Israel listening to Moses at Sinai, or you’re there when David
leads the Ark of God to Jerusalem, or sometime after Solomon’s temple has been
dedicated. The reader reads these words
of Psalms 66:16, and let your imagination go, picture the biblical scenes that
touch your soul. Let this go on for as
long as you can.
Then when
you’re ready, become the speaker and say, “Come and hear, all you who fear God
and let me tell you what Jesus has done in my soul.” Again, let your imagination run and remember
what Jesus has done in your life. Imagine
telling people about how you met Jesus.
Think about telling someone about a troubled time you’ve been through
and how now you can see the hand of God leading you through that time. This is a way to live the scriptures and make
them a personal part of your very being.
“…But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome
times of my life, there was only one set of footprints…
[God]
whispered, "…When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then
that I carried you” (Stevenson n.d.)
[Next week: Meditation]
Written by Pastor Ozzy
2002."Breathe." The Air I Breathe .
B0000UWE04.
1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible.
LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.
Stevenson, Mary. n.d. "Footprints in the
Sand."
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