Tag: Purpose of Scripture

Infusing Your Heart

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It has been my observation; without a plan we will soon fade and perish. Furthermore, there is wisdom available when we take in the council of many wise men schooled in the things of God. Cities are not built in a single day, they take time, planning, resources, effort, a solid process, and commitment to the end goal. This is the second part of an essay series on the art of educating yourself on scripture. In the first essay we explored two topics – (1) decide to learn and (2) focus on your learning objectives.

Let us review – decide to learn – choosing to dive in, choosing to open the scriptures and open your heart to the wisdom of God. That is the first step. Then comes the focus on learning objectives– select where and in what you are interested. If you do not know where to begin, I suggest that you open the bible to the Gospel of John. Start there. Get to know Jesus, not as a casual acquaintance, but as a trusted friend. Look for my essays on prayer and meditation. Dive in. Pray, focus, and learn.

With that in mind, let us move on to more parts of the learning process that might be helpful. At this juncture; you may be feeling a little unsure of yourself. We read in Luke — The things which are impossible with men are possible with God (Luke 18:27). Push into this. You will not be disappointed. God will provide.

Learning Preparation. In other essays I talked about a Toolkit and a Wall of Truth. I want to revisit these items. They are part of learning preparation and data retention. Proverbs says — Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house (Proverbs 24:27).

Zechariah says — Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin (Zechariah 4:10).

Before you dive into the acquisition of books and material, I suggest you ponder for a bit on how you learn. If you are a reader, then your choice of books is important. If video is part of your learning formula, then the bible app may be a useful resource. Please remember, adapt your wall of truth to the format of your data. I suggest you do not depend upon a single mode of learning. Data coming at you in different formats may enhance the learning process. Be patient, anything worth doing usually takes a bit of discipline and effort. Keep focused.

Let us keep in mind what Paul tells us about reasons for learning — All Scripture is breathed out by God and (1) profitable for teaching, (2) for reproof, (3) for correction, and for (4) training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

Do not lose sight of the prize. I have found while mining scripture – Easy is not always better. Use good judgement on your toolkit choices (study aids). We read in Joshua — Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8). Keep the word close by. Get the phone app, there will be times when you have some ‘dead space in your schedule.’  Use that phone bible app as needed– access the bible – ‘cause, ya know’, your bible is sitting in your house not in your hands.

Some people may prefer to use bible study guides to assist in their learning. If you have had experience with authors such as Max Lucado or David Jeremiah, you may find their guides helpful to get started. Select your reference bible, concordance, systematic theology book, bible dictionary, and your Greek and Hebrew dictionary after careful research. Include a visit with trusted friends who have experience with these tools. Perhaps they will show you their toolkit. I suspect that used bookstores and used online book services may become your friend. Reference bibles are handy. The Thompson Chain bible is handy.

Get your tools together, look the tools over, do some preliminary research using the tools to gain experience with the tools. If you have overcome the learning curve for the tools you are more likely to use them when you are formally engaged in learning. Establish a place on your phone or your laptop for the wall of truth. Organize the sub directories using your target list as a guide.

Start – work on the target list. Pace yourself. Read some, study some, document some, manage your energy outlay, do not hammer it, and then get burned out. Proverbs says — My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart (Proverbs 3:1).

Commit to the list, use the toolkit, retain what you learn on your wall of truth. Get moving.

Document your findings on your wall of truth carefully. Proverbs say — For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones (Proverbs 2:6-8).

I suggest that you set a weekly goal — keep your goals modest. Victory is always better than a frustrated failure. Measured progress is helpful.

Failure does not mean — stop. Failure does not mean — I cannot, so I won’t. Failure is simply a speed bump. Pick yourself up, give yourself grace, and start again. It is more important to start again than anything else that you can do during Bible study. This is the mark of a successful person; a person who can recover from failure. Depart failure and move to success as many times as is needed. Never stop trying. God’s mercy is amazing, it is renewed every sunrise. Every Sunrise. Take a few moments and review Lamentations 3:22-24; you will not be disappointed.

Daniel says — Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians (Daniel 1:3-4).

Paul says — For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope (Romans 15:4). Get ‘er’ done.

I choose Jesus.

Finding Your Voice

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It has been my observation that scripture has more to say about studying and learning than first meets the eye. The classic statement on reading scripture appears in 2 Timothy 2:15; we learn from Paul that we should study scripture and be able to express our thoughts to others who do not understand the truth.

If we invest the time, we will benefit from reading the ancients wisdom.  How does this notion of ‘studying’ emerge in our life? It starts with the occasional emission of pithy observations in our favorite bible study (as we gradually find our voice). We sometimes surprise ourselves with the things that come from our heart. We wonder where they came from. Then God reminds us of the source.

The pithy stuff morphs into decisions about how we are to live our life (scripture gradually seeps into our heart, overrides our earthly thoughts). We could say that acquisition morphs to transformation. Acquiring information leads to a changed (transformed) heart. As a man thinks – a man is. You have heard me say this proverb many times in my essays. Take a minute and review Proverbs 23:7…

All who manage their thoughts and control that noise come out of the mouth will keep his soul from troubles (implied in Psalms 21:23). The righteous man consumes the wisdom of God to satisfy and feed his soul: but the belly of the wicked craves earthly prater (implied in Proverbs 13:25).

Decide to learn. Knowing God’s word helps us to see trouble coming and tiptoe around the landmines of false teachings and philosophies. Knowing God’s word helps us to see goodness when we are staring at it. When a man takes the time to press into the Word, amazing things start to happen. The journey starts when we decide we want to enrich our relationship with God. Success begets success. But, during the growth process it is not uncommon to compare ourselves with others. I suggest you refrain from comparing your learning pace to others.

Learning is an extremely personal process, detailed cookie cutter methods do not usually yield much fruit, we all grow at different paces, with different interests in the variety of topics discussed in scriptures. Proverbs tells us — The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out (Proverbs 18:15). Decide that now is the time to start. Now is the time to grow. Now is the time to crawl into God’s word.

Identify your initial learning targets.I think it is wise to develop a simple list of things in which you are interested. You probably have a vague idea of things you are interested in, but I suggest you make it more specific; with a list you can monitor your progress. A little success, documented, leads to more success.

Daniel tells us — To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds (Daniel 1:17).

In addition to the list, I suggest you declare a clear ‘why’ I want to know the stuff on the list. Having a clear goal defined will help you know when you have achieved the learning objective. Proverbs tell us — Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them (Proverbs 4:5).

You might have noted that I did not recommend building a formal, detailed learning plan. While this can be helpful for some efforts, I think in this case the level of effort would not bear much fruit. Planning everything out at the front does not leave much space for spontaneous pursuit of interesting stuff you did not know you wanted to explore. I can say for sure – you are learning goals will shift over time.

I noted in 1 Kings 3:5-10 an interesting exchange between God and Solomon — That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”   Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne. Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who does not know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For whom, by himself, is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom (NIV).

I think it might be helpful to approach learning with Solomons willing heart. The first two objectives of learning are (1) Decide to learn and (2) Focus on your learning targets. There is more. In the next essay I will continue this line of reasoning. If you are interested, find the essay titled – Infusing the Mind.

I choose Jesus.

The Lowly Prayer Journal

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It has been my observation — Using a simple book (Journal) of blank pages or lined pages to keep a written record of the ideas and experiences in prayer and bible study is not uncommon. Many prayer warriors keep one to remind them of their successes (discovering God’s will) and their failures (stepping outside the swim lane).

This Journal will be full of their ideas, requests, notes on when and how they met the objectives, how they felt, what they talked about, and how God responded. And, most importantly, what they learned while reading and meditation on scripture.

Most people who keep the journal (wall of truth) do not talk much about the journal they are keeping. Occasionally they publish excerpts of their prayers as poetry or prose on electronic media or the printed page – or perhaps an essay or two.

Sometimes the entries are used to develop lyrics for songs. For the most part, their content remains private. If they keep a journal, you know they are spiritual warriors. They stand toe to toe with Lucifer. You would be wise to give them a bit of respect. I do.

The notion of expressing your prayer in writing is as old as the psalms. When David, a mere shepherd by was anointed to King by Samuel, he gradually began to journal his thoughts (inspired by the Holy Spirit) in the form of psalms. You may recall he was a musician and a dancer. It was a small step to integrate his prayer into music and lyrics.

Others such as Asaph, Moses, and the sons of Korah, created a wonderful library of inspired prayers and laments. These songs became the tools used by the Israelites in worship; they psalms become part of their knowledge about the things of God – they became a wall of truth.

This flow of journaled prayer morphed into the early church. Songs and recited liturgy were based upon the journaled prayers of the priests, monks, and scripture. The psalms (journaled prayers) have brought comfort and clarity to many people through the ages who sometimes use them as a beginning point for their own prayers and song lyrics even today. This is how the catechism came to be.

Many psalms are prayers to God and express a wide array of emotions, questions, and conclusions as the writer wrestles with life situations. One reason God placed the book of Psalms in our Bible was to give us examples of the kind of prayers we can create. The prayers in Psalms are honest, heartfelt, and pure streaming thought. We should do no less. We may never rise to the level of David in our thoughts, but we can make notes and write the things that come to our mind. As we review the thoughts, we can see our gradual growth in Jesus.

A prayer journal is an excellent way to keep our thoughts focused as we bring them to the Lord. Prayer journaling also helps document seasons of our lives – things that are important in one part of our life lose importance in other periods of our life. Writing our thoughts on paper helps us clarify them, and, like the psalmists, we gradually are able to develop a proper line of reasoning by the time we finish journaling. During the development process, the eraser is our best friend.

Even our darkest musings can be a seed for a wonderfully honest praise. For example, look at the power of Psalm 121. It starts with a question — I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? The psalm ends with the answer – the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. He is our help. This is an extraordinary flow of thought. Comforting and honest.

I think a journal is a grand tool for the thoughtful focused prayer warrior. The tool is a wonderful register of how God leads us to think about things while studying scripture and how he answers prayer. When we read the history of our life in conversation with the one true living God, we stand a bit easier, knowing he is there. 24/7. We stay on task because we want to stay on task.

For those who are called to pray and study, I thank God you have embraced this calling – you are the vanguard of the living truth.

I choose Jesus.

Things that Matter

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Written by Dan

It has been my observation – Paul tells us of the great race we are all engaged in, he often reminds us that every person who is involved in this competition needs to exercise self-control in all our thoughts and actions. We all know that in a human operated Tucson 10K Foot Race, the winner gets a medal. For us Christians, participating in the race that Paul speaks of, the prize is unique – it is imperishable. So then comes the question – what kind of things transition me into a top performer? Perhaps a better question is – what things will cause me to be the most useful to God’s mission here on earth? In a word – the answer is self-control.

In Galatians 5:22 we learn this discipline of self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. This transfers management of “self-control” from me to God’s Spirit. The spiritual power we gain from self-control happens when we respond to the word of God, knowing that greater joy will come through self-control, when we trust the Spirit of God to give us fortitude, and when we embrace God’s glory in his victory over our life. The mechanics of this action is simple — our will yields to his nudge both from his voice and from the scriptures. This is a demonstration of God in us working his plan (implied in Philippians 2:13).

Paul is telling us there are strong urges that we have to manage if we are going to move like a winner and graduate into the crown of righteousness. The urges we have to control are the impulses to do things that will weaken our zeal for God, our earnestness in prayer, our hunger for Scripture, our longing to love, our passion for holiness. How do we resist? We yield to Jesus. Consult often with the Holy Spirit about how to proceed.

Galatians 5:1-12 says — It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words. I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again, I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (NIV).

So, the mature Christian asks, what will improve my prayer life? What will draw me into God’s word? What will strengthen my compassion for others? What will help me grow? This is a call to order, a review of the impulses, habits, and practices of my life that interferes with my hunger for God. Paul brings up circumcision because it is a trip line in our race. People will work extremely hard to impose their definition of spiritual walk on you if you permit them to. They will spend a bunch of time wanting you to conform to their view, so they are comfortable their view is the right view. The larger the crowd believing a given point, the higher the probability the view is the correct view. Huh? This is a fallacy in logic. Think about this. How are laws built on public opinion working out for you?

The deeper truth – We start out in the race, confident, running a good pace. Then we are sidelined by some crazy teacher who throws up a little dust in the air and obscures our view of the goal with a new rule to follow – if we want to be ‘really spiritual’. I am convinced that kind of human objective followed by persuasion and distractions do not come from the Spirit of God. Any time you hear something new, take the time to dig through the word, looking for evidence that the message aligns with things the Holy Spirit has already stated. We are wise to avoid the ideas that pull you into confusion, whatever that may be, so we can avoid the trip wire (see Gal 5). Our self-control should focus us squarely on the things that matter.

I choose Jesus.

Responding To Friction

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To my young friend Albert, here are my thoughts on friction (verbal jousting) when talking about the things of God between friends. It has been my observation – when someone challenges how we use our belief system to make decisions, the verbal aggression and volume of our response is inversely proportional to our: (1) Assurance what we believe is unconditionally true; (2) Knowledge of the true nature of grace and the all-powerful living God; (3) Ability to suppress our fight or flight response; and (4) Assurance we are doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Observing how Jesus operates in Luke (His repetitive encounters and struggles with local leaders), Jesus rarely uses verbal aggression and volume to make a point. Rather, He tends to embrace logic (premise, supporting evidence, conclusion), presented in a calm voice, bathed in love for the listeners, and enveloped with the shekinah glory of God. Jesus exudes assurance, his actions reflect unconditional truth. Given the example of Jesus in Luke, we should take note of his approach. We gain knowledge of grace and God’s power by seeing how people make decisions when confronted by the truth. I think every time a person decides an issue, two things happen.

First, we make a choice (the right thing versus the wrong thing). The decision often includes consequences. Before we choose the path, we consider the available guidance from Scripture, listen to the nuances from the Holy Spirit, foster a willingness to abide within the wisdom and counsel of God; then implement the decision.

Second, we build character. Each time we decide to act on an issue, we draw from all we know (including our character) to continue. The outcome of our actions reflects our gradually morphing world view. We are learning how to manage our fight or flight response. The direction we take reflects our character. Our character is constantly aligning with our current decisions. Decisions that are based on a stable set of principles strengthen the resolve of our character. The aftermath of each decision gradually builds or diminishes our walk with God and our character (implied in Luke 6:45). “As a man thinketh; a man is” (Proverbs 23:7). As we grow, we gain assurance how to differentiate between right and wrong. And, at the same time we learn how to love the unlovely.

JI Packer said – “To love God and our neighbor requires us to behave like a referee. Our purpose is to live in a manner that is as pleasing to God and beneficial to our neighbor, within the limits that God has set.”

To this end, love prompts three ideas. First, love directs us to gain thorough knowledge of the full range of scriptural guidance. Without this basic knowledge, good decisions will be impossible. Second, love directs us, in each situation, to secure as much relevant information about actual causes and consequences as we can. The more information we have the better the decision. Third, love directs us, when we struggle with lack of knowledge or experience, to seek counsel from others who are better qualified to suggest what should be done, while at the same time declining to be swayed by loud noises and friction from people who are enthusiastic but not well informed.

Our life should be less about our self and more about Jesus (implied in Galatians 2:20). Paul tells us several times – I know what the right thing to do is, but I rarely get there all the time. Yet Paul claims victory because of the grace of God offered to him, renewed every morning, presented to Paul as a tool of restoral. Embracing grace, Paul can see a path forward. How then, do we move forward? Do we walk backwards in a circle, in a dark room, thinking about our past mistakes? Humm. We should walk forward, in a straight line, guided by light, embracing grace, looking to Jesus for help to do what needs to be done.

I choose Jesus.

Purpose of Scripture

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It has been my observation while browsing Hebrews, the word of God is alive and active to all who are looking for order and guidance in their life. Hebrews 4:12-13 (paraphrased) says — To be sure, we have been aggressively shaped by the Word; for it is sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates deep into our soul and spirit, it seeps through our joints digging deep into our marrow; we have no place to hide, nothing can be tucked away in our thoughts or actions. We stand naked, unable to run or hide, we have been judged. The hidden thoughts and subtle attitudes of our heart have been exposed. Nothing in our life can be hidden from God’s sight (as much as we might like to skulk in the shadows for things we have done). Everything in our life is laid bare before Him so we may give account (NIV). Over the years I have developed the utmost respect for scripture. It is difficult to ignore the Word. You may get fiercely angry at God for calling you out, you may repent, but you will never be indifferent to the message.

I believe that Scripture should have a strong role in our life; we should look to the message for insight and influence, we should look for help to discern right from wrong, we should expect the Word to deliver comfort during times of trouble, define our notions of why we are here, and explain the mysteries of ‘walking with God’.  Paul wrote — All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The fundamental purpose of scripture is to reveal God’s mind to us. Therefore, the Bible is very profitable for teaching. In Scripture we find comments on theism (existence of God), theos (nature, attributes, decrees and works of God), angels (the good ones and the evil ones), anthropology (nature, attributes, and works of man), soteriology (nature, attributes, decrees, and works of Jesus, plus the new covenant), Ecclesiology (community of believers), eschatology (the last days), and let us not overlook prophecy, history, poetry, wisdom, etc.  However, I want to be extremely clear – scripture is not exhaustive; it does not comment on every element of knowledge known to man. But, when scripture comments; it is absolutely, forever true.

As God reveals himself, he uses the Word for reproof of the foolish and correction of the misguided. The Greek word for reproof is elegcho, which means to convict, refute, or confute (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). As we read scripture, sometimes we are convicted by the Holy Spirit for a habit or activity that is not in alignment with the manufacture’s Handbook (scripture). If we read scripture with an open heart, the Bible becomes a set of operating principles to focus our thoughts, conduct, and behavior. The Greek word for correction, used in this verse, is epanorthosis. It means restoration to an upright or a right state; correction, and improvement (Thayer’s Greek lexicon). This is the purpose of the new covenant – restoring and adopting us into the bloodline of Abraham (the family of God) through the ransom.

We are changed because of God’s infusion of righteousness directly into our heart. Righteousness, as used by Paul in this verse, comes from the Greek term dikaiosune which can be defined as faith implanted into man producing gradual movement towards conformity with the will of God (Vine’s Greek Dictionary). We are learning to walk with God, implementing his plan. We learn about righteousness from the Word, God changes our heart, we are infused with his plan.

The bottom line – our Bible is the manufacturer’s handbook. Everything we need to know about God, Jesus, man, salvation, how we got here, and where we are going has been documented in the handbook. What do we do with this handbook? Read. Learn. Repent. Yield. Choose. Proceed. Grow. Love.

I choose Jesus.