I’m nearly finished reading through the Bible again, but I have to admit it – I had been very hesitant about reading through the Bible chronologically! I have read through the Bible many other times using a plan that had a little in the Old Testament, some in the New Testament, a Psalm and a Proverb. It was so comfortable! When I considered the chronological plan, all I could think of was DAYS ON END of reading the hard passages in the Old Testament with no breaks in-between the long lists of names or tribes or kings or cities. I am embarrassed to tell you the real reason I didn’t want to do it.
Continue reading “Read the Bible With me in 2023”Tag: Bible study
The Wisdom of Proverbs
All of God’s Word is given that we might know God, receive Christ as our Savior and then live to glorify Him all our days. His Word. How precious it is. Every chapter, every verse, every line is given that we might know Him.
The Book of Proverbs is a favorite Book of mine, due to its practical nature. There are so many truths to apply to every day life. I’ve sought to know it and live by it. But I long to know more.
For this reason, I’m beginning a study in this Book and will be sharing it with you here. Today I’m sharing a video to introduce Proverbs. I hope it will open your heart and mind even more to its Truths and make you hungry to dig in and study its chapters!
Give It Away
To a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ a Bible is a really precious Book, and your own personal Bible becomes a treasure as you read, study, underline, mark, highlight and make notes. You know just where your favorite verses are. You even know which side of the page it’s on! The worn, jagged pages welcome you, like an old friend, each time you sit down and open its cover.
In 2015 my husband presented me with a new Bible for Valentine’s Day. How sweet! I knew I needed it. My current Bible was literally falling apart, but I had put off getting a new one because I hated the thought of parting with what had become my dearest earthly possession. Now, here laid its replacement, all stiff and unmarked with pages sticking together like staticky socks on knit pants.
Reluctant, but appreciative, I began using the new copy of God’s Word. It wasn’t long until I realized that I had become dependent on my old Bible. Because I was so familiar with it, I didn’t need to really know chapter and verse. I could locate it because of its highlighted color or placement on the page. I had become a bit of a lazy studier. Now with a new Bible, I was forced to search and dig – which of course was a really good thing!
It was then that I realized that I must not get into the lazy habit again. Now instead of holding onto my Bible until it was falling apart, I decided to use it for a couple of years, and then give it away. I would offer it to my daughters, or a young believer. Perhaps they could learn from my notes and be encouraged with a relatively new copy of the Scriptures.
At a ladies’ retreat this spring, I encouraged the ladies to share their Bibles with others. Were you at the retreat? Did you feel the Lord encouraging you to give your copy of God’s Word to someone? Have you obeyed?
Yesterday I took my own counsel and gave away my Bible Valentine’s present to my older daughter. It’s only a year and half old, but it’s time to mark up another one. Time to dig again – so that I might grow spiritually.
Don’t hoard God’s Word or become lazy as you read it. Share your copy of God’s Word with someone else so you can be a blessing to them, and also challenge yourself in your study of this Treasure!
To whom have you given your Bible? Have you been a recipient of one? What did it mean to you?
Lovingly,
Go Deep Where the Treasures Are
When you get up early and walk the beach, you can find some special shells that have washed up during high tide while the vacationers slept. While visiting there recently, I resisted the urge to stop and collect some as I walked, but I could hear the crunch of the ocean’s bounty under my tennis shoes.
No matter when you walk the beach you will see treasure hunters on the search for the perfect conch shell, starfish, or other sea creature that has been washed ashore. However, they are rare finds because of people like me who tromp over and break any that might have washed ashore.
If the shells above would do for your collection, then you’re in luck because they’re heaped high and easy to reach! Maybe you could go out a little deeper and grab this treasure…
However, if a hunter is looking for the perfect shell that they could wash and drop into a sandy bucket to swing along the shoreline, it’s still at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to be discovered. These gems are for those that dare to go deep. With finned feet and oxygen tanks, those that would get the real treasures must dare to swim far below the surface. They can’t walk along sunny shores with cute little sandals and sun visors – it will take preparation, effort and determination.
As I pondered these thoughts while strolling the beach, the Lord brought to my mind that this same principle is true of my time in God’s Word. I make the choice whether I skim along the top and get something “nice,” or if I would swim out and get the precious treasures that come from going deep into God’s Word. What would that look like?
| Skim Safe and Shallow |
| Read a devotional book, no Scripture |
| Listen to God’s Word while doing something else |
| Read and run – no notes |
OR
| Go Deep |
| Have a plan to follow through God’s Word |
| Listen to the Word with Bible and journal open |
| Read commentary notes on any passage that you don’t understand. |
| Pray over the passage and let the Lord teach you. |
It’s our choice as beachcombers and followers of Christ – will we stay shallow or go down deep where the treasures are?
What is your current method of studying the Bible and drawing near to God? If you need help or feel sort of “stuck,” I would encourage you to choose a new plan, perhaps on You Version. There are lots to choose from. It will prompt you each day, if you need a reminder. It will keep you on track of what to read next. Write the things that “jump out at you” as you read. Ask what God is saying to you in that passage – make the application.
God’s Word is alive and He wants to speak to us. Let’s not settle for broken shells!
Lovingly,
Letting God’s Word Dwell in You Richly
A young friend of mine, Christa Threlfall, is the author of a great blog, Brown Sugar Toast where she writes about adding sweetness to the mundane, what she is learning about the Lord, about being a Christian wife and mom, and about how to live to the glory of God.
Christa longs in her own heart to be a student of God’s Word – that’s evident when you read any of her posts or her profile. Her life has been Word-filled, but she’s still hungry to do it better and to know how to dig deeper, especially in the hard days of mommy life and ministry.
Recently she interviewed fourteen different women to get some detailed answers about their personal study, memorization and meditation of God’s Word. She sent a list of twelve questions and asked the interviewers to choose 5-7 to answer. I’ve been blessed reading the first two interviews! The series, called, Dwelling Richly, is posted weekly.
I was honored to be interviewed by Christa for her series. The good questions made me sit still and really think through how God has used His Word in my life. How thankful I am for His Word, and how desperate I am for it every single day! You can go here to read my answers to her questions.
I hope you’ll keep going back each Wednesday to read the next interview. We all should have a hungry heart to learn from others and be better students of God’s precious Word so that His Word will Dwell in us Richly!
Lovingly,
RefreshHer 