Do You Own a Bible?

Do you own a Bible?  Have you ever read the Bible?  This is not a religious question, just a fact-finding one.

If you haven’t read it, there are a couple things you should know before starting:              

1.      The Bible is a special book.  It’s not magic, but it’s the next best thing.

2.      It was written by only One author, who used over 50 different voices.

3.      The Bible is self-correcting.  If you have a question about one part, you will find the answer in other parts.

4.      It promises to slay dragons, protect the weak, and completely transform your life.

Now, suppose you have read the Bible, perhaps in the past, and perhaps only in part, but you don’t care much about it right now.  There are several specific reasons for disinterest in the Bible:

1.      The Bible is a bright light which shows up all the stains in human nature, and all the purity in God’s nature.  That’s uncomfortable.

2.      It can’t be truly understood by just the mind; it is only understood by something in us called the “spirit.”  This part of the human being is not active until that person is touched and revived by God’s Spirit.

3.      If you have any pet addictions or any wrong behaviors you don’t want to give up – you will reject and run away from the Bible, because reading the Bible will prick your conscience.

4.      Worldly human thinking is at odds with the thinking you will find in the Bible.  You will be drawn to one and dismiss the other.

Which way of thinking will you choose?  You’ll never even know there is a choice until you have read the Bible.  Don’t reject it until you’ve tried it.  Chances are you will be very glad.

4 TIPS FOR UNDERSTANDING ANY BIBLE PASSAGE

1. Pray before you read. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul tells us that we can only understand the things of God through the power of the Spirit. We can read and read and read the Bible all day long, but only the Spirit can reveal to us the wisdom and truth that God has for us.

2. Read more than a few verses at a time. Applying isolated verses or passages to our lives is a modern concept. Books of the Bible were often read in large chunks. Paul’s letters, for example, were read aloud in their entirety to churches. It is always beneficial to read at least the chapter before or after the passage to help you understand the broader idea.

3. Use a study Bible. Study Bibles contain tons of notes that help explain each passage of the Bible. Not only that, but they offer cross-references to help you see other passages that relate to or are the foundation for the passage you’re reading. This will help you better understand confusing passages and words.

4. Read in community. The original audiences both heard and read the Scriptures in group settings as communities. There is no such thing as solo Christianity, and therefore there is no such thing as solo Bible reading. Yes, we should read alone and in private prayer, but we should also read with others, soaking in the wisdom and encouragement God has given them through the same Word.

These tips were posted by Christian Standard Bible on Facebook.  They really speak to me and challenge me.  Are there any of these you have applied?  

What results did you have?

John 10 -- I Am the Good Shepherd (1)

“I am the good shepherd.”  John 10:11

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010,%20Psalm%2023&version=NIV

Listen to story here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.10 and http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Ps.23

Jesus gives us another great comparison: “I am the good shepherd.” 

A comparison is supposed to help us understand something, but I don’t know any shepherds and I’ve only held a baby lamb once.  How am I supposed to get it?

I don’t personally know any shepherds, but I do know a lot of people with pets.  I myself have a cat.  We run up our grocery bill feeding them, we really go into debt on vet bills when they get sick, we inoculate them against diseases they might get in the future, we even buy them toys!  Pet owners work hard to make sure their animals are healthy, safe, and full-of-life.  We delight in their delight.

On the other hand, you may have seen the ads on TV that beseech us to help the animal victims of cruelty and neglect.  Picture after picture of emaciated, bedraggled, sad-faced pets call out to us from the screen.

It is very obvious to us who are the bad pet owners and who are the good pet owners.  It’s the same with sheep and shepherds.  Jesus chose a shepherd comparison because these were familiar to his audience at the time.

But unless you live on a ranch, this analogy may need some explanation.  A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 was a book published by a shepherd, Phillip Keller, in 1970.  It is a rich-textured description of Jesus as a good, versus a bad, shepherd:

He is the owner who delights in His flock. For Him there is no greater reward, no deeper satisfaction, than that of seeing His sheep contented, well fed, safe and flourishing under His care. This is indeed His very 'life.' He gives all He has to it. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His.

He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasturage, ample winter feed, and clean water. He will spare Himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from ruthless enemies and the diseases and parasites to which sheep are so susceptible.*

So it is with our Good Shepherd.

Would you like that kind of care?

*Keller, W.Phillip, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1970.

WHERE ARE WE GOING? – (1)

I am the way …. John 14:6

“You know the way to the place where I am going” John 14:4

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2014:1-9&version=NIV

Listen to story here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.14  

Jesus said: “I am the way.”

But where are we going?

Watch  Going As Fast As Possible!  for an interesting view of our modern how-and-where movements.  And that is just in Singapore!  I could post time-lapse movement videos from New York, Tokyo, Jakarta … you name it.  We are all pretty much moving as fast as we can … but where?

The first step in planning the way is knowing the where; we plan the route after we set the destination.   In daily life we think we know.  Going to London, take a plane.  Going downtown, take a car or bus.  Then you can get on MapQuest, plot coordinates into your GPS, or just ask Siri.  With modern technology, it’s easy to find the way.

Jesus told his friends at dinner one night, “You know the way to the place where I am going.”  Thomas, confused, said “We don’t even know where you’re going!”

What was Thomas’s problem?  He wasn’t listening.  Jesus had just said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; …  I am going there to prepare a place for you.” 

Not that I blame Thomas – at the time Jesus was saying a lot of strange things about leaving, and he was giving speeches like it was his last meal or something.  Rather disturbing.  Who would understand that Jesus could know he was about to go into heaven and be with God the Father? 

But that’s exactly what Jesus meant.

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”

Translation: I am the way to God.  The only way to God.  You have access to him and know him because you know me.

So, now do you know where Jesus was going that night?  He was going to heaven to be with the Father.  If you want to go too, you know the WAY.

NO LONGER BLIND! (3)

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”  John 1:4

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

In my last devotional I asked:

Why do both John the baptist and Jesus see a relationship between LIFE and LIGHT?

“All life originates and develops under the influence of …light…”  according to Goethe.  The connection between life and light has been observed for centuries, but in this last century, the experiments of John Ott made real breakthroughs.  He discovered that healthy plant and animal development only occurs under full-spectrum light – what we also know as natural light – that which comes from the sun.  So true light leads to life.

I have been asking the question: How does the life in Jesus become light for mankind?  Maybe I was just thinking of “light” in too narrow of terms.  Light is not just what enlightens and leads mankind, it is actually what gives all life and health to mankind. 

Voilá!

Jesus is the LIGHT of the world.

The true light.  The full-spectrum light.  The only light that is life-giving.

Other interesting quotes:

“All the energy we take into our bodies is derived from the sun,” – Nobel Laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

“…light is the primal nourishment for life.”  - Jacob Liberman

“The body is a biological light receptor, the eyes are transparent biological windows designed to receive and emit light, and all physiological functions are light dependent. … Light guides the eyes, physical movement and physiological function, hence light and life are inseparable, …”– Jacob Liberman

“My studies have indicated that light is a nutrient, similar to all the other nutrients we take in through food, and that we need the full spectrum range of natural daylight.” – John Ott

"If human skin is not exposed to solar radiation (direct or scattered) for long periods of time, disturbances will occur in the physiological equilibrium of the human system. The result will be functional disorders of the nervous system and a vitamin-D deficiency, a weakening of the body's defenses, and an aggravation of chronic diseases."  - from a 1967 paper presented by three Russian scientists to the International Committee on Illumination

“…when we experimentally place plants, animals, or humans in a darkened environment and notice that their life force gradually diminishes, bringing life to a halt.  Without light there is no will to live, we are robbed of the spark that propels our spirit…” – Jacob Liberman