The Man God Uses: Moved from the Ordinary to the Extraordinary
Yesterday’s study, which I did today L, was very familiar because of the study we finished a couple of weeks ago. Blackaby started with this:
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.
He goes on to discuss the role of the Bible in today’s church and how far away from it we have gotten. I’ve got to be honest and agree with him. Most people don’t read their Bible, ever. The same people that talk about “lost books of the Bible” never bother to read the books of the Bible that we have!
Christians have gone from having the Bible as the only book to having it as a reference book to other Christian literature.
Ain’t that the truth! When I go to church or am around other Christians, I rarely if ever hear them talk about a passage they read that meant something to them. Mostly, I hear them talk about the latest book from one of the best selling preacher/author/speakers. Every once in a while, they might acknowledge that the book referenced a verse or two but that is rare. Mostly it’s just about the book.
He moves on to discuss the fact that we need a relationship with God, not a religion or belief system that tells us we must follow certain rules and principles. I never knew what he meant until I tried it myself. I had to experience God before I could understand Him. There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God. A big, big difference.
It’s very clear now. If my relationship is not what it should be, I will not and do not hear God.
How do I experience God? What does it feel like? Blackaby gave a very good example. He talks about people that will say, “I read my Bible today and it really came to life! I can’t wait to see if God speaks to me!” That was God! He was speaking to me! You cannot understand the Word unless God is speaking to you!
John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.
Interesting quote I found while studying today:
Here is a practical point. Study the Bible a little at a time. God seems to send messages as he did his manna: one day’s portion at a time. He provides “a command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there” (Isa. 28:10). Choose depth over quantity. Read until a verse “hits” you, then stop and meditate on it. Copy the verse onto a sheet of paper, or write it in your journal, and reflect on it several times.
On the morning I wrote this, for example, my quiet time found me in Matthew 18. I was only four verses into the chapter when I read, “The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.” I needed to go no further. I copied the words in my journal and have pondered them on and off during the day. Several times I asked God, “How can I be more childlike?” By the end of the day, I was reminded of my tendency to hurry and my proclivity to worry.
Lucado, M. (2001, c1998). Just like Jesus (electronic ed.) (48). Nashville: Word Publishing.
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