2018-01-08
John 15:4 AMPC
There’s an art to making good tea. You can dip your teabag up and down in the hot water and then pull it out. Or you can let it dwell there so that you can experience the tea’s full strength and flavor. Jesus said: “Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing” (vv. 4-5 AMPC). The secret of victorious Christian living is not “dipping” in God’s presence once a week in church, but “dwelling” in it every day. That’s why this devotional is a helpful tool for your spiritual growth; it causes you to get into God’s Word each day, meditate on it, and ask, “Lord, what are You saying to me?” When you’re a dipper, you’ve got to “make things happen” by your own effort. You’ve got to move the bag up and down, wrap the string around the spoon, then pull, etc. That’s a lot of effort – and that’s not how God wants you to live the Christian life. No, He wants you to be a “dweller.” It’s the depth and duration of your dwelling that determines the strength and richness of your spiritual life. So the word for you today is: Don’t be a dipper, be a dweller.
Soul food: Lev 8-10; Matt 5:13-26; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 1:20-23
2018-01-07
James 1:7-8 NLT
The planet Mercury is hot, whereas Pluto is cold. That’s because Mercury is close to the sun and Pluto is a long way off. A planet’s temperature and climate are determined by its proximity to the sun. There’s an important spiritual principle here. As a redeemed child of God, your spiritual temperature is determined by how close you are to Jesus. You say, “I wish I were closer to the Lord.” The truth is that you are as close to Him as you desire to be, decide to be, and discipline yourself to be. Your pursuit of God reveals your passion for God – or the lack of it. To experience true intimacy with someone, you must be willing to sacrifice other things and give yourself fully to that person. The Psalmist wrote: “You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity]” (Psalm 27:8 AMPC). You’ll notice that the Psalmist didn’t say you were to seek God’s gifts, but His face! Not the gifts, but the Giver of the gifts! And a wonderful thing happens when you do that: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll…each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5 AMPC).
Soul food: Exo 20:1-3; Deut 6:1-9; Mark 12:28-34; Rev 2:1-7
2018-01-06
Matthew 7:24 NIV
Certain products carry a label that says: “Warning! This can be hazardous to your health.” Instead of helping you, certain kinds of Bible study can actually hurt you. The Bible says, “Knowledge puffs up” (1 Corinthians 8:1 NIV). The Greek word for “puffs” contains the idea of being inflated, like a hot air balloon. By the time a Pharisee was ordained, he could quote hours and hours of Old Testament law to you. Yet Jesus said the Pharisees were like beautifully painted gravestones: filled with dead men’s bones. Satan knows the Scriptures so well that he was able to quote them to Jesus in the wilderness temptation. And what is Satan’s chief quality? Pride. It’s the sin that got him thrown out of heaven. The whole point in studying the Scriptures is to make you more dependent on God and give you the right approach to life. People mainly read the Scriptures for three reasons: (1) To find proof texts that support their views. (2) To find promises that apply to their particular needs. (3) To discover principles to live by. If you’re wise you’ll be a member of this third group. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” When the storms of life came, the wise man’s house stood firm while the foolish man’s – the one who didn’t practice what he knew – came crashing down. Added knowledge brings added responsibility. So if you’re not planning on applying the knowledge you’ve received from your Bible study, you’d be better not to study it at all.
Soul food: Lev 5-7; Matt 5:1-12; Ps 10:12-18; Prov 1:17-19
2018-01-05
Psalm 119:18 NLT
Here are a few more things you can try to help you get more out of your Bible study time: 1) Ask questions and research them. The more questions you ask, the more you will get out of it. You could ask things like: who was this written to, and why? What situation the writer facing at the time? What’s the main message that they’re trying to get across? Ask you ask more questions and spend time researching and praying for the answers, you’ll discover all kinds of things you’ve never noticed before. 2) Write down the answers you get. Keep a notebook nearby and write down any new discoveries you make, either through researching the context, or new ideas that come into your mind, or from what God’s telling you. Writing it down means you won’t forget anything, and lets you go back and make new connections or even spark off more questions. 3) Put what you’ve learned into action. Evangelist D. L. Moody said, ‘The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.’ And James wrote, ‘Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says’ (James 1:22 NIV). Ask God what He’s teaching you and showing you through the new things you’ve discovered. Is He showing you where you need to make changes in your life or your attitude? Is He telling you something you need to stop doing, or start doing? Is He revealing your calling to you through His Word? Find out what God’s saying to you. The psalmist prayed, ‘Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions’ (Psalm 119:18 NLT). Let’s make that our prayer too.
Lev 1-4; Matt 4:12-25; Ps 10:1-11; Prov 1:10-16
Psalm 119:18 NIV
Here are some helpful keys to getting more out of your Bible study time: (1) Ask questions. The more questions you ask, the more you’ll get out of it. Who was this written to? What was the situation the writer was facing? What was the main message the author was trying to get through to them? As you ask such questions you begin to discover things you’ve overlooked or never seen before. The Psalmist was a meditator and an in-depth studier of God’s Word. That’s why he prayed, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (2) Write down the answers. The purpose of asking questions is to get answers. Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, used to say, “Thoughts disentangle themselves as they pass through the lips and fingertips.” So have your notebook handy and write down the nuggets of truth God gives you. If you don’t, you’ll lose them. (3) Don’t just discover it, do it! Evangelist D. L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change your lives.” James wrote, “Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says” (James 1:22 NIV). Ask yourself, “What attitudes do I need to change? What do I need to stop doing, or start doing? What do I need to believe, or stop believing? What relationships do I need to work on? What ministry should I be having to others?” Don’t go to your Bible with the attitude of finding some truth nobody’s ever seen before, or something to impress others with. Find out what God is saying to you.
Soul food: Lev 1-4; Matt 4:12-25; Ps 10:1-11; Prov 1:10-16
2018-01-04
Psalm 119:96 NIV
The Psalmist wrote, “To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.” What does that mean? It means each time you read a Scripture you’ll see something different in it. It’s like shining light on a diamond. Each time you turn it slightly, you see another facet of its beauty. That’s why the Bible is different from any other book you’ll ever read. You’ll learn things about God from personal experience and from listening to the thoughts and experiences of others, but you’ll get to know Him better through the reading of His Word than any other way. You can study the same Scripture over and over again, dig into it, leave it for three or four months, and when you come back to it there is much more to find. The key is this: Stick with it! There’s no limit to the number of questions you can ask, no limit to the observations you can make, and no limit to the applications you can make. So don’t give up! The best attitude to have in Bible study is the one Jacob had when he wrestled with the angel of the Lord: “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (Genesis 32:26 NKJV). As a result God gave him a new name, a new nature, a new walk, and a new future. Bible study has no shortcuts; it takes effort. But if you’re diligent and patient you’ll reap great rewards. Once you’ve felt the joy and satisfaction that comes from finding a great spiritual truth on your own, and applying it to your life, you’ll never approach Bible study the same way again.
Soul food: 2 Thes 1-3; Matt 4:1-11; Ps 90:7-17; Prov 1:5-9
