Making a Habit of Daily Bible Reading

I came across this blog last week, I thought that the author had some good ideas for developing a daily time for Bible reading.  It is often very difficult to discipline ourselves to do something everyday, "but with God all things are possible." (Matt. 19:26) Check out Brushed Your Teeth Today? written by Kimberly Wagner.

I know that it is written on a blog for women, but the suggestions that she makes would be helpful to both men and women.

LIKE I WISH I'D LIVED

In some of my recent conversations with people in our church, the subject of regrets has come up.  We all have them, and we can't go back and change them, but we can choose to act differently now because of what we have learned through them.

I think that this song written by Rodney Griffin is an excellent prayer for every Christian to pray.  Check out this video to hear the song

LIKE I WISH I'D LIVED

May I be so honest, could I share from my heart,

You see, I'm so far from perfect, that today I bear the scars

There is no one here among us, who doesn't live without regret

So may we use the pain behind us to walk in victory up ahead

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

May I stay in the way of the narrow and free of regret

And may I surrender whatever is holding me back

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

Now each day's another journey, with choices I must make

There are two roads before me, but only one that I must take

So help me walk the path that's holy and help me choose what is right

May I leave a testimony that is pleasing in your sight

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

May I stay in the way of the narrow and free of regret

And may I surrender whatever is holding me back

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

And may I surrender whatever is holding me back

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

Lord, help me to live like I wish I'd lived in the past

Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness

I recently read a book entitled Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness.  It is actually three shorter books compiled into one.  All three were written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and challenges the reader to take a look at his heart to see if it is focused on the right things.

Brokenness deals with the tragedy of sin and how we as Christians are no longer truly broken and grieved by sin.  So many sins have become "acceptable" and almost commonplace in our churches.  Nancy challenges us to have a heart that is broken before God. When we see sin in our lives it should grieve us and send us to our knees in true repentance.

Surrender focuses on having a heart that is completely surrendered to the will of God.  This book encourages us to be willing to do whatever God calls us to do, be whoever He wants us to be, and go wherever He may ask us to go.  Our lives do not belong to us.  We belong to God and we should not get in the way of His will for our lives.

Holiness challenges us to live holy lives.  The author takes a look at the holiness of God and reminds us that we are to measure our lives according to His holiness and not compare ourselves to others.  The Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God and that we are to reflect that image in all that we do.  This is why we should strive for holiness.

Reading this book made we take a good look at my life and see where I was falling short in my own walk with Christ.  It has helped me to change my perspective and focus more on pleasing Christ and reflecting His image.  I hope it will challenge you as well. 

Nancy Leigh DeMoss also hosts a daily radio program called Revive Our Hearts.  You can find a series of radio programs based on these books here.

Growing in Knowledge

In 2 Peter 3:18, Peter says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  In the previous verse, Peter was warning Christians to guard against those who take the Scriptures and twist them out of context to mean what they want them to mean.  Then he tells us to grow in the knowledge of Christ.  How do we do this?  By studying the Bible.  When you want to get to know someone better, you spend time with them.  The same goes for getting to know God better.  We have to spend time with Him.

I know Bible study can seem like a daunting task at times, but it does not have to be.  There are so many helpful tools out there to aid us in this process.  Let's look at a few of them.

The first book that I want to mention is a Bible concordance.  A Bible concordance gives you a list of every word in the Bible and the reference where you can find it.  For example, if you wanted to do a study on love you could look up the word "love" in the concordance and it will list every verse in the Bible that contains the word.  It is important to make sure that your concordance matches the version of your Bible so that the words will be the same when you look up the verses.  I would recommend an exhaustive or comprehensive concordance for the most thorough study.

A Bible dictionary can also be helpful to your Bible study by giving a little bit of information on people, places, and words in the Bible that you may not be familiar with.  Some even include a pronunciation guide to help with all of those difficult names!

If you want to study a topic or passage of Scripture with a little more help and guidance, you can use a Bible study guide.  These booklets study the Scripture in an interactive way by asking questions that challenge you to think about what you are reading and show you how to apply the principles of the Bible to your life.

Along the same lines, there are commentaries on the whole Bible or individual books of the Bible that give you the author's interpretation of the Scriptures.  These books often include cultural background and other information that show you the context of the setting and time period of the particular passage you are studying.

There are also many books that are not necessarily Biblical studies, but are based on Biblical principles and can really encourage and challenge us as Christians.  The main thing to remember is this, just because it is written by a "Christian" author, does not make it accurate.  Any time you read a book that claims to be based on the Bible, you should make sure that it matches what the Bible actually says.  The Bible is always the final authority to prove something true or false.

Now here's the fun part.  Below is a list of books and authors that I would recommend.

The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman

• deals with relationships
• available in several versions that focus on specific relationships such has with your spouse, children, or teens

Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

• learn how to confront the lies of Satan with Biblical truth
• also available, Lies Young Women Believe with co-author Dannah Gresh

Then Sings My Soul Volumes 1, 2, & 3 - Rob Morgan

• tells the stories behind some of the old church hymns
• also available, Near to the Heart of God, a daily song and a little information about it.

The Remarkable Women of the Bible - Elizabeth George

• lessons we can learn from the lives of Biblical women

Where Is God When It Hurts - Philip Yancey

• why we suffer and how we can cope

The Grand Weaver - Ravi Zacharias

• everything that happens in life, good or bad, is part of God's intentional and perfect work in your life

Do Hard Things - Alex & Brett Harris

• teenagers are no longer asked to do anything hard, but should things be different? 
• (also a good read for adults)

 



For Women Only - Shanti Feldhahn

• learn how to love your man for who he really is

I hope to be adding to this list regularly, so check back often!