Bible reading Archives - Page 55 of 57

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about my latest favorite Bible study tools. You can find that here. Although I stand by this list of useful instruments, within a few days of publishing I began to reevaluate how I spend time in God’s word.

As a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, I received a complementary copy of the Third Edition of the NIV Life Application Study Bible. As I thumbed through this beautiful gift, I remembered days of pouring over a Bible with actual paper pages. I thought about reading notes and jotting notes and consulting commentaries and concordances. But I confess it had been a while. I somehow convinced convinced myself that my busy life demanded devotionals on the go. I’ve been reading scriptures on my phone at the gym or skimming a few pages in the carpool line for so long that I forgot how much I enjoy really digging in. So I cracked open this book and breathed in the scent of newly printed pages with excited anticipation. The anticipation of knowing that God would meet me there. And He has.

The notes in this Bible have three features. First, the explanation – a more detailed description to help us understand what the text means. This is where most Bible study notes end. Next, the bridge explains how the passage is relevant to us. The “so what?” if you will. And last, the application, or the “now what?” – suggestions on how we can live out the message of the scripture. The notes, study aids and red letters all strengthened my understanding of the concepts, commands and constructs of God.

I hope you don’t hear condemnation from me if you tend to spend time with God on the fly. I am so thankful for tools that allow us to stay in communication and fellowship with Him no matter where we are or how much time we have. Isaiah 55:10-11 tells us,

As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Any time with God’s word is time well spent. And some days, with kids and jobs and volunteering and relationships, quick and to the point will have to do. But God gently challenged me that if I chose to fit Him around my schedule every day instead of orienting my schedule around Him, then my priorities were out of whack. In Mark 1:35, Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Now, Jesus could very well have been a morning person. But more likely, it cost him something to meet with God in this way. And I’m finding that my time with God is much more meaningful when it costs me a little something too. I’m not any less busy than when I THOUGHT I was too busy before, so I’m not managing to make this extended time happen every day. I don’t think I have to. Being legalistic is not the point. The idea is to be intentional to carve out time whenever I can to really feast on and savor God’s word. So that I’m not only meeting Him, but also getting to know Him better.

How about you? Do you have extended times with the Father? Drop a comment below. I would love to hear how you carve out time or what you do to get the most out of your appointments with Him. And…

show bible I’m having a giveaway! I did a review here of the NIV Quest Study Bible: The Only Q and A Study Bible. To enter to win a hardback copy (a $28 value) to help with your personal study, hop over to the left side of this page and subscribe to my blog! I only post about once a week and I’ll never give away your info. Thanks in advance for being a reader friend! I’ll announce the winner here in two weeks!

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Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! Philippians 4:6-8

During my personal study of God’s Word this week, I spread out two different versions of the Bible and a commentary to look at different aspects of Jesus’ earthly ministry. In the passage above from Philippians, we see the culmination of His time as a man – death on the cross. This single act saved me and continues to save me from sin and destruction. And this same salvation is available to anyone who seeks Him and receives His gift. Jesus’ death remains the most important and beautiful occurrence in history. What a gift. His death changes everything. And yet His life caught my attention as I studied.

If we back up to verse 7 in the text above, we see the first sacrifice Jesus made. “…he made himself nothing”. That’s a huge demotion for the creator of the universe. One commentary I read said He, “willingly girded Himself with the apron of a slave.” Mark 10:45 says, For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. He chose to give up all that heaven is and all He was entitled to so He could walk as one of us. Francis Chan put it this way, “He emptied Himself of all of His glory” to come down to this. I’ve been sitting with that this week.

Matthew 8:20 quotes my Savior as saying, Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. At the height of His ministry, He had nothing. Nor was He welcomed or accepted in His own hometown (Luke 4:24). In heaven angels worshipped and attended to Him, but here, He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2) Toward the end of His life, He was betrayed by one in His inner circle (Matthew 26). Those in authority spat on Him, beat Him and mocked Him (Mark 14:65). Jesus hung on the cross to make a way to God for us. But He relinquished so much before he ever made His way to Calvary.

I am eternally grateful for Christ’s death in my place. But today, I wanted to thank Him for His life.