But what if you bought your first iPad today and were given the rare opportunity to sit down with the person who inspired and designed it and have him explain to you exactly how it works? He could show you all the things it were capable of doing, how to get the most effective use out of it and how it can really change your life for the better. What if he sweetened the deal even more and said he knew all about your specific needs and therefore could combine his expertise of the ipad and his knowledge of you and tailor it so precisely that your life could not help but be changed by it.
Would you be in?
Or would you prefer to muddle through the blinding encyclopedia of instructions all typed in 6 font Latin-like words and try to figure it out on your own?
When we jump into the Word of God and skip asking Him to be our teacher - to show us exactly what the Word means and how He wants us to apply it- we give up the highest, most privileged advantage to understand what He wants to communicate to us. Why would we not want the Author of the Word and the Creator of us to be the explainer of each:)
So always begin your study of the Word by asking Him to be your teacher! That’s my first tip for any of you who may be new at studying the Bible or those of you who may be like me and sometimes rush into things out of order.
My second tip has to do with keywords.
Keywords are important because they unlock main themes in a verse or passage. A key word will sometimes be repeated in a verse so if you see some repetition, take notice of it.
For example, check out this verse:
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV)
(BTW - this is the theme verse for the WAW Team - word at work in you.)
One of the key things that jumps out at me right away is the word "word" and the contrast between the word of men and the word of God.
A person’s word is often powerless and frequently fails.
But God’s Word....It is never powerless and never fails.
In fact when I looked up "word" in my keyword Bible I found that it is the same Greek word (logos) that John uses when he says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
Gen. 1:3-31 tells us by His word God spoke the world into existence.
So this "Word" is powerful, active, life giving, life changing and when we accept it, 1 Thessalonians 2:13 goes on to tell us this active, powerful, life giving life force is at work in we who believe.
Isa. 44:23; 55:11 tells us God’s "word" has power to execute His will. It will not return to Him empty but accomplish that which He purposes.
Matt. 13:19 tells us the word bears fruit for God when planted in the good soil of receptive hearts.
And my Expositor's Bible Commentary said, "Once received, this Word of God becomes an active power operating continually in the believer's life. When it is at work in those "who believe," there is a change in behavior and constant fruitfulness."
Wow. That’s a lot of good stuff that the Word can work in those of us who believe and will open ourselves to it.
If the Word can do all that within me I want to do my part to make sure I am reading it, praying it, meditating on it, memorizing it, studying it, sharing it and doing all I can to get my self in the right posture for the active Word of God to do the work that only it can execute in my life.
Because when the Word does its Work there is nothing quite like it and you will find yourself hungering for more and more.
How about you. How is the Word at Work in your life today?
Thank you, Trudy, for reminding us how rich, practical and powerful the Word of God is. Let it in and let it work!
ReplyDeleteLast week in our study of the Book of James, our small group spent some time talking about what it means to be gentle as used in James 3:17. I went to my study tools to see if this word encompassed more than traditional definitions. I found that it does mean mild, meek, unassertive and yielding. But it also means fair, equitable, fitting, appropriate, and proper. It involves the idea of being tolerant with others and affording them clemency - mercy, charity and leniency.
This is the same word used in Philippians 4:4-5:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
So to truly have God's word working in my heart and my life, at this point I must stop and ask, "Am I a gentle person? Am I unassertive and yielding for the good of others? Am I fair and appropriate in all circumstances? Do I show mercy, charity and appropriate leniency with all people I come in contact with?"
Fortunately at this point, I can return to the word of God for help, hope and encouragement! And how thankful I am to find Hebrews 13:20-21 and pray it back to my gentle and merciful God:
Now, oh great God of peace, You who saved me through the shed blood and resurrection of my great Shepherd, Jesus my Lord, I ask that You would equip me in every good thing to do Your will - to be gentle with others in the truest sense of the word - working in me all that is pleasing in Your sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Tracey,
DeleteI see that "gentle spirit" in you and the "deeds done in the gentleness of wisdom" that James speaks about.
I also love how you find answers in Scripture and pray them back to the Lord.
Thanks for the inspiration today!
Trudy
Dear. dear Trudy,
ReplyDeleteYou are such an inspiration and your reminder to me of what I need to do to be obedient in the Word is powerful in my life. I hear the importance of the word from Todd, from my One on One teacher, from the person who sits next to me at our service. I also see the results of those who are in the Word in my ladies Bible studies. I feel the loving enthusiasm of people coming to church as I get out of my car in the parking lot. This is a wonderful, amazing adventure in my life. I can’t get enough and I am thankful for this blog for the constant reminder of the importance of God’s Word and of serving Him. As for the blog, I go back and re-read many times.
Carol,
ReplyDeleteYour "good soil of a receptive heart" is obvious as you let God speak to you and change you through His Word and through others. And you are such a huge encourager to me and many others. I am so thankful for how you choose to find the good in people and overlook the bad. I have learned so much from your gentle spirit as you share parts of your journey in Tuesday night Bible Study. We are blessed to have you as part of our group Carol -- He shines through you!
Our little Colossians study group on Sunday has been amazing. I had no idea of the riches in these few four chapters! One thing I am working on and enjoying is learning how to pull out the "structure" in a book, so that I have a place to "hang" all of the rich fruit I find as I dig deeper. On a practical note, I do this by summarizing each "clump" of verses - where I find natural breaks. Then I go back and try to understand how those "clumps" of verses relate to one another - to see transitions, etc. By doing this, you get a better grasp of the overall meaning the author wants to convey. Of course, I am alway open to God's gentle "correcting" and teaching...as I start to dig deeper, my understanding grows! That's why I love doing it on the computer - easy to erase and correct! :)
ReplyDeletePersonally, Colossians 3:1-4 spoke volumes to me. I am NOT a person who looks back very much - I am generally optimistic and I definitely don't "over-analyze" things. But God showed me something this week. (Ouch!) In college, I was learning how to walk with God, but there were so many choices I made that, had I TRULY had my mind and heart set on Christ, could have turned out differently. I see some blessings and opportunities I probably missed, because I had in my mind the "plan" for how life was going to turn out. While I am so blessed in my marriage and motherhood, and would not change that at all, I do regret that it took me so long to discover the pure joy of being "obsessed" with Christ - to allow my life to completely revolve around Him, rather than just adding Him to my agenda and ask Him to bless my plan. I am so grateful for His loving patience with me. And so thankful that even in my immaturity, He blessed me with a godly husband and two beautiful, amazing daughters, while He continued to gently draw me into a real relationship and passion for Him.
Colossians 3:1-4 says "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
To my "little" sisters in Christ...oh, don't wait! Determine today to follow Him unreservedly, completely, intimately. Your plans may be good, but His are soul-satisfying!
Those are some wise words of wisdom Sheila. Thanks for taking the time to post. I am unaware of this little Colossians study group on Sunday mornings.....do tell:)
DeleteTrudy, we finished up Zechariah in Precepts, and because of schedules, decided to take a 4-week break before starting the next study (Gospel of John...starts April 1, if anyone is interested!) However, there were a few who wanted to "fill the interval", so we chose to take Colossians and look at one chapter each week, just on our own--no study guide. So fun! God' timing is always perfect--it has spoken to each of us personally.
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