Skip to main content

Thriving...in the Word


Four Steps to bring you face-to-face with Truth

Let's talk about a phrase so often overused, and understood: "The truth shall make you free.”  The statement comes from the very words of Jesus Christ, found in the book of John, chapter 8.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

It's clear that knowing the truth can only follow abiding in the Word of God.  What does it mean to abide in His Word?  You read it, read it, read it, think about it, sing about it, read it again....then you FOLLOW it, live BY it, day after day, ponder over things with Proverbs, sing His praise with Psalms, learn to grow stronger in Romans, get inspired by Acts----let every bit of it be absorbed into your thinking, your doing, your being.  THEN, the truth becomes clear, in everything.  It's only then, when you have grasped the full body of truth His word has to offer----about yourself, about the things around you, and about God---then you can really put things into perspective, and fully, completely understand.

I want to encourage you, if you are not already devoting some daily time in the Bible, to force-feed yourself, if you must, to get the nourishment that you so desperately need.  It won't take long, and the little time it takes will be SO rewarding.  After you have strengthened yourself, you'll be better equipped to tackle the challenges ahead of you!
Here are four easy ways to get started:

1.   Read the Proverb of the day (there are 31) first thing in the morning.  There is so much wisdom in this one book--every chapter is packed with bits of advice, and it's funny how something relevant to what you have just read will come up during the day.  God is really big on timely teachable moments.

2.   Pick a chapter of Romans or one of the gospels at lunchtime.  Either of these choices will give you some heavy spiritual "meat" to get through the day.  You can't read Romans without growing and learning--there are so many serious truths in this book.

3.   Settle in for the night with a chapter of Psalms.  Not all of Psalms is bright and joyful--David went through some seriously tough times, and it's reflected in this book, even though he is not the author of all of them.  You'll find a tremendous sampling of how to trust and praise God in the good times and the bad.

4.   If you have a smartphone or iPad, download a Bible APP.  This is the easiest way to make sure you always have the Word readily available.  You can search for scriptures, bookmark your favorites, and even share snippets of the Bible with your friends through built-in tools with FaceBook.

 READY? SET? READ & BE REVIVED!


Popular posts from this blog

NEMESIS, TRAPS AND DIGRESSIONS, OH MY!

Let's begin at the beginning. You have challenges. You have issues. You have enemies. All of the above would be true for any of us -- from slacker to slave, from victim to hero -- but there is actually one very small but highly distinguishing characteristic: perspective. Yes, the thing that makes mountains out of molehills--and vice versa--is undoubtedly the key to success or failure, and the common thread through the story of every hero. Something interesting about perspective: it can be found, lost, and regained -- although sometimes elusive, it's always attainable.  Through the next week, we will explore the various things responsible for our lost perspective, and talk about how to get it back. I was about to say that there are three things that generally rob us of our proper perspective, but that would imply that it can be taken from us, by force. The fact is, unfortunately, we sometimes "lose" our perspective as easily as we misplace our keys, cell phone, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Guardrails

Thank  From the winding ascent of Black Snake Road through the mountains of Arkansas to the many breathtaking overlook points in the Rockies in Colorado, you’ll find miles and miles of guardrails. Like sentries marching alongside the road, they stand as barriers between the safe and level asphalt and a sometimes cavernous drop into the depths below.  We don’t question guardrails on roads like that. N fact, when we see a potentially treacherous road without them, we wonder why they aren’t there.  Yet we have a desire to careen carelessly through life, without boundaries or barriers — without commandments.  This is a hard thing to convey — that the God whose mercies are new every morning and whose love stretches to the skies also has rules. But like little children, we stretch out our little hand and touch what he’s already told us “no—that’s hot,” and then we are angry with Him because we got burned.  It’s not from tyranny that He says “don’t” or puts up guardrai...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ever After

This weekend, we re-watched “Ever After,” a historical fiction drama based on the fairy tale of Cinderella. As a most beloved daughter reduced to a despised servant in her own manor house when her father died, the girl endured heartbreak and hardship for many years...until...! Long story short, when she stood next to the throne with the royal family, the newly crowned princess and future queen, she was in a completely new position in the presence of her angry stepmother. She was no longer under the wicked woman’s control, to order around and abuse. No longer subject to her unkind words or doubled labor. No longer her slave. She has nothing to fear or dread from the woman who had held her captive in the cruelest way her whole young life, because now she wore a crown.  Imagine your life with the same kind of triumph. Freed from the voice that condemns you and tells you you’ll never be good enough. Free from the ever-increasing burden of plodding through your days with the weight of t...
Post a Comment
Read more