Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) Mount
Baker
Beacon Volume 03, Number 08
02/25/2024 Published by
Mt. Baker
church of Christ Location:
1860 Mt. Baker HWY
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 30821
Bellingham, WA 98228
(360) 752-2692 Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship..10:30AM; 6:00PM
Wednesday:
Bible Classes.........7:00 PM
Web site: Mt. Baker church
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Editor......John Bass
| In this issue:
STRUGGLES IN BIBLE READING
Danny Linden Many people find it difficult to read the Bible regularly and consistently for one reason or another. If you don’t find yourself reading Scripture as often as you’d like even though you try, one of these suggestions may help.
Reading is not your strength. We all have different strengths and some of us struggle to do large amounts of reading in any context, not just the Bible. This may be due to limited education, limitations such as dyslexia, or simply not much practice at study. Some people’s jobs and hobbies really do not require much deep reading. Thankfully, God does not require disciples to be scholars. Here are a few ideas:
· Try a simpler translation or even paraphrase of the Bible. These have limitations and can sometimes obscure nuance, but there is still much to be gained from a version of the Bible that you can stick to and read regularly.
· Study in shorter bursts. Bible study does not need to be hours hunched over a book. If you can commit to even a few minutes of reading each day, you will be fed by God’s word.
· Listen to audio Bibles. There are many free and paid audio recordings of the Bible that you can listen to in the car or around the house. It’s still reading even if it’s not “reading”!
You don’t know where to start. The Bible is a much bigger book than most of us read normally. In fact, it really is a collection of books all bound together by the inspiration of God. While you certainly can start at the beginning and read from cover to cover, there are compelling reasons why you might want to start in a different part of Scripture.
· If you want practical wisdom to apply to your life today, consider reading James or Proverbs. James is a short book but packed with wisdom. Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings from a father to his son and addresses many areas of life. If you want to understand Jesus better, consider one of the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. The gospels overlap and tell the same basic story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, but they have different themes and goals.
· If you are looking for guidance in intense emotions and difficulty in your life, try Lamentations or Psalms. Lamentations was written in response to the defeat of Judah and destruction of the temple when the Babylonians attacked. The Psalms are prayers and songs written to explore every sort of emotional state a person could be in, both positive and negative.
· If you want to learn about the church, try Acts and then one or more of the letters written to a church in the New Testament. Acts gives the story of the founding and early history of the church built by Jesus. The letters from Romans all the way to Third John give further inspired teaching and often address some of the problems in these individual churches.
· If you want to understand the major covenants of the Bible, consider Deuteronomy along with Hebrews. Deuteronomy outlines God’s covenant with Israel that features prominently in the Old Testament. Hebrews explains why the covenant we have in Christ today is even better.
There are more places you could begin, but hopefully this will inspire you to get started!
You have always read the same way. If you have been able to read the Bible in the past but now feel like you’re in a rut, you may need a new structure. If you typically read randomly, pick a framework or study plan to follow. This could be anything from reading the Bible in a year to doing a deep study of a book you’ve never read before. In fact, even if you have followed a study plan before, there is good reason to mix up your strategy. Reading faster or slower can help you to get the big picture or zoom in on the details. Picking a topic or theme and finding out everything the Bible says about it can be rewarding. The “read the Bible in a year” plan is popular for good reason, but there are many more that people have come up with to read different combinations of books or the whole New Testament every 90 days or any number of other things. It is also worth noting that Bible study can include the use of good workbooks, sermons, classes, group studies, and other resources. Be careful what you read and who you listen to—there are plenty of false teachers out there. But there are also some excellent tools that will sharpen you.
It feels like a chore. Bible reading can quickly become a box to check off, and when we get less consistent with it we may feel guilty. Instead of treating it as a rigid requirement, why not think about in terms of coming to know the God we love and adore? Marriage provides a useful illustration here. It is true that good communication is one of the requirements for a healthy marriage. But if I approach each day with a strict goal of having the necessary number of conversations with my spouse to avoid divorce, I have missed the proper motivation and love. We should want to read Scripture so that we can know God better and grow as Christians, not just to check a box.
It doesn’t feel relevant. The Bible is often treated as archaic and irrelevant. If you ever think that way, remember that the Bible has been given to us as a lamp to guide our steps (Ps. 119:105) and to equip us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). It’s not about trivia or mere history. With God’s word we learn about the One who made us, sustains us, and will judge us one day. We learn how to be free from sin and how to obey and please Him. There is life in these words!
You have lots of questions. It can be demotivating to read the Bible and not understand what is going on, especially if you are very new to Bible study. Try to get a basic picture of the message of the Bible as a whole along with a simple understanding of what each book is about. That small bit of context will go a long way. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions! As you read, write down your observations and anything you don’t understand. Then take those questions to someone mature in the faith to help you understand better. Those biblical conversations are helpful and should be a feature in your life going forward. Definitely don’t be ashamed of having questions—no one is born with any knowledge of the Bible and we are all on a journey of learning and growth.
Conclusion. God’s word is living and powerful and will change your life if you read it, understand it, and live it. It is well worth the time to overcome anything that hinders our study. Top
SKY-DIVING LESSON
Roger Burner A sky-diving instructor looked out over his class and said, “He who wears a parachute and opens it will live; but he who does not wear a parachute will die.”
Can we understand what one needs to do to survive sky-diving based on this statement? Does this statement make opening the parachute any less essential to surviving sky-diving than wearing the parachute? Is it necessary (and does it make any sense) to add “and does not open it” to the second phrase so it would read “he who does not wear a parachute and does not open it will die?” Is opening the parachute even possible on the part of the sky-diver if he or she is not wearing one?
How easy these questions are to answer-so why do we complicate it when it comes to the scriptures?
Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Top
Created by John Bass, last updated. 02/23/2024 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA.
Send all questions, comments to the editor, John Bass at (360) 325-5149 or johnbass2468@gmail.com |
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