Did you know some people actually read a car manual before they need to figure out where those infernal engineers hid the jack and tire-iron?
There are other people who, believe it or not, follow the step-by-step directions provided with pre-fab furniture.
The pay-off? They're not trying to page through their manual by flashlight in the pouring rain when they get a flat tire. They don't have to pry Part C from Part D after they glued them together upside down.
Sometimes it pays to read the directions.
Like God's Word.
If we are going to start following Christ, we have to learn about Him. One of the primary ways to do that is to read the Bible.
In my last blog, I said the Bible is like a blueprint for our lives. Let's say an architect draws up a set of plans for a house, but the builder never looks at them. Sure, the guy might be able to build a house. It might even be sturdy and beautiful. But is it going to be what the buyer wanted? Probably not.
You might be able to succeed in life and even be a good person all on your own. That's not all that God wants. He doesn't just want what's good for you; He wants what is best. To get that, you have to follow His blueprint.
That means knowing what it looks like.
It's time to start learning.
You don't have to be a Biblical scholar to be a follower of Christ. At least I hope not, because I'm sure not. You do, however, need to know what the Bible says.
Take 10, 20, 30 minutes a day and start reading. Or get an audio version of the Bible and listen to it in your car, or on your Ipod as you work out. If the only time you get any privacy is when you are in the bathroom, then read there!
It doesn't matter when or where . . .
Just get started.
Open the Bible and read. If you don't know where to begin, look in the Table of Contents and find the book of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, and start there. The Book of Proverbs is full of everyday useful guidance. The Book of Psalms is full of encouragement.
The whole Bible is chock-full of stuff you need to know to get what God wants for you: The best. The sooner you start, the less back-tracking you'll have to do later.
The next step is applying what you read. That's what we'll talk about tomorrow!
Try to memorize a couple of verses a day as well - it will take time to memorize 1 verse down pat, but nonetheless the more you expose yourself to that verse you are trying to memorize, the more the meaning will really pop out at you (and you realize our LORD is trying to tell you something).
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not trying to say just read a few verses a day - but during your daily bible reading, pick 2 maybe 3 verses a day to try to commit to memory. B/c you just never know when you're in a dire situation, and the LORD will bring that/those particular verse(s) to your remembrance at that moment.
That's a great suggestion! When we read a verse over and over to memorize it, we learn it more completely.
DeleteThanks for the input!