What I do each morning (ok, most mornings) is to read my Daily Bible, my UpperRoom daily devotional, and some other daily readings. I always have a notebook and pen handy so I can write bits of scripture that I want to remember. I use that as a reference to post to this blog. But the main reason I started writing scripture in a notebook is because it helps me remember passages. I don't have many memorized. I certainly can't tell you that Hebrews 13:5a says "keep your life free from love of money...." except that I wrote it down today. I know that I have a better chance remembering things if I write it down.
My daily reading ritual includes scripture. I use other sources which comment on scripture but I always include the referenced scripture too. My daily Bible is good for reading all of scripture. By reading through the entire Bible, I find things that I wouldn't find just looking at other people's commentaries. For example, did you know that there is a verse in the Bible about not mixing different kinds of animals? Leviticus 19:19a says "do not mate different kinds of animals." The chances of a devotional commenting on that are slim. But this passage and others illustrate how comprehensive the Bible is, how we can get any answer there, and opens us to the number and types of topics discussed there.
There is another passage that states "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...." (1John 4:18) Isn't that something to use for our children to protect them from bad people? If you are afraid, child, there is a reason for the fear.
Deuteronomy 19:19b says "you must purge the evil from you..." This is another passage that we don't want to pay attention to. This is personal on at least two levels, meaning that we need to purge any evil within ourselves as well as purge the evil around us - get away from those people around us who are evil. Purge is a harsh word meaning to eliminate completely, destroy, leave completely. How hard is that if the evil around us is in a family member!? What is difficult is that this exact phrase "purge the evil from you" is repeated in the Bible, numerous times. That means we have to pay attention. Or I should say, we have to pay attention to have a closer relationship to Christ. After all, another verse states "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Cor 6:19b-20) and that price was the blood of Jesus Christ.
Read the Bible. In a New Testament class I took once, we were instructed to read the entire book (a book within the Bible) then read the verses that were assigned. By doing this, we were able to see the context of a passage, then decide how to apply it or understand it in the context of today. It was a good suggestion. I don't always do that but as I am reading through the Bible in a year, I find that reading complete passages helps me with understanding. I am able to see how one verse applied in the situation in which it was first presented so that I am more able to see how to apply it elsewhere.
An interesting point is that as I read the Bible and the devotions some verses appear repeatedly. But I am not prompted to write the same verse repeatedly. Sometimes I go back through my reading journal and am not even sure why I wrote a passage or verse....because I change, the message God has for me any given day changes, because what I need today is different from what I needed three weeks ago. God is so good that He adjusts my sensitivities to what He has for me at any given time.
Lord, continue to open my eyes to what you'd have me see each time I look at scripture. continue to renew and refresh me with Your Words. Make me be a keeper and doer of Your Word. Amen.
My daily reading ritual includes scripture. I use other sources which comment on scripture but I always include the referenced scripture too. My daily Bible is good for reading all of scripture. By reading through the entire Bible, I find things that I wouldn't find just looking at other people's commentaries. For example, did you know that there is a verse in the Bible about not mixing different kinds of animals? Leviticus 19:19a says "do not mate different kinds of animals." The chances of a devotional commenting on that are slim. But this passage and others illustrate how comprehensive the Bible is, how we can get any answer there, and opens us to the number and types of topics discussed there.
There is another passage that states "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...." (1John 4:18) Isn't that something to use for our children to protect them from bad people? If you are afraid, child, there is a reason for the fear.
Deuteronomy 19:19b says "you must purge the evil from you..." This is another passage that we don't want to pay attention to. This is personal on at least two levels, meaning that we need to purge any evil within ourselves as well as purge the evil around us - get away from those people around us who are evil. Purge is a harsh word meaning to eliminate completely, destroy, leave completely. How hard is that if the evil around us is in a family member!? What is difficult is that this exact phrase "purge the evil from you" is repeated in the Bible, numerous times. That means we have to pay attention. Or I should say, we have to pay attention to have a closer relationship to Christ. After all, another verse states "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Cor 6:19b-20) and that price was the blood of Jesus Christ.
Read the Bible. In a New Testament class I took once, we were instructed to read the entire book (a book within the Bible) then read the verses that were assigned. By doing this, we were able to see the context of a passage, then decide how to apply it or understand it in the context of today. It was a good suggestion. I don't always do that but as I am reading through the Bible in a year, I find that reading complete passages helps me with understanding. I am able to see how one verse applied in the situation in which it was first presented so that I am more able to see how to apply it elsewhere.
An interesting point is that as I read the Bible and the devotions some verses appear repeatedly. But I am not prompted to write the same verse repeatedly. Sometimes I go back through my reading journal and am not even sure why I wrote a passage or verse....because I change, the message God has for me any given day changes, because what I need today is different from what I needed three weeks ago. God is so good that He adjusts my sensitivities to what He has for me at any given time.
Lord, continue to open my eyes to what you'd have me see each time I look at scripture. continue to renew and refresh me with Your Words. Make me be a keeper and doer of Your Word. Amen.
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