Reading God’s Word

Developing A Love For The Bible

I have recently been convicted concerning the idea of developing passion in my life as a believer. Such a passion has to be rooted in God’s Word.

God's Word and Coffee

Hebrews 4:12 gives us an incredible insight into the Word of God, and God’s own view of it:

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Did you notice the very beginning of that verse? God’s Word is living. If the Bible was a dead book, I would be able to read it once, and would never need to read it again. But it is a living Word. And every time I read it, I experience new and different things in it. As I read in it now, I am in a different place in my spiritual walk than I was the last time I might have read any given passage.

And since it is living, it has the power to work within my life and change me. God, through his Holy Spirit, will nudge me to change the things that he points out to me from reading his Word.

Each time I read this book, I find something new to me that I may never have noticed before. And I may not have ever noticed it before because I was not spiritually ready for that particular piece of Truth. And there are things that I am not ready for even yet. But I may be tomorrow, or next week, or next year, as I continue to grow.

Memorize Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14

After repeating the unworthiness of his own efforts and achievements, Paul turns to the positive, and gives one the most encouraging passages in the entire letter to the church in Philippi.

You can see these encouraging words in Philippians 3:13-14:

Philippians 3:13-14

Paul stresses an important point again for the third time: that of his own unworthiness and incompleteness. Of all people, Paul has the human credentials that would place him at the top. And yet, he sees those as inconsequential. In Christ, he is still straining forward, and his own efforts are not enough.

But Paul knows one thing for certain. This could be his life credo or motto. Paul leaves everything that he has accomplished behind. It holds no value compared to what he is striving for. This is the goal of his life, and should be the goal of ours as well.

Paul uses the imagery of a race here. For a runner, there is no looking back. A runner may occasionally glance to the side to see where his competition is, but this must not distract him from running the race. His eyes must remain on the goal. His efforts must be in striving for that goal.

Paul has forgotten what is behind. Certainly, this refers to his own achievements and accomplishments. But might it also include the wrongs done to him, the persecution received, the hurts received? Though this may not be the intent of his thoughts here, it definitely fits. We need to forget what lies behind, simply because it is behind us. Let us instead focus on what is ahead.

Memorize Scripture: Philippians 3:12

Growth and progress in Christ are pulsing through this passage, as Paul describes how he is continuing to strive for the goal of Christlikeness.

Take at look at this week’s passage in Philippians 3:12:

Philippians 3:12

What Paul states in this verse begins one of the most familiar paragraphs in his letter to the Philippians. In this passage, he begins to describe what it looks like to press on to the prize.

It is unclear what it is that Paul is referring to as he begins this passage. Just what is it that he has not yet obtained? He has just finished speaking about the resurrection of the dead, and becoming like Christ in his sufferings. That could be what he is talking about here, but it leaves something to be desired.

He has already been accounted righteousness, because of Christ’s actions on the cross, so that is probably not what he is talking about here either.

Most likely, he is speaking of continued growth in Christ. He realizes that he has not reached perfection. He knows that continued growth is required. And his use of the term “press on” shows that he will continue to work toward this goal, for as long as he is able.

Memorize Scripture: Philippians 3:10-11

After Paul’s pointed statements to the Philippians about his own achievements, he moves directly to that which is worth more than all of our own efforts.

See what he says for yourself in Philippians 3:10-11:

Philippians 3:10-11

When all is said and done, nothing compares to what we have in Christ. Our own achievements and accomplishments are to be considered as rubbish and worthless in comparison with being found in Christ. With that in mind, Paul makes yet another forceful statement, this time viewing the benefits of knowing Christ instead of the worthlessness of our own attempts.

Paul longs to have the reality of Christ in his life beyond anything else. When we truly long for such things, it affects our entire lifestyle, and everything about us.

In this passage, Paul expresses two things that he wants to know, and that we can know, and two things that he longs to experience, as should we.

The Difference Between Evangelism And Discipleship

Have you ever experienced an epiphany? One of those moments where something becomes crystal clear to you like it never has been before? I experienced one of those the other day.

Evangelism Vs. Discipleship

At our staff meeting this week at my church, we had a brief discussion about the differences between discipleship and outreach/evangelism. It was a good conversation, and it sparked some thinking in my mind for the next few days.

The following morning, I posed a question based off of my thoughts on this to a group of men that I meet with weekly. I wanted to gather some additional viewpoints and perspectives. Some of their comments added to my thoughts as well.

I have always differentiated between these two concepts. In my mind, they were two very distinct and different things. Outreach and evangelism is what we do to reach the lost and bring them to Christ. Discipleship, on the other hand, is the process that takes place after one becomes a believer, and conforms us to the image of Christ.

Or at least that is what I have always thought about these two ideas.

Memorize Scripture: Philippians 3:8-9

Paul’s comments concerning the things that he once considered worthy and valuable have been forceful and solid. But with verse 8 and the phrase, “what is more”, they become even more so.

Take a look at the passage in Philippians 3:8-9:

Philippians 3:8-9

Paul has a pedigree that would be the envy of almost everyone else. But he has stated that it is worth nothing. In this passage, he takes that thought to its logical conclusion. And he expands his thoughts from his Jewish background and accomplishments to a more universal idea. Literally everything is now included as a loss.

Paul’s progression here goes from what is loss to what has been gained. Everything that was held in high esteem, in the world’s eyes, he counts as loss, for the ultimate gain.

Paul uses a very forceful term to describe this. What many have translated as “rubbish” or “garbage” is a Greek word that can be translated as dung, waste, or muck. Paul’s point is clear: you’ll find more of value in the refuse pile than in any list of accomplishments outside of Christ.

Deepening Our Roots

Developing Passion In Our Spiritual Life

The more I read the New Testament, the more I find that passion is an essential element of discipleship. Without passion, our faith could be seriously questioned.

Pine Tree

Psalm 1 gives us an excellent image of what it means to be deeply rooted, to be spiritually passionate. In verse 3, the psalmist says:

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

This image of a tree is a perfect illustration of what it means to develop passion in our lives. The roots have to go deep, or there can be no production of fruit. In this psalm, the tree is planted strategically next to a stream of water, and it is rooted deeply enough to receive the nourishment it needs, and to prevent it from being easily uprooted.

This is exactly what we need to do in our lives. Passion and discipleship require us to be both strategic and solid in where we plant ourselves.