Learning to hear & recognize God's voice
For the power Thou hast given me to lay hold of things unseen:
For the strong sense I have that this is not my home:
For my restless heart which nothing finite can satisfy:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy Spirit:
For all human love and goodness that speak to me of Thee:
For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
~ John Baillie
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Elton Trueblood said, “It used to be that Christianity was a revolutionary faith that turned the world upside down. But today Christians sit in Sunday morning church services looking at their watches, wondering what time dinner will be served, or thinking about the kickoff. And we hope that church won’t interfere with the things we would really rather be doing.”
Many Pastors are admonished to keep their sermons short, or to finish them by a certain time on Sunday mornings, and get raked over the coals if they don’t. Hearing what God has to say is not the priority, the time on the clock and afternoon plans are the priority.
Sunday dinner, Sunday sports, and other Sunday activities have pushed God into the background of people’s lives. And if worship services interfere too much with their plans, people just stop going altogether.
Has a “hurry up and get this over with” attitude replaced an attitude of worship?
Has an attitude of obligation toward going to the house of the Lord replaced an attitude of gladness and thanksgiving?
Has Sunday morning worship become Sunday morning countdown, to how long before it’s over?
Is a few hours a week too much to give to the One who created you and cares for you, Who gave His Son for you, and Who died for you?
Is Jesus really Lord of your life when your mind is on anything but Him when you’re in His house to worship Him?
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Psalm 122:1
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4
Christianity is still a revolutionary faith, but sadly many Christians consider it more of an interference in their lives than a revolution.
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Even in those darkest times when all our other friends stand aside from us, God is always with us for good. He does not watch helplessly from the sideline only hoping that our situation will get better on its own.
Our God is actively engaged with us in our struggles because He is for us. He has invested His own Son in our continued well-being.
– Marvin P. Nail
Quote from CQDaily
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When discouragement sets in and you feel unheard – when you are forced to wait on God – when you find yourself caught between faith and a hard place – when there is nothing there…no evidence of God’s miracle on the horizon – remember that God is faithful, powerful, and responsive.
He has seen you through trials in the past and He will see you through trials in the future.
Even in the challenges you face now, you are seen, you are heard, and He is able.
– Gwen Smith
Quote from CQDaily
Follow @learning2hearAs September comes to a close I wish I could say I’ve finished reading the book of Psalms, but I still have a few chapters to go. I’m reading the Psalms from the King James Version Bible, and reading them out loud, which is slower for me than if I was just reading silently. I can read a novel in a few hours and enjoy the story, but I don’t want to read the Bible like a novel. I want to take more time to think about what I’m reading, and how it applies to my life. Even when I don’t read out loud, I like to take time to study and think about what I’m reading.
Tomorrow begins “October is for Proverbs“, and reading a chapter a day from the book of Proverbs — 31 chapters, 31 days in October. I’ll be switching back to New King James Version to read Proverbs.
I hope you’ll join me in reading Proverbs in your favorite Bible version, or even in a different version for a change of pace. If you don’t have a hard copy of different Bible versions, there are several online Bibles to use. I like Bible Gateway – http://www.biblegateway.com – mainly because of the extensive features available, and the search functions.
(Graphic is from http://www.timothyreport.com)
Follow @learning2hearFor those of us who participated in “Reading the Entire New Testament in the Summer of 2011” we’ll be finishing Revelation this month, unless you have already finished it as some have. I finished a few weeks ago and went back to read the rest of Jeremiah, which I had started before the New Testament reading plan. I just read the last chapter of Jeremiah today, and I’m ready to get a head start on Psalms, one of my favorite books of the Bible.
I normally read my Bible every morning as part of my quiet time, but I didn’t usually follow any specific outline or reading plan. Even though many of the New Testament passages are very familiar from previously reading, it has been a wonderful experience to read through from Matthew to Revelation as a daily reading plan. God has so much to say to us if we just take time to read His Word and be quiet and listen for His still, small voice.
The summer reading plan for the New Testament was designed and promoted by The Timothy Report author, who noted that more than 600 people had responded to read through the New Testament the summer of 2011. That’s incredible! And that’s just the ones who responded to be counted, and doesn’t count the numbers from churches or Bible study groups who participated. But it’s not about the numbers, it’s about the idea of getting into the habit of reading the Bible. It’s about God’s people determining that we want to know what He has to say to us, we want to know Him better, and we want to live our lives to please Him.
Just as our bodies could not stay healthy if we only ate snacks, our spiritual health suffers when we only read bits and pieces of Scripture, just “snacking” on God’s Word. Most people take time to sit down to eat a meal at least once a day, if not two or three times a day, depending on their lifestyle. Taking time to sit down once a day with our Bible and reading a chapter or two, or at least several passages will give us much more spiritual nourishment than the “snack” of a verse or two.
If you’re not comfortable following a Bible reading plan that someone else designed, make up your own. Choose a book of the Bible and set a goal for reading every day until it’s finished. The next group Bible reading is to read the Psalms during the month of September. There isn’t a specific reading plan for this, just to read it at your own pace.
If you have a church ministry or host a Bible study, you can use the graphic below to promote reading the Psalms during the month of September in your church or Bible Study group.
For best and original graphics quality, download directly from The Timothy Report website.
(Graphic is from http://www.timothyreport.com)
Follow @learning2hearMy first vivid memory of seeing my daddy cry was at my momma’s funeral as a 6-year-old. As he held me close on his lap I could see the tears running down his face as freely as they ran down mine. I was struggling to accept that I’d never see my momma again until heaven, which seemed very, very far away, and I already missed her. I knew daddy missed her too, but he kept up a brave front after that day, at least in front of my brother and me.
I saw my daddy shed tears as he preached about Jesus’ death on the cross, or as he gave the invitation after his sermon, weeping from his heavy burden for lost souls. And many times his face was wet with tears when he got up from kneeling to pray, or came out from praying in his room.
When I was in painful labor with my son, my daddy held my hand as long as he could stay in the room with me. I saw the tears fall down his face as he leaned down and said, “I would take the pain for you if I could, honey”.
When my first grandson, his first great-grandchild, was killed in a car accident, my daddy’s tears fell as he looked into the tiny casket of the 9 week old baby. A few years later, my daddy’s tears flowed once again as he buried his own son, when my brother died. Our family has had many losses, and many sad times through the years, countless tears have been shed.
Expressing grief has not been the only time I’ve seen my daddy’s tears, sometimes they were tears of joy. Like the day we had a big surprise celebration to honor him for his 50 years of being a minister. The church was standing room only with people from several states who came to honor him for the impact he’s had on their lives.
My daddy’s tears have taught me that strong men do cry, and that our emotions are God-given. Scripture tells us that Jesus also wept. In fact, the Bible says God puts our tears in a bottle. Somewhere God has a bottle of my daddy’s tears, a testament to the compassionate, caring man he is.
This year will be 57 years my daddy has been in the ministry, and although he’s slowed down considerably, he’s still preaching. The passage from Zephaniah 3:17 was the theme for his 50th year anniversary, and there were many special songs chosen for the occasion. Most were gospel songs, but my sister honored him with the song “Daddy’s Hands”, which was her special tribute to him. The words to the song and the artist credit follow.
“The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)
This is my daddy’s hands:
I remember Daddy’s hands, folded silently in prayer.
And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.
Daddy’s hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy’s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy’s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I’ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy’s hands.
I remember Daddy’s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.
There are things that I’ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,
But I’ll always remember the love in Daddy’s hands.
Daddy’s hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy’s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy’s hands, weren’t always gentle
But I’ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy’s hands.
I remember Daddy’s hands, working ’til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over, I’d live my life again.
And never take for granted the love in Daddy’s hands.
Daddy’s hands were soft and kind when I was cryin’.
Daddy’s hands, were hard as steel when I’d done wrong.
Daddy’s hands, weren’t always gentle
But I’ve come to understand.
There was always love …
In Daddy’s hands.
Artist: Holly Dunn
Reminder: Tomorrow is the official kick-off day for “Reading the Entire New Testament in the Summer of 2011”!
Since I was trying to find a stopping point for reading through the prophets, which I highly recommend reading sometime, I didn’t get a head start like some people have. But that’s okay. I was so immersed in reading the book of Jeremiah that I just set my start date for reading the New Testament as tomorrow.
I was also finishing a novel, because I plan to read only the New Testament (no novels, e-books, magazines, blogs, etc.) until I have my weekly reading section read. I’m an avid reader, so that’s a challenge I’m giving myself to make sure I focus only on my Bible reading commitment, and ponder only what I read in the Word, with no interference from other reading sources.
If you’ve seen the free pdf reading guide you know that the first week is to read the Gospels of Matthew & Mark. That’s a total of 44 chapters, and week 2 is to read the Gospels of Luke & John, which is 45 chapters.
Yes, that’s a lot of reading those first 2 weeks! But that allows for our tendency to go into a new commitment with great fervor, then taper off as the weeks pass by. So after the first 2 weeks, the weekly reading section drops to just 28 chapters, with as few as 8 & 9 chapters some weeks, only one other week of 29 chapters, and most weeks being between 12 & 16 weeks. It sounds complicated, but if you look at the reading plan it’s much easier than it sounds.
If you just don’t have time to commit to reading the New Testament this summer, or if you struggle with reading, you can also choose to listen to the New Testament selections in your favorite audio format. There’s a link at the bottom of this post for an online audio Bible.
It has been suggested that some people may choose to read the selections from a different version than they usually read, to see how the passages read in another version, and to avoid skimming verses because you have them memorized in your favorite version. If you choose to do that and don’t have a Bible in another version Bible Gateway has many other ones to read from, see link at the bottom of this post. Other online Bible sites do as well, but I’m most familiar with BG. I like using their parallel feature when studying specific subjects or passages, too.
As you can see, the reading plan is customizable to fit what suits you best, and the commitment is yours to make and to keep. But remember, the main point of “Reading the Entire New Testament in the Summer of 2011” is to get into the habit of reading the Bible.
We can’t know what God has to say to us if we don’t read His Book.
May your path be well lighted.
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
Go here to download the free pdf reading guide if you haven’t : http://www.timothyreport.com/newtestament.html and join the hundreds of us around the world who will be “Reading the Entire New Testament in the Summer of 2011”.
Bible Gateway’s audio Bible is here: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/
Bible Gateway: http://www.biblegateway.com/
Do you read the Bible?
Take the Bible reading poll and be counted!: http://wp.me/PT3BE-8Z
I’ve never been good at following the Bible reading guides that take you through the Bible in a year, which usually includes reading a passage daily from both the Old and New Testaments. I start out with good intentions, then get behind when I have to miss a day or two. It’s hard to catch up once that happens, and then the whole reason for reading the Bible turns into a challenge of just trying to read the daily requirement. We don’t put that kind of pressure on ourselves for any other book we read for insight or reflection.
And if we’re not spending that time with God because we really want to,
what does that say about how we really feel about Him?
I do believe we should read the Bible daily, even if it’s only a few verses in a quiet time set aside to focus only on God and His Word. He doesn’t have a chance to speak to us through His written Word or to speak into our heart, if we don’t sit still and spend time with Him. I also believe we should have some kind of reading plan, whether it’s to read through the Psalms, the Gospels, or other books of the Bible, by reading a few passages at a time and reflecting on them. Skipping around from one day to the next can make it more difficult to stay focused, except when studying a specific subject and looking up the related passages.
Often our choice of Bible reading will be to seek out and read about a specific subject because of issues we are facing in our life. Or we might just want to learn more about what God’s Word says about something.
Regardless of our method, there is no substitute for time spent reading God’s Word,
and no measure for the positive impact it will have on us.
This summer I have decided to read through the New Testament, and I’m even going to follow a guide. I know, I opened this post saying those don’t usually work for me, but this one is different. This guide is set up with weekly passage selections, and is designed to make it easier to stick with it. Not only that you have a whole week to read that section, but also the longest section is at the beginning, then tapers off. Sort of like we are inclined to do, start off doing great with a new resolution, then we fall behind and are tempted to just give up. The sections are divided as weekly, which you can divide into your own daily sections, but the point is to make it easier to set your own reading pace.
Actually, the main point of “Reading the Entire New Testament in the Summer of 2011” is to get into the habit of reading the Bible. We can’t know what God has to say to us if we don’t read His Book.
There are hundreds of other people from around the world committing to this summer reading of the New Testament. The official kick-off is designed to be Sunday, June 5, 2011, the first full week of June. But you can start as early as today if you want to get a head start on the first section.
The Bible is on my recommended reading list, and the New Testament is on my summer reading list. I hope it will be on yours too, and you will join me in this great summer adventure!
You can get more information and download the free pdf reading guide here: http://www.timothyreport.com/newtestament.html
Do you read the Bible? Take the poll and be counted! http://wp.me/PT3BE-8Z
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