Daily Bible Study! … Who me... How??

Yes… You’re right!  I am writing my normal Monday blog this week on Tuesday!  As it turned out, we had planned to spend the afternoon yesterday with our daughter in Morrisville (about 40 minutes away) so we had scheduled an earlier time for Piper’s CNA to come by.  Well, she came early, stayed longer than usual and it inadvertently put us behind schedule.  So, hopefully it’s okay that I made the executive decision to write yesterday’s blog today!

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to books.  One of my favorite places to spend time is at the local library or better yet, at a Book Fair!  One the first things I did out here was to find the closest library branch and procure a Library Card!  Then a few months later my daughter and my wife and I attended a large Book Fair in Durham, NC.  It was a wonderful experience with three or four large rooms (and/or tents) over-flowing with used, inexpensive books!

I would imagine that my love for books can be traced back to my early elementary summer days when my Mom would take me every few weeks to get a book or two at the local Montgomery Village Branch Library (now long gone) or to the big stone Main branch downtown (built in 1904, damaged and repaired following the 1906 earthquake and then replaced in the 1960’s).  I still have fond memories of one particular incident when we were at the library and I couldn’t find a book I liked and my Mom finally suggested (more like twisted my arm!) to get one that to my young eyes looked quite boring!

Well, you guessed it… after I begrudgingly checked out the book and took it home, I finally gave in and read it… AND LOVED IT!  And while I don’t remember the title of the novel, I do remember that it was the story of a family going through tough times and in particular their young son who learned the lesson of love and giving when they took a needy stranger into their home one Christmas.

So yea, I am drawn to book shelves in people’s houses, spent hours doing homework in the libraries at the Santa Rosa Junior College, at Chico State University and Sonoma State University where I finally graduated with a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in family and adolescent psychology in 1981… and over the years have amassed a nice library of books of my own!

Therefore it makes complete sense that I would have found myself drawn to the 66 books found within the pages of a Bible!  I vividly recall the time as a Junior High student when curiosity caused me to pick up the new Bible sitting on the side table in the living room that a fellow teacher with my Dad had recently given him.  As I thumbed through the Old and New testaments, I discovered that I was interested and felt a peculiar spark deep inside, but readily admit that none of it seemed to make any sense to me… until about four or five years later when a certain spunky, freckled brunette I met in High School introduced me to the One behind those 66 books and began to open up the life-changing and life-guiding meanings found within it’s pages!

As I was getting my wife ready for the day on Sunday morning, I found myself thinking about our long-standing habits of daily Bible Study and how I have been sharing the importance of doing so in our blog posts.  Then it suddenly dawned on me that there may be some of our readers who find themselves in a similar place that I was in when I first picked up that black Catholic Bible back in junior high.  Maybe you have a desire to read and study God’s Word but might not really know how to begin… or you read it but it doesn’t always make a lot of sense to you???

Well, if that’s you, I totally understand and believe me it is nothing to be worried or feel less than confident about!  It’s perfectly normal.  So what I’d like to do is to share some tips, explain a few things I’ve learned in 30 plus years of Christian ministry about the Bible, and suggest a few different ways to embark upon the exciting adventure of a daily time in the Word! 

I have a daily system that I have fine-tuned through the years that I enjoy and seems to work for me, but there are all kinds and manner of Bible study methods and daily Bible reading plans out there.  And in this digital age your favorite Bible translation, reading plan and study programs are as close as your laptop, tablet or smart phone!

The important thing to remember is that the Apostle Paul told us that “Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 God’s Word ©)  In other words, the best and according to Paul, only way to develop and grow our level of Biblical understanding and practical faith is by the regular “hearing” of the Word of Christ (ie; through the daily reading our Bibles and listening to its truths taught by the abundance of wonderful and solid ministries that teach the Word – including the number one source of your local church fellowship).

Another benefit that I recently mentioned in another post is Paul’s encouragement to Timothy when he explained the need to teach the Word to his congregation by qualifying the importance of the Word saying that, “Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God's approval.” (2 Timothy 3:16 God’s Word ©)  God’s Word contains the direction, support and wisdom that we need to succeed in our daily lives.  Jesus Himself called it, “The Bread of life…” (John 6:35 KJV).

So don’t be afraid to jump in and get wet!  It’s a plunge that you’ll never regret!  I’ll start sharing more of this on Wednesday (as I watch the snow that’s supposed to blanket the area tomorrow) and together we’ll experience the wonder and power of God’s Word.  Have a great week, and as you do keep asking yourself… “How am I expecting to grow in my FAITH today?”