I have always been an avid reader. I have fond memories of my mom taking me to the library on a regular basis to pick out books for summer reads. And with those reads, I would always find myself being drawn to ADVENTURE stories. I was introduced to The Hardy Boys series during my elementary school years and devoured their contents, as well as other books of that genre like Tom Swift and the Ted Scott Flying Stories.
In Junior High I was drawn to the Secret Agent spy books
that were the rage in the late 1960’s. I
read all the original James Bond books as well as many of the American
counterparts of the time… although I’m not too sure that I should have been
reading those books at that young age!
But in high school something changed when I met a spunky
Christian girl who sat behind me in eleventh grade academic English. She was different from other gals I knew and
I found myself intrigued by not only her outgoing, humorous and encouraging
personality but also by the way she carried herself. When we began to date at the beginning of the
following year, I was captivated by the all-encompassing way in which she lived
her Christian faith. I guess one could
say that it stirred up that spirit of ADVENTURE in me that I
enjoyed reading about throughout my childhood and early teen years.
And then… she introduced me to
the greatest ADVENTURE book that I had ever read… The Holy Bible…
and I haven’t put it down since!
Now that’s not to say that I still don’t enjoy reading good ADVENTURE
authors like Clive Cussler and more recently, many of the new Indy
archeological adventure writers, but while those are fun to read… God’s book
connects me with the greatest ADVENTURER whose words guide,
strengthen and fill me with wisdom for the successful living of my daily life.
Take for instance the Apostle Paul’s exciting words in
Colossians 1:12-13 where he wrote,
“I continue to thank my
Father God, who has made us able to share (or participate) in the light…
everything BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL that He has for us… which is what God’s people
(both you and me) inherit. For He has
rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated
(brought us into or set us up) into the kingdom of His beloved Son.”*
I realized this morning as the dog and I walked in the
bright, cool and crisp Oklahoma countryside, that from day one… I have always
approached my Bible with great anticipation of the ADVENTURES
that I will find and then participate in… as I increase my understanding of
God’s will and apply it in my life.
Previous to that anticipation of the ADVENTURES held
within the pages of your Bible though, is the approaching of your study time in
God’s Word… with the uncontested belief that God’s Word is the truth!
Then… when you come across
portions of the Word that discuss promises or blessings that are NOT
active in your life… you won’t brush them aside as impossible**,
but instead, relish the ADVENTURE that lies ahead for you as you
dig deeper into your personal study of the Bible and discover how to
appropriate those promises in your life (ie; the inheritance that Paul spoke
of in our scripture above).
And HOW you might ask… do I
find the promises and/or blessings that God has provided for us to enjoy? Well… it’s rather simple! You search for them through the ADVENTUROUS
study of His Word on a daily and consistent basis.
A good way to approach your ADVENTUROUS study
is, like I mentioned in our last blog post*** to begin by
reading and studying the epistles in the New Testament portion of your Bible (the
books of Romans through Revelation), for these are letters of instruction written
specifically to us, the church for the current age that we are
living in today!
And I’ll even include information so that you can download
and/or purchase a great little booklet that will help you to discover for
yourselves, the various promises and provisions that God has provided for you.
The booklet is simple entitled “In Him”****
and is a good reference that includes some basic Bible reading/study
instruction as well as an extensive sampling of the promise scriptures. We accumulated many copies of this must-have
booklet over the years and one could always be found throughout our
house, and in our cars as well as in my wife’s purse! It is a great little reference to hang on
to!
I discovered this morning that the download is available
for free***** online as well as in booklet form for under $2.00 (paperback)
$.99 (Kindle) through Amazon.******
So, there you go! No excuses… The ADVENTURE
of a lifetime awaits you as you learn and then unleash the promises of
God into the daily ADVENTUROUS activities of your life!
I hope that you are enjoying your weekend… and I can hardly
wait for you to share with me, some of the God-Infused EXCITING
ADVENTURES that are happening in your life!
*Personalization of Colossians
1:12-13 from a combining of the God’s Word ©, Message Bible and The Passion
Translations.
**God Himself established
this understanding in the very beginning of the Gospel message when the angel
messenger of the Lord spoke to Mary and declared (when she wasn’t too sure
about how the things he was telling her could ever come to pass) “For no
promise from God will be impossible of fulfilment." (Luke 1:37 -
Weymouth Translation)
***https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2024/10/bright-and-beautiful.html
****In Him by
Kenneth E. Hagin, ©1980 Rhema Bible Church
*****Free download:
https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/c21a6153/files/uploaded/In%2BHim.pdf
******Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Him-Kenneth-Hagin/dp/0892760524
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