Thursday, September 18, 2014

5 Questions to Ask When Reading the Bible

I'm re-posting this blog post I read today, it was totally on point. Let's read God's Word intentionally and be aware of what it's communicating!

How exactly does the Bible—an ancient book written thousands of years ago—reveal God’s way to people today? There are several key questions we must ask, the answers to which reveal to us the way. Here they are:

1. Is there a command to obey?

The Bible is filled with divine commands for you and me to obey. There is no question what God’s will is in these areas. Our obedience to His commandments leads us precisely into the center of His will.


Click HERE to read more

For example, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). This is clear-cut. Non-negotiable. Black and white. There is no doubt what God’s will is in this matter. His track will always—I repeat, always—be found within the boundaries of obedience to His commandments.


2. Is there an example to follow?

A major portion of the Bible is written in story form—narrative and bibliographical literature. The first 17 books of the Old Testament are narrative; the first five of the New Testament are bibliographical and narrative. These historical books contain the lives of real people who followed God. Their godly lives are recorded as an example for us to follow (Romans 15:4). As we imitate their lives, their walks of faith reveal God’s track to us.
Take Daniel, for example. As I read that this exiled prophet placed a higher allegiance on obeying God than obeying government, his life reveals God’s way to me for today. When I am confronted with a similar tension between the earthly and the heavenly, I must choose to obey God, not men. Always.

3. Is there a promise to claim?

As a father’s will governs the management of his vast estate, so too is the Bible filled with promises from God to His children—to bless, to enrich, to satisfy. God’s estate is a vast reservoir of spiritual riches able to meet all the needs of our life. Charles Spurgeon once compared these divine promises to blank checks issued by God to His children. Already signed by God, they are to be cosigned by His children, brought to heaven’s treasury, and drawn against the limitless wealth of heaven’s account.
For example, Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). Just think about the large inheritance that Christ desires to share with us. Of course, the key is praying in Jesus’ name—praying for those things which honor and glorify His name.


4. Is there a sin to avoid?

The Bible holds up before us certain sins that must be avoided at all costs. They are clearly out of bounds. For example, “This is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). God’s will is always found where sexual purity is maintained. This is a no-brainer. Any step toward immorality is definitely out of bounds and off track.


5. Is there a principle to follow?

A principle in the Bible is a timeless truth tightly stated. It is a short, pithy, practical statement of truth drawn from a passage and used to guide our lives. Principles are broad statements of truth that universally apply to every situation we face. For example, Joshua led the children of God in a march around the city of Jericho, giving a shout of victory as they trusted God to fight for them. The principle is that we should worship before we do anything else. We should praise God in the face of the impossible and watch Him act on our behalf.
Obviously, the better we know God’s Word, the better we will know His will for us.

Originally posted by Steve Lawson at ChurchLeaders.com
Dr. Steven J. Lawson is senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, and he is author of "The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards."


Related Posts:

  • Should You Volunteer In Your Church? We are busy with work, family, life, hobbies, side jobs, and needing an occasional rest in between...so why in the world would we or should we even consider devoting more of our time to anything? ...like volunteering in our… Read More
  • How We Got the Scriptures... Let me preface this post by stating that a lot of the content you will read in this post will be from a lesson in a course I took from Global University, some of this will be verbatim from my book, some from my notes, and … Read More
  • Going the extra mile...Sorry that I haven't been blogging lately, kind of been a little behind with church stuff and have been playing catch up all year so far. A young man got saved this past week and it really just stayed on my mind and I wanted … Read More
  • Things Bigger Than Us... Have you ever had one of those times where you realized you were so caught up in your own "life" or "agenda" that you completely missed out on what God had in store for you?  I've had a handful of things on my mind lat… Read More
  • 5 Questions to Ask When Reading the Bible I'm re-posting this blog post I read today, it was totally on point. Let's read God's Word intentionally and be aware of what it's communicating! How exactly does the Bible—an ancient book written thousands of yea… Read More

0 comments:

Post a Comment