LISTENING TO GOD.
Until we take time to be quiet, we'll not hear God. God cannot be heard in noise and restlessness; only in silence. He will speak to us if we will give Him a chance, if we will listen, if we will be quiet.
"Be still, and know that I am God." -- Psalm 46:10
The main purpose of reading the Bible, however, is not to accumulate data about Him, but to "come to Him," to encounter Him as our living God.
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life."
The scholars read the Bible, but they didn't listen to God; they "never heard His voice. We should do more than read words; we should seek the Word exposed in the word.
There's a passing exhilaration -- the "joy of discovery" -- in acquiring knowledge about the Bible, but there's no life in it. The Bible is not an end in itself but a stimulus to our interaction with God.
"Thoughts" is exactly the right word, because that's what the Bible is -- "the mind of the Lord". When we are reading His mind -- what He knows, what He feels, what He wants, what He enjoys, what He desires, what He loves, what He hates.
"Read quietly, slowly, word for word to enter into the subject more with the heart than with the mind. From time to time make short pauses to allow these truths time flow through all the recesses of the soul."
Spend one hour a day in adoration of the Lord and you'll be all right." So much depends on our temperament, our family and job demands, the state of our health, our age and level of maturity. At first, ten or fifteen minutes may be all important how much time we spend at first. Then we will be ready for an hour everyday. God's Spirit will let us know where to go from there.
The words of the Lord are seeds sown in our hearts by the sower. They have to fall into our hearts to grow. Meditation and prayer must water them and obedience keep them in the light. Thus t hey will bear fruit for the Lord's gathering.
We shouldn't worry about our doubts either. Uncertainty is the name of the game. The best thing is to take our questionings and doubts directly to God. God can handle our hesitancy.
Sometimes we're mentally dull or emotionally flat, weary and tired. We should never worry about how we feel. Even when our minds are confused or our hearts are cold we can learn from our solitude.
The main use of the Gospels is to help us see the character of God made real, personal, and understandable in Jesus. If you can't love God, try to see Him in Jesus.
Until we take time to be quiet, we'll not hear God. God cannot be heard in noise and restlessness; only in silence. He will speak to us if we will give Him a chance, if we will listen, if we will be quiet.
"Be still, and know that I am God." -- Psalm 46:10
The main purpose of reading the Bible, however, is not to accumulate data about Him, but to "come to Him," to encounter Him as our living God.
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life."
The scholars read the Bible, but they didn't listen to God; they "never heard His voice. We should do more than read words; we should seek the Word exposed in the word.
There's a passing exhilaration -- the "joy of discovery" -- in acquiring knowledge about the Bible, but there's no life in it. The Bible is not an end in itself but a stimulus to our interaction with God.
"Thoughts" is exactly the right word, because that's what the Bible is -- "the mind of the Lord". When we are reading His mind -- what He knows, what He feels, what He wants, what He enjoys, what He desires, what He loves, what He hates.
"Read quietly, slowly, word for word to enter into the subject more with the heart than with the mind. From time to time make short pauses to allow these truths time flow through all the recesses of the soul."
Spend one hour a day in adoration of the Lord and you'll be all right." So much depends on our temperament, our family and job demands, the state of our health, our age and level of maturity. At first, ten or fifteen minutes may be all important how much time we spend at first. Then we will be ready for an hour everyday. God's Spirit will let us know where to go from there.
The words of the Lord are seeds sown in our hearts by the sower. They have to fall into our hearts to grow. Meditation and prayer must water them and obedience keep them in the light. Thus t hey will bear fruit for the Lord's gathering.
We shouldn't worry about our doubts either. Uncertainty is the name of the game. The best thing is to take our questionings and doubts directly to God. God can handle our hesitancy.
Sometimes we're mentally dull or emotionally flat, weary and tired. We should never worry about how we feel. Even when our minds are confused or our hearts are cold we can learn from our solitude.
The main use of the Gospels is to help us see the character of God made real, personal, and understandable in Jesus. If you can't love God, try to see Him in Jesus.
LISTENING TO GOD.
Until we take time to be quiet, we'll not hear God. God cannot be heard in noise and restlessness; only in silence. He will speak to us if we will give Him a chance, if we will listen, if we will be quiet.
"Be still, and know that I am God." -- Psalm 46:10
The main purpose of reading the Bible, however, is not to accumulate data about Him, but to "come to Him," to encounter Him as our living God.
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life."
The scholars read the Bible, but they didn't listen to God; they "never heard His voice. We should do more than read words; we should seek the Word exposed in the word.
There's a passing exhilaration -- the "joy of discovery" -- in acquiring knowledge about the Bible, but there's no life in it. The Bible is not an end in itself but a stimulus to our interaction with God.
"Thoughts" is exactly the right word, because that's what the Bible is -- "the mind of the Lord". When we are reading His mind -- what He knows, what He feels, what He wants, what He enjoys, what He desires, what He loves, what He hates.
"Read quietly, slowly, word for word to enter into the subject more with the heart than with the mind. From time to time make short pauses to allow these truths time flow through all the recesses of the soul."
Spend one hour a day in adoration of the Lord and you'll be all right." So much depends on our temperament, our family and job demands, the state of our health, our age and level of maturity. At first, ten or fifteen minutes may be all important how much time we spend at first. Then we will be ready for an hour everyday. God's Spirit will let us know where to go from there.
The words of the Lord are seeds sown in our hearts by the sower. They have to fall into our hearts to grow. Meditation and prayer must water them and obedience keep them in the light. Thus t hey will bear fruit for the Lord's gathering.
We shouldn't worry about our doubts either. Uncertainty is the name of the game. The best thing is to take our questionings and doubts directly to God. God can handle our hesitancy.
Sometimes we're mentally dull or emotionally flat, weary and tired. We should never worry about how we feel. Even when our minds are confused or our hearts are cold we can learn from our solitude.
The main use of the Gospels is to help us see the character of God made real, personal, and understandable in Jesus. If you can't love God, try to see Him in Jesus.
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