Scripture Plus

Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, a day marked by some denominations for centuries as the beginning of Lent, a season of preparation for Easter.  I have not traditionally observed this season because I was raised that only “those other denominations do that” (i.e. Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc.)  But I have grown to understand that some of the other traditions can be valuable as they are informed by Scripture and kept Christ-centered.

You can read more about my thoughts on this on my personal blog, but I just wanted to encourage you to go beyond the basic disciplines of Scripture and Bible reading and discover the value in fasting, confession and repentance, simplicity, solitude and the like.  Richard Foster’s excellent book Celebration of Discipline gives some helpful instruction on exercising these disciplines.

I am seeking, in this season, to glorify God, and to be renewed in the process.  Great is the Lord and worthy to be praised!

Time Off. . . to Go Deeper

Thanks for a good meeting last night, everyone.  We will be off for at least two weeks, but that doesn’t mean that we take a break from things like Bible reading, Bible study, Bible meditation, prayer and Scripture memory review.  It means that we have the opportunity to go deeper.

I just finished going through the next lesson in our Study & Meditation book.  That is a record for me.  I’m usually getting around to it the night before our meeting.  But I have to realize that when I delay, I am not putting off work.  I am putting off my growth and my intimacy with God.

Life is so much more fulfilling and smoother when I consistently do the things that are most important, rather than put them off until they scream in my ear “Get this thing done now, or there will be major problems!”  The worst time to repair a leaking roof is during the spring storms.  If we tend to our lives consistently we discover:

• That future disastrous experiences are lessened, for we have maintained and strengthened and prepared our current and future life.  We aren’t left to cram at the last minute.
• In a gradual process, we are built up in every way.  We will be amazed at what God does in us over the long haul.
• The habits of a disciple of Jesus Christ become the rhythms of our life.  What God creates in us is character, not mere ritual.

Continue to review your memory verses, especially the “Proclaim Christ” set.  If you are having trouble with several verses, don’t try to review them all.  Begin with one and review it until it is well established in your mind.  Then move on to the next one as you continue to review the ones you already know.

Be sure to read through the “How to Spend Extended Time in Prayer” sheet.  If you need a copy, click the title that you just read.

As you spend time in the Bible the next two week, slooooow doooown.  Be sure that you hear the voice of God and don’t just see His words.  Allow yourself enough time.  If you need 15 minutes for your Bible reading, make sure you have 30 minutes so that you aren’t rushed.

Continue to pray for those on your “Disciple-Making Card.”  Ask God to open their hearts to God’s truth and love.  Ask Him to open your eyes to their needs.  Ask Him to open your mouth to share the message.

What do you have to say?  Please leave your comments for all to read.

Forming Habits

So today I got back into my Bible reading (Luke 1-4) and reviewed ALL of my memory verses.  I was amazed how well I knew most of the verses, even some that I had not reviewed for several weeks.

When I was ten years old I had my first, and only, cavity.  My dentist was Dr. Drukenbrod.  I was a scrawny kid  (hard to believe isn’t it?) and all I can remember is how massive Dr. Drukenbrod’s fingers were.  They were like bratwurst links.  It seemed like I could never get my mouth open wide enough for even two of his fingers.  Thirty-six years later I have no problem getting my mouth open wide enough for two bratwurst links.

Anyway, I got my first and only cavity at the age of ten and I still have it today.  Every year at the dentist, they check it and it is solid and never needs any repair.  Why?  Because it was embedded properly.  Three and a half decades later a job well done is keeping my tooth healthy.

Where am I going with that?  The reason that my memory verses are fairly easy to review after being lax for a while is because they were embedded well when I first learned them.  I worked hard to memorize them originally, and it has paid off in the long term.

Having said that, I cannot become lax in review.  Eventually the good filling in my tooth can become a liability if I don’t maintain good dental hygiene.  So my memory verses could become a faded thought if I don’t practice good scripture memory habits.  The great thing is that after the verses are solidly known, review can be less often (maybe weekly instead of daily).  And when I find verses growing a little fuzzy, I can make them a priority and review them more often until they become solidified again.

We now have all the verses we are going to memorize for this group, so you can focus on review, review, review.  Next Wednesday we’ll review the “Proclaim Christ” verses.  There are nine of them.  We will also talk about having a day of personal prayer.  Good stuff.  We’ll meet at Ginnie’s at our new time – 6:30 p.m.