Tag Archives: Gods Word

Bible Study, the Nourishment

A Meditation on Moses’ Farewell to Israel

Aside

The word is very near you. YES!

It is in your mouth –

That I may

  • Confess it
  • Share it
  • Teach it
  • Write it

 

And in your heart –

That I may

  • Cherish it
  • Remember it
  • Think about it
  • Dwell in it
  • Immerse myself in it
  • Be nourished by it
  • Mature in my understanding of it

So that you may do it.

Deuteronomy 30:14

In this way I will grow into the person God created me to be.

Faith Practice, the Exercise

Think About a Verse

Open BibleAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The New Living Translation makes these verses sound more like daily conversation:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he had already written a letter to the church at Ephesus, in which he said, “We are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 ESV).

  • In the letter to the Ephesians, what did Paul say was the purpose for which God recreated us in Christ Jesus?
  • Paul sent Timothy to the church at Ephesus, and he wrote 2 Timothy as guidance for Timothy’s work there. What did he tell Timothy was the necessary way to learn how to live out God’s purpose?
  • If Scripture is inspired by God, what part of it can we safely ignore?
  • If God has inspired Scripture to help every Christian, why would he want to make it hard to understand? In other words, when you are reading Scripture, is it safe for you follow the plain meaning, or do you need a code book to understand it?
  • What did Paul say Scripture does for us?
  • Jesus said that our natural food is every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Read Matthew 4:4) How often do you need to eat? How often do you need to nourish yourself from the Word of God?

By Katherine Harms, author of Oceans of Love available for Kindle at Amazon.com. Watch for the release of Thrive! Live Christian in a Hostile World, planned for release in the winter of 2016.

Image: Open Bible
Source:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOpen_Bible.jpg
By Wnorbutas (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0

Faith Practice, the Exercise

A Hymn for Meditation

hymnalAlmighty God, Your Word is cast
Like seed into the ground;
Now let the dew of Heav’n descend,
And righteous fruits abound.

Let not the foe of Christ and man
This holy seed remove,
But give it root in ev’ry heart
To bring forth fruits of love.

Let not the world’s deceitful cares
The rising plant destroy.
But let it yield a hundredfold
The fruits of peace and joy.

Nor let Your Word so kindly sent
To raise us to Your throne
Return to You, and sadly tell
That we reject Your Son.

Oft as the precious seed is sown,
Your quick’ning grace bestow,
That all whose souls the truth receive,
Its saving power may know.

Great God, come down and on Your Word
Your mighty power bestow,
That all who hear the joyful sound,
Your saving grace may know.

By John Cawood
Text from www.cyberhymnal.com

  • This hymn about the Bible borrows imagery from one of Christ’s parables. What parable is referenced throughout the hymn?
  • What are some of the ways the “foe” diminishes respect for the Bible? On what basis does the “foe” claim that the Bible is irrelevant today?
  • Where did the hymn writer get the idea that God’s Word would go back to him? What does God say is the case when his Word returns?
  • Some say that the content of the Bible is a bunch of myths written by ancient people to explain things they did not understand. What do you say is the content of God’s Word? See vs. 4
  • Some say that the Bible is an ancient book about “the sacred” which has little relevance to modern life. What do you say is the purpose of God’s Word?