Difficulties When Reading the Bible

Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general. Today we want to acknowledge …

The Difficulty of Time Zones

Every traveler knows the difficulty of time zones. Your body clock struggles to catch its natural rhythm after having traveled a great distance. So too, when we journey through the Bible, we have difficulty catching up with its time. There are two major problems in our journey. The first problem is that of the time that has passed; the second problem is that of time that is covered.

Time Has Passed

In our journey through the Bible, we’re looking at the historical records of fellow travelers. Some of these travelers existed centuries, even millennia ago. Reading their accounts is like reading their diaries! Some wrote with the intention of making an historical record. Others simply lived their experiences, and later they were written down to explain events in the past. So when we come along a specific passage in the Bible, we struggle from not knowing all of the information the original writer experienced.

We will continue to provide simple tools (information guides) that will explain what is happening as we encounter the past.  Some of this will be covered when we look at culture, some of this will be looked at when we deal with history.  In all of our journeys, we will make the trip as clear and crisp as possible, without burdening you with unnecessary information and details.

Time Covered

Imagine taking a long trip. You leave your home in the summer, but you do not to return until the following spring.  When you get home and develop your pictures you find that you cannot remember all the facts clearly.  The reason for this simple: you saw too much over too much time.

The Bible claims to cover all of time.  It begins in the book of Genesis with the creation of the universe, and it ends in the book of Revelation with the future culmination of history. This broad and vast amount of time, as we will see, can either be a difficulty or a benefit.

Just as in any trip, an itinerary is necessary. So too, in our journey with the Bible an itinerary is valuable. We will use the amount of time as a benefit. We will begin by examining our entire trip at a glance.  Then, like our trip to Hawaii, we will break the journey into smaller pieces.  For our trip to Hawaii, we used a day-by-day itinerary. For our trip through the Bible, we will use a period-by-period, and book-by-book itinerary which we will talk about from time-to-time.

The Difficulty of Languages

The experienced traveler understands that, when taking a trip outside of one’s country, very few people will speak their language.  And even those who do speak their language will speak it poorly. When we come to our journey through the Bible, it is important that we understand the basic languages in use.

Old Testament – Hebrew

Much of the Old Testament is written in the Hebrew language.  This is the language of the Jewish peoples.  Hebrew is written from right to left and top to bottom on the page.  The language contains no vowels, only consonants. As such, from time-to-time, words that are different in pronunciation are written identically on paper. It then becomes the work of the translator to look at that context of the passage to determine the exact word in use. Hebrew is a pictorial and poetic language.

Old Testament – Aramaic

A small portion of the Old Testament is written in the Aramaic language. Aramaic was the language spoken by the people known as the Aramaeans. There are a few portions of the Old Testament that contain this language in written form. The Assyrians used this language extensively.  When the Assyrians conquered Israel and deported the royal families, among whom Daniel was a part, the language they spoke was Aramaic. Daniel wrote some portions of his book in Aramaic, formerly known as Chadean in the King James Version of the Bible.

New Testament – Greek

All of the New Testament is written in the Greek language. Upon the conquest of the Mediterranean basin by Alexander the Great, those countries that were conquered adopted the Greek language.

The Greek of the New Testament is the language which was commonly used in the Greek speaking world from the time of Alexander the Great to about A.D. 500.  For this reason it is called koine or common Greek in distinction from the classical Greek of the world of letters.  God’s written revelation of his Son was given in the language of the people.  It was the logical medium for this revelation because it is the most expressive language known to man.[1]

The use of Greek in the New Testament makes this study very rewarding, as we will see when we study the New Testament.

It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible. We will continue this series with our next installment: “Isaac Continues the Next Generation” on Friday.

You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.


[1] Summers, Ray. Essentials of New Testament Greek. Nashville: Broadman Press. 1950. Vii.

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Dr. Tom Cocklereece Talks About Simple Discipleship

Today we welcome Dr. Tom Cocklereece who serves as pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Marietta, GA and as CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting LLC providing values-based transformational ministry, leadership, executive, marriage, and life coaching.

Tom is a leadership and church organizational development specialist having served as pastor of three churches in 20 years as well as in various leadership positions. His doctorate focused on church health and doctrinal integrity, developing a tool for measuring the doctrinal health of churches.

He is the creator of Simple Discipleship and author of Simple Discipleship: A Process for Making Disciples published by Church Smart Resources in 2009. Tom works with churches to implement this new paradigm for disciple-making churches.

You can learn more about Tom and his ministry here.

You can purchase Simple Discipleship here.

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Genesis: The Beginning of the Nations

Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Today we discover the …


Beginning Of The Nations With The Tower Of Babel (Genesis 11)

In this section we learn of the divisions of nations. Humanity desires to make a name for themselves – to become world famous. Finding a location near ancient Babylon, they begin to build a great tower, which would become a monument to their abilities and desires.

Apparently the pride and arrogance of these ancient people was intolerable to God and he decides to judge them. In the judgment, God confuses their language, so that they can no longer work together. As a result, the people find those who speak the same languages they do and they settle in groups where they can communicate with each other.

God Continues Through A Family! (Genesis 12-50)

Another 225 years passes (11.10-26) before Abram is born in Ur of the Chaldeans (modern Kuwait).  With the birth of Abram, we begin to see how God forms the future nation of Israel upon the faith of this one man.

Abraham Becomes The Father Of Faith In God (12-25)

As this segment of our journey goes by, a lot happens. It is important to look for these very important items as we travel through.

  • God’s promise to Abraham (Abram until after Isaac’s birth) at the age of 75 is to make of Him a great nation and through him to bless the whole world; (12)
  • Abram’s belief of God’s promise to him to produce the promise God given to him in chapter 12; (15)
  • Isaac’s miraculous birth by Sarah (age 90) to Abraham (age 100) in fulfillment of the promise to make of Abraham a great nation; (17, 18, 21)

Many other themes run through this passage. These are the essential ones to understanding the story line of the Old Testament and the creation of the nation of Israel.

We will continue this series with our next installment: “Difficulties When Reading the Bible” on Thursday.

You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.

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Sweeter As the Years Go By?

by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Executive Director of EaglesInLeadership.org

Author of “Growing Missional Leaders”


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ” (Galatians 5:22–24, ESV)

Maybe you have experienced that phenomenal situation where you meet a ‘mature saint’ of God, one who has been a Christ follower for decades, who displays the fruit of the Spirit.

A question: Is this your normal experience?

A second question: If you are a ‘maturing saint’ is this your normal demeanor?

I confess that older ‘crabby Christ-followers’ have driven me crazy for years. Yet, as I grow older, I notice there is some of this ‘toxic tantrum’ creeping into my life. Like the London fog, grumpiness seems to be a temptation of those of us who walk with Jesus in our ‘second half’ of life.

What should we be exemplifying?

  • Our worship should be deeper – Decades of walking with God should create a deeper, passionate love for Him. Watching King David unashamedly dance before the Lord in his ‘holy BVDs’ to express his heartfelt devotion reminds me I need to ‘let loose’ in praise more often, despite what others might think.
  • Our fellowship should be sweeter – Since we are more patient in our being, we should be able to get along with others – or as they say to little kids: “play nice together.” In fact, since we have ‘been around the block a few times’ we should understand what it means sacrifice our preferences for others.
  • Our discipleship should get stronger – By the time we get to middle age with Christ, shouldn’t we be discipling younger men or women (depending on our gender)? Are not we the bench from which the pastoral team can depend on to raise up the next generation from?
  • Our ministry should grow broader ­– As time passes my rights are erased by the work of the Spirit within me and my sacrifices multiply. By mid-life with Christ touching the wounds and lifting the burdens of others should be more important because we treasure their worth.
  • Our sense of mission intensifies – Perhaps the ‘mid-life crisis’ we hear so much about is actually a built-in warning device by God reminding us that our time is short. That desire to do something significant can be fulfilled in this life by reaching others with the message of God’s love.
  • Our leadership shadow lengthens – As we walk with Christ, the people who follow us see our leadership. Decades of a life lived for Jesus allows us to see those we have poured our lives into … working and serving Christ, just as we have demonstrated before and with them.
  • Our stewardship extends – Investing in God’s people and the ministries they do for Christ yields eternal benefits. It also creates networks of people who we can call upon to come to our aid in our next project.

Ultimately, this is the life fruit of the Spirit’s work in us. When one looks to their next decade of ministry as a ‘mature saint’ it is our attitude of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that will bring even greater rewards.

Are you ready to exemplify Christ in the coming decade?

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Genesis: The Beginning of Death and Destruction

Editor’s Note: As we continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year, we step into the …

Beginning Of Death and Destruction In The Fall (3)

If everything started out so wonderful why did things go so bad? When God designed humanity, he gave him a free will. An essential part of our personality is our ability to choose. With our ability to choose, we were also given the freedom to fail.  One of the core truths of the Bible is that God wants the best for us, and if we follow his directions, we will enjoy the best life has to offer.  But if we choose to ignore his directions, or disobey them directly, he will not experience all that life has to offer.

When God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, he provided them with a perfect environment in which to live.  There was only one prohibition: they were to obey God to avoid DEATH. God had commanded in Genesis 2:16-17:

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (New King James Version)

Adam and Eve willfully chose to disobey God’s command, and His warning. The results were:

·       Shame of their nakedness (3-7)

·       Fear of God’s presence (3.8-10)

·       Blame, instead of accepting responsibility for their actions (3.9-13)

·       Consequences for their disobedience (3.14-19)

·       Removal from God’s perfect environment for living (3.20-24)

The consequences for their disobedience are still being felt today in our lives. Not until God restores his rule on this planet will we know the restoration of this time by God.  We will discuss this in more detail at the end of the New Testament journey.

Beginning Of God’s Intervention With The Flood (4-10)

As you journey through this section, notice carefully how things degenerate rapidly. The first disobedience in the garden in chapter 3, leads to the first murder in chapter 4.  The judgment upon Cain in chapter 4, is just the beginning of a downward spiral of actions, actions which God calls wicked.

Only 1,056 years has passed since the creation of a perfect world as you read through this section.  However, the effects of disobedience to God are so great that God decides he will remove all of humanity in one event: the worldwide flood. God’s thinking on this matter is expressed in Genesis 6.5 – 7:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (New King James Version)

The flood was to cover the entire earth (6.17), but one man and his family would escape.  The reason Noah escapes the worldwide flood is important to the traveler on this journey through the Bible.  Noah finds grace in the eyes of God because of his character (6.8-9). So it is even to this day, God gives grace to those whose character demonstrates that they are seeking to obey him.

We will continue this series with our next installment: “The Beginning of the Nations”

You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.

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Beginning the Book of Genesis

When Melodee and I traveled to Hawaii for our 20th anniversary, our desire was to make sure we got the most of out of our days. With that in mind, we set out a framework of what we want to accomplish on the first day or so. This became the foundation of what we would do with the rest of our time.

So too, with our journey through the Bible. Our first book (Genesis) lays out a great deal of foundation for the rest of our journey, so we want to be careful to map it out first.

Major Old Testament Route No. 1:

Forming the first five books of the Bible

(Genesis – Deuteronomy)

  • On this route we will explore approximately 2,300 years of the formation history for the nation of Israel. Our first route was written as a diary or journal of the actual travels of a people guided by God in the Old Testament. These five books are their history books.  As we travel on this route, we will be following the original journeys as they unfold, often as if we were participants in the actual events. We now look at:

The Book of Genesis, The Book of Beginnings

(About 2,300 years)

God Began It All In The Beginning! (Genesis 1-11)

As we journey through these first 11 chapters, we will see and understand exactly what the Bible describes as the beginning of the world.  Some of the biggest questions that face every person are answered in this section.  Questions like …

  • How did life begin?
  • What is my purpose?
  • Why is there evil in the world?

And many more questions like these find their answers in these first 11 chapters of Genesis. Let’s explore these beginnings.

Beginning Of The Earth and The Universe (1-2)

The Bible begins with a declaration of how everything began.  It does not apologize; it simply gives you a historical record. God created the entire universe in six days, according to these chapters. Take just a moment to think about God.  If God is not able to create what this record states, the way the record reads, then could he really be God? In order to be God, one must have the supernatural ability of ultimate power.  In other words, he must be able to create out of nothing.

The record in the Bible states that God created:

  • Day and night on day one.
  • Atmosphere on day two.
  • Plant life on day three.
  • Stars on day four.
  • Sea life and birds on day five.
  • Animals, land creatures and humans on day six.
  • God rested on day seven.

Consider the differences between the models of creation, as explained here in the Bible, and evolution, as explained by many scientists today. (This will be one of the two or three major hurdles every reader of Bible will have to overcome.  You do not need to do it today.)

Creation:

  • Personal agent
  • Design with a purpose
  • Provides meaning for life
  • Explained by an actual eyewitness: God
  • Focus is God’s supernatural ability
  • Allows for personal contact with creator

Evolution:

  • No personal agent
  • Accident without a purpose
  • Excludes any meaning for life
  • Explained by hypothetical models: Scientific Theory
  • Focus is random chance
  • Defies any personal contact with creator

Beginning Of Mankind In The Garden of Eden (2)

Humanity, the creation of mankind, is explained in detail in chapter two. This portion of the Bible reveals:

  • God’s personal involvement in the creation of mankind, thus rejecting the idea of an uncaring, impersonal force or god governing the universe (2.7)
  • Man’s beginning is one of design by a personal, “hands-on” God, thus rejecting the idea of evolution (2.7)
  • God personally cared for the well-being of his creation, thus demonstrating the reality that God cares for every person, including you (2.8-14)
  • Man was designed to work, manage and care for the world, thus explaining why care for our environment should be a natural concern of every person (2.15)
  • Man was designed with the ability of choice, or a free-will, thus allowing us to choose or reject the God who made us (2.16-17)
  • Man was designed for companionship, thus helping us to comprehend the deep need we have to eliminate our personal loneliness (2.18-25)

Beginning Of Death and Destruction In The Fall (3)

If everything started out so wonderful why did things go so bad? When God designed humanity, he gave him a free will. An essential part of our personality is our ability to choose. With our ability to choose, we were also given the freedom to fail.  One of the core truths of the Bible is that God wants the best for us, and if we follow his directions, we will enjoy the best life has to offer.  But if we choose to ignore his directions, or disobey them directly, he will not experience all that life has to offer.

When God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, he provided them with a perfect environment in which to live.  There was only one prohibition: they were to obey God to avoid DEATH. God had commanded in Genesis 2:16-17:

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (New King James Version)

Adam and Eve willfully chose to disobey God’s command, and His warning. The results were:

  • Shame of their nakedness (3.7)
  • Fear of God’s presence (3.8-10)
  • Blame, instead of accepting responsibility for their actions (3.9-13)
  • Consequences for their disobedience (3.14-19)
  • Removal from God’s perfect environment for living (3.20-24)

The consequences for their disobedience are still being felt today in our lives. Not until God restores his rule on this planet will we know the restoration of this time by God.  We will discuss this in more detail at the end of the New Testament journey.

Our next post will bring us directly to the issue of death and destruction on earth.

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Hearing from Heaven in 2011! (Part 2)

We are here again today to invite you to participate in an exciting campaign we are sponsoring for 2011. It’s called, “Hearing from Heaven in 2011!”

It’s a simple idea – one with profound benefits for your life. We are inviting you to join Dr. Matthew Lee in reading the Bible in the New Year. That’s right – we will read together from Genesis to Revelation in 2011.

In our last episode we spoke of how to talk with God and receive hundreds of answers to prayer each year. In this episode we will discover how to read God’s Word so that we can discover hundreds of insights into his will and his ways each year.

As we mentioned last time, Dr. Smith is already publishing short blogs to help you in this endeavor of reading God’s Word and hearing from Heaven in 2011 – a task he has committed to doing all year long as we read God’s Word from cover to cover. You will find these on our website: EaglesInLeadership.org. Sign up now for the blog on our website.

In today’s concluding episode, Dr. Smith shares part 2 of How to have an exciting daily devotional. Let’s listen in as he teaches a small group of men and women – just like yourself – on how to hear from Heaven! We know you will greatly benefit from this time-tested way of hearing from God.

In this episode, Dr. Smith talks about using a Daily Devotional Journal. You can learn more about the journal he has written by following this LINK.

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Hearing from Heaven in 2011! (Part 1)

We are here today to tell you about an exciting campaign we are sponsoring for 2011. It’s called, “Hearing from Heaven in 2011!”

It’s a simple idea – one with profound benefits for your life. We are inviting you to join Dr. Matthew Lee Smith in reading the Bible in the New Year. That’s right – we will read together from Genesis to Revelation in 2011.

As you read, you will discover God’s amazing presence – you will hear from God in the coming year! You will enjoy him as you pray – and you will watch God answer your prayers each week!  As you read God’s Word, God will speak to you in amazing ways. He will highlight new ideas and help you start new behaviors – all calculated to bring about great growth spiritually and his presence individually.

In fact, Dr. Smith is already publishing short blogs to help you in this endeavor – a task he has committed to doing all year long as we read God’s Word from cover to cover. You will find these on our website: EaglesInLeadership.org. You can sign up now for the blog on our website.

In today’s episode, Dr. Smith shares part 1 of How to have an exciting daily devotional. Let’s listen in as he teaches a small group of men and women – just like yourself – on how to hear from Heaven!

Dr. Smith mentions his Prayer Journal in this episode. You can obtain one of his prayer journals by following this link.

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The Difficulty of Current Information

Never retreat in the face of difficulties. Advance as conditions permit. If conditions don’t permit, create those conditions.

–       John Maxwell[1]

Let no one or anything stand between you and the difficult task; let nothing deny you this rich chance to gain strength by adversity, confidence by mastery, success by deserving it. Do it better each time. Do it better than anyone else can do it. I know this sounds old-fashioned. It is, but it has built the world.

–       Harlow H. Curtice,

The Thin Book 2[2]

In every journey there are obstacles. It is not a question of whether there will be obstacles in our journey through the Bible. The real question you will have to answer will be, “Is the reason I picked up the Bible more important than the few problems I may encounter along the trip?” Is your why compelling?

Melodee and I knew that we would have some difficulties on our trip to Hawaii, but our goal of finding a romantic setting to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary was more compelling than the problems we might have encountered.

By knowing these difficulties, and making plans in advance to avoid them, or at least coexist with them, we will save ourselves much heartburn and frustration.  Let’s roll up our sleeves, get out our pens, and begin to understand the difficulties so that we can plan around them!

The Difficulty of Current Information

One of the important issues when traveling, is how current our travel guide or brochures are.  Many people today struggle in their journey through the Bible because the Bible they are trying to read is old, and outdated in its language.  Most people picking up a Bible for the first time will pick up a King James Version of the Bible.

First written in 1611 A.D., one can quickly see why this version is outdated.  Although it has been revised several times, the language is still Old English.  Filled with thee’s and thou’s, this Bible makes it very difficult to understand the message God is trying to communicate to us.

Versions

Although we will deal with this in more detail in chapter 17, let me say at this point, that you should read that chapter before you begin reading the Bible seriously. A version is a translation into English from the original languages of the Bible.  This is a pain-stakingly-slow process, and it is a precise science. There are several laws of translation that must be adhered to carefully before an accurate translation can be printed.

There are many good English versions today.  Among the best are:

  • The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible.
  • The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.
  • The English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible

Paraphrases

Travel agents will often tell you what information or services you can depend on in a foreign land.  They may also tell you who to avoid, because they are not as dependable. As we read our travel guide to Hawaii, Melodee and I noticed many times the guide recommended that we avoid certain restaurants, services, and tours. The reason for this was dependability and reputation. Other services, restaurants and tours were recommended.  Again the issue was dependability and reputation.

Some of the Bibles available are called “paraphrases.” A paraphrase is exactly what the word means, a phrase given by someone else that makes the verse sound simpler to understand.

The problem with a paraphrase is that anyone can paraphrase.  There are no rules. There are no laws of translation. One can simply make up whatever they want as they see fit.  For the experienced traveler, you understand exactly what this means.  If you’re trying to understand something in a foreign land and someone who does not know English well might be translating for you.  Perhaps they will say to you, “Oh, how do you say?” and then they will try to use what they think the English term is. This can be helpful. Sometimes it can lead you off track.

Often a paraphrase is one person’s opinion of what the verse says, as opposed to a team of educated, informed, translators who understand what the original language says.  We recommend that you stay far away from paraphrases.

As we read through the Bible this year, we will provide simple tools (information guides) that will explain what is happening as we encounter the past.  Some of this will be covered when we look at culture, some of this will be looked at when we deal with history.  In all of our journeys, we will make the trip as clear and crisp as possible, without burdening you with unnecessary information and details.

Only a few days now till we begin! Are you as excited as I am?


[1] Maxwell, John. It’s Just A Thought. Tulsa: Honor Books. 1996. 36.

[2] Curtice, Harlow H. Cited in Bits & Pieces. Fairfield, NJ. The Economics Press. August 13, 1998. 14

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Prepare for These!

When was the last time everything happened just the way you planned it? Everyone makes travel plans with a “best-case scenario” in mind! However, when things don’t go according to their plan, many people lose the joy of the journey because of the problems of the present.

As we read the Bible together, we need to realize a few minutes planning and preparation now will help you avoid a few hours of frustration and anger later! Think about the following items and how you would cope with them should they arise:

  • Unforeseen delays. All of us have been stuck somewhere. A plane is late, a rainstorm slows down traffic, or somebody oversleeps. When taking the journey through the Bible, there are countless unforeseen delays. Things you don’t understand, customs that make no sense, and words or phrases that you are unfamiliar with. Often they can slow you down or stop you in your tracks. And before you know it, you are way behind on your itinerary! How will you choose to handle these delays? We suggest you prepare for these delays by preparing your attitude! Consider the delay as an opportunity to relax, to rest, to contemplate, and to meditate upon what you already know! This will make the journey much more pleasant than allowing the delay to raise your blood pressure! Consider these words of wisdom.

The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. ~ William James

  • Mid-course corrections. When traveling to Disneyland one time, Space Mountain was closed. Another time while there, the Matterhorn was closed. Both instances were times when, although we had planned to enjoy these rides, there was nothing we could do to ride them. So, we adjusted our schedules. So too, when journeying through the Bible, there will be times when you will need to adjust your schedule. Something you thought you’d have little interest in fascinates you. You spend much more time in it than you planned for. Relax! Just reschedule your schedule! Remember: A journey through the Bible is supposed to be beneficial, so just relax, adjust and continue your trip with that good attitude mentioned above!
  • Rest stops. As I write this, I am an urban dweller. Physical exercise is a term I have to look up in a dictionary! When I see someone running down the street, I look for his or her assailant! So when I travel in Hawaii, and want to see a “breath-taking” view at the top of a mountain, you can be assured it will take my breath away! I already know that along the way I will need to stop and rest, to catch my breath! So too, while journeying through the Bible, you may need to take a break; a few days to rest and “catch your breath.” Great! Do it! Don’t allow the trip to discourage you by letting it “wear you out!” Take a break, and then return refreshed and ready for a new day of travel!

As we journey together through the Bible, we will discover many things that will make our travels through the Bible much more satisfying. In our next blog we will talk about the difficulty of current information when we are reading our Bible.

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