Quote Friday

The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.

George Mueller

In Gear for New Year

I’m planning to read the whole Bible next year. It’s a couple of years since I’ve done that and I miss it. I’ll still use my daily Explore notes but I think I’ll try one of Justin Taylor’s suggestions for through the Bible reading.

He’s got apps, two year plans, one for shirkers and slackers, and an audio version among others. I haven’t decided which one I’ll use yet but if I don’t plan it now, I’ll not get round to it till about the 10th of January, then I’m behind too much, then it will be June and I still won’t have started!

Quote Christmas

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

St. John

Don’t Mention the F Word

I came across this at the Gospel Coalition site. Scary stuff. Christian freedom is seriously under threat in our country.

Bible Reading for 2011

A couple of people have done the spade work to recommend reading plans for next year.. Check out Andy Hunter’s Blog for some ideas, or Justin Taylor’s for a more extensive list.

Or we could all make up your own plans… So long as we make time to regularly read the Bible. It points us to Jesus.

Call to Alliteration

I was listening to a sermon by Alistair Begg yesterday. He was saying that many people get tied in knots trying to find their “call”. He has no such angst.
Read the Bible, he says, and discover that you are called to:

Salvation Acts 2

Sanctification 1 Thess 4

Suffering 1 Peter 3

Service Romans 12

Sacrifice Luke 9

Live to these and all other things which pre-occupy us will fall into line.

Temples Old and Older

I’ve often wondered what the temple looked like when Jesus was on earth. This gives an idea.

Even more fascinating is the temple that Solomon built. All that gold! I’m not sure if this is a completely accurate representation but it seems to fit the description quite well.

Readathon

On Saturday at our church, the whole of the New Testament was read aloud. One great guy in the church organised a timetable and a list of who would read what and when. People could come and go, listen, read, stay for a coffee, come back later… it was a great day.

Now I didn’t stay from 6.30am until 1.15am the following morning, although some did. I only popped in for a while to listen in the morning and then back to read for my 15 minute slot in the afternoon. It was such a blessing.

There’s something compelling about reading the Bible publically. It’s not like any other book. It’s the living Word of God and those who read and those who hear have to respond.

Imagine we responded the way the Israelites did in the book of Nehemiah. The people had just finished rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and they all came together to ask Ezra, the scribe, to read the law of Moses to them – probably the whole of the first five books of the Old Testament. The men, women and children stood and listened from early morning until noon, then “they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

It presents a powerful picture. I’m not suggesting we do that for the next readathon. I’m grateful to have my own Bible and to be able to read it whenever I want to. I just love the idea that God’s people, past and present, hanker after his Word.

Bible Reading 2010

Not sure what your plans are for reading the Bible in 2010 but I hope you’ve made some.  Justin Taylor has an outline of  how to access various plans easily.  I’ve printed mine out and plan to tick it off each day.  I’m a Luddite at heart.

Grow, Grow, Grow

I find it really annoying when liberally minded people say we don’t need to read the Bible and pray every day and then rubbish those who do. It’s as much a “legalistic burden” as using breathing apparatus for deep sea diving.

If we’re thinking of it as a “do I have to?” then it’s a burden. If we’re thinking of it as a “I get to” then it’s our passion, our joy and our means of grace. It becomes as natural as breathing and as edifying as food and water. When we miss out on our times alone with God, it jars. Not because we have guilt about it or we’re no longer in God’s good books, but because we’re missing something vital to our well-being and our souls are crying out to be nurtured.