Category — For Everyone

It’s not too late to start your Bible Reading Plan.  I have been doing this for over a decade now and it has had a tremendous impact on my life.  I’ll admit, some years I do not get all the way through, but I don’t let that discourage me, I just finish it in the following year.  This Bible Reading Plan from the Navigators is the best I’ve found for me.  However, you may find a different one more useful.  Therefore I am putting in a link to several other Bible Reading Plans.

Let me know how it goes!

All for Jesus,
Fletch

Bible Reading Plan by the Navigators

Shirkers & Slackers Bible Reading Plan

MCheyne DailyBibleReading

Historical Daily Bible Reading Plan

Chronological Daily Bible Reading Plan

Canonical Daily Bible Reading Plan

Reflection on the Incarnation
John Calvin, Institutes, II.12.1 (1536)

It deeply concerned us that He who was to
be our Mediator should be very God
and very man… For who could reach to Him?
Could any of the sons of Adam?
All of them, with their parents,
shuddered at the sight of God.
Could any of the angels? No!

What then?
The case was certainly desperate,
if the Godhead itself did not descend to us,
it being impossible for us to ascend.
Thus the Son of God behooved to become our Emmanuel,
the God with us.

Hymn: “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
“Waiting for the consolation of Israel” Luke 2:25
Charles Wesley, 1744

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Reflection on the Incarnation
Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 191.1 (5th century)

Man’s Maker was made Man,
that He, Ruler of the stars,
might nurse at His mother’s breast;
that the Bread might hunger,
the Fountain thirst,
the Light sleep,
the Way be tired on its journey;
that the Truth might be accused
of false witness,
the Teacher be beaten with whips,
the Foundation be suspended on wood;
that Strength might grow weak;
that the Healer might be wounded;
that Life might die.

1. Context

Looking at the context of a passage is critical in understanding it.  The context will allow you to see where it is in relation to its surroundings. In order to understand the context of a passage you must find out where the passage is.  I know, this sounds elementary, but I mean, you need to know what comes before it and what comes after it. What book is this passage located in?  The reason for this is because, each passage stands not alone, but in the middle of various themes, purposes and continuing stories of a much bigger picture.  Each passage also has verses before and after it that will shed light on its meaning.

I was studying the book of Philippians with some high school friends.  Each week I would ask them what the key word to the book was.  They would correctly answer “joy”.  Then I would ask them where Paul, the author was when he wrote the letter to the Philippians.  They would correctly answer, “prison.”  We would then review what we had learned in last week’s passage before we began to discuss the next verses. This process is critically important to gaining a solid understanding of the current passage you are studying.

Also, don’t forget the overarching context of the Scriptures is God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ for His glory.

2. Content

What is going on in this particular passage?  What is the story here?  Or simply, what message or theme is this passage trying to convey?  It is important to pay attention to the words of Scripture, after all they are “God-breathed.”  So, the words are important, some of the details make all the difference in understanding God’s message.  You usually have to break down a passage into parts.  For instance, a story in Genesis about Abraham can be broken down into stages or a timeline.  A passage in an epistle may need to be broken down into phrases that are linked together.  Each phrase in and of itself can have a powerful message.

Think about Philippians 4:6-7, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  These two verses are about not being anxious but trusting in the power of Christ to give us peace.   But a closer look at each phrase brings out more and more riches of God’s grace to us.  Do not be anxious about anything.  Anything encompasses everything, we are not to worry about anything at all.  The answer to our anxiety issues is in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.  Think about the phrase that says God’s peace surpasses our understanding.  God’s peace is so powerful, so intense, so strong, so deep and exhaustive, it goes beyond what our finite minds can comprehend.  We don’t want to miss out on the riches of God’s Word so take a close look at the content.

3. Condition

Each passage of Scripture reveals a fallen condition focus.  Don’t let this phrase scare you and no I did not make it up.  One of my seminary professors made it up.  It means that each passage reveals a sinful (fallen) condition of our human nature in which we have failed to love and glorify God the way we were originally intended.  For instance, going back to Philippians 4:6-7, the fallen condition is anxiety.  We are anxious about something and therefore are not trusting God to meet our needs. 

Sometimes it is more difficult to find the fallen condition.  Notice we are not saying that each verse has one but each passage does, especially as it relates to the context of the book it’s in.  The passage will reveal an area where we have either blatantly sinned against the Lord, our hearts have turned away to other idols, our motives are impure, or simply the human condition of sin and rebellion is exposed.  In the words of my professor, Bryan Chapell,

“The main reason to ask why the Holy Spirit inspired any text is to expose what fallen aspect of the human condition need to be addressed in order for God’s glory to be properly recognized and honored. The fallen condition focus exposes the necessity of a divine solution to the human dilemma and necessarily makes God the hero of the text as he displays his redemptive provision for his people. God rescues his people from their broken nature and world by his grace alone in order for them to experience his goodness and express his glory.”

4. Christ

The next key follows in answering the question, “How do we fix the fallen condition?”  We don’t fix anything, Christ does.  Each passage will not only reveal the fallen condition but it will also reveal God’s redemption through Jesus Christ.  We are not necessarily looking for Jesus hiding under every rock in the Old Testament.  But we are seeing Scripture for what it is, God’s story of redeeming His people back to himself through the life, death and resurrection of his Son Jesus.

John chapter one says that Jesus is the Word, the logos.  Jesus is the embodiment of all the Scriptures (see Luke 24:27) and we need to understand and interpret the Scriptures according to its redemptive focus.  All of the Scriptures are saturated with God’s grace through Jesus Christ.  Man has fallen and sinned against a holy God (fallen condition).  Man’s only hope is for God to redeem man back to Himself by sending Jesus Christ to die in our place.  This is the story God is telling us in all the Scriptures.  Before you begin to read and study the Scriptures make sure you pray that God will use His Holy Spirit to illuminate His Word in your heart so that you can understand the love of Jesus.

5. Application

God expects his scriptural truths to transform us.  When Paul writes to his young protégé Timothy he says, “All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)  The writer of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12  The Holy Spirit will apply God’s Word to us, but we have to listen and be responsive to His will.

Application is taking the truths of Scripture and incorporating them into our daily lives. It is asking the question, “So what, how can I use this doctrine, command, principle, promise, etc.?” Application should always show how God heals some part of our sin and brokenness.  We look at the characters in the Bible and see how their situation relates to our own.  Even though they lived in a completely different culture and time the lessons still carry over to us today because we are still sinful and Jesus is still the Redeemer.

Most of the time our conversations with one another are shallow, surfacy and do not get to the real issues of our lives. We like staying on top of the water, discussing the weather, the latest sports debacle, or neighborhood gossip. We want to interact with each other but we don’t want to meddle or get too personal. We ask the question, “How are you doing?”, yet we don’t really want an answer longer than, “I’m fine, how are you.”

But why? Why are we afraid to talk to each other about the really important things in our lives and what is really going on in our hearts? I think mainly because we are selfish and self-conscious. Selfish in the sense that we really don’t want to take the time to listen to someone’s problems and then have to take even more time if they need help working through them. Self-conscious in that we don’t want others to see how vulnerable and weak we really are. We all have struggles and we just don’t want to admit it, and we certainly don’t want to discuss it with others.

But, God designed us to live in relationships. God designed us to communicate and interact with one another in such a way that we can carry each other’s burdens, share our needs with one another and minister to one another.
But how can we do this in everyday conversation? Sometimes we don’t have more than a few minutes to be with people. Sometimes we just don’t know what else to talk about. I want to offer three simple questions that could radically change your small talk into significant life on life interaction with those around you. Are you ready?

1. Have you been living in the rhythm of repentance and faith?
Many of you know I like to use that phrase, “living in the rhythm of repentance and faith.” I believe, because the Scriptures tell us, that every day we fall short of God’s best for our lives. We all fall short of living for God’s glory all the time. Therefore, we need to repent, stop doing the things that oppose God and His glory, and believe in faith that God has redeemed us from our sin. We turn away from our sin and turn back to God through faith in Christ who has died for our sins, past, present and future. This takes humility, vulnerability, and honesty before the face of God. But, it is also good to live authentically before the face of one another. How would you react if someone asked you, “Have you been living in the rhythm of repentance and faith?” Would you share honestly about your struggles and shortcomings? Why not? What are you afraid of? Let’s put aside our pride and our outward persona to be open and honest with one another. Let’s be ready to embrace the gospel of grace through Jesus.

2. Have you been personally engaging the Bible this week?
There is no greater book for no other book contains the very words of God. Some people say, “I wish God would just speak to me.” My answer is, “He has, just read the Bible.”

God really does want you to know Him, face to face, word to word. He has revealed Himself to us through the Scriptures, so we take them very seriously. We study them, memorize them, read them, listen to them and meditate on them. So that we can clearly hear God speak to us, to understand His will for our lives and for this world.
How do we engage the Bible personally? We study it daily on our own. Create in your schedule some time to be in God’s Word daily. We listen to it preached and taught. This happens on Sunday mornings in church and Sunday School, this happens in Community Groups, and small group Bible studies. Engaging the Bible can happen as you download a sermon from one of your favorite preachers or watch them online. But engaging the Bible means that we not only listen and read it, but we also obey it, struggle with it, apply it and allow it to transform our hearts, minds and lives.

3. Have you been reaching out and loving those around you this week?
God does not call us to live self-centered, isolated lives. He calls us to live in community and in relationship with others. Jesus said, “Love one another. All men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.” This means loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, with all their warts and worries. Jesus lived out a life of service as Mark says, “For even the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We follow Jesus throughout the day by loving, serving and ministering to those we come in contact with through the power of the gospel living in us.

I realize that these three questions do not comprehensively cover all the things we are to do and be about as believers but it’s a start. What might happen if we started asking these questions to one another? I believe we would start speaking to one another in a way that God wants us to. Getting below the surface of our skin to our hearts. I believe we will be challenged by one another and we will be holding one another accountable to being disciples of Christ.

Repentance and faith?
Engaging the Bible?
Loving others?

Giving you permission to ask me these questions,
Fletch

I have been using an excellent resource for daily personal Bible study. It is a daily email devotional sent by Ken Boa. As an author, Ken is one of my favorite spiritual mentors. All you have to do is log on to: http://kenboa.org, on the right side sign up for Daily Growth Sign Up.

I hate to waste time. So I use this devotional when I am sitting around waiting for someone, or something. I get email on my Blackberry so I always have some Scripture to encourage me. I use it to keep me going through the day.
You could use this for your devotional time or to supplement it. Whatever works best for you.

All for Jesus,
Fletch

Monday, June 14, 2010 was a life changer.  I was supposed to go fishing with my son, Taylor.  Instead, I woke up with some chest pain and my left arm felt kind of “funny”.  I shrugged it off as heartburn and tried to go on with my day.  But after fixing breakfast and a cup of coffee but not having the energy to eat or drink it I knew something might be wrong.  One more hour of feeling completely out of gas, Julie and I decided to go to the emergency room.  I felt pretty stupid going through all this trouble for heartburn.  However, after several hours of consistent pain and a myriad of tests the doctors determined that I had a heart attack and shipped me off to the ICU and then to another hospital for a catheratization.  They looked at my heart and found no major blockage or buildup, just a small branch artery that could have been clogged.  They decided to treat me with meds, watch me for a couple of days and then sent me home on Thursday.  I am extremely grateful for God’s watchful care and for giving me the sense to go to the hospital and not just “man up” and work through the pain.

But it begins to set in, “I had a heart attack.”  I’m only 43 years old, I exercise regularly, eat fairly well, I don’t smoke or drink, and my cholesterol levels were good.  But now I have to live with this thing that is going on in my heart.  I should be back to doing normal things in two weeks.  But still, it’s really frustrating.  I sat in my hospital bed a little depressed and decided the best thing I could do was not watch tv but read my Bible.  I know, I’m a pastor and I’m “supposed” to do that kind of stuff.  But seriously, all of us are “supposed” to do it.  The truth is, that reading my Bible did give me relief and comfort.  I truly believe that God speaks to us, comforts us, and guides us through His Word.  So it shouldn’t be surprising that in the middle of a life changing event such as a heart attack, the Scriptures can bring joy to a depressing situation.  God wants to lift our spirits when they are down and one way he does that is by speaking His words of love and grace through the passages of the Bible.

I’ll be taking it easy for a couple of weeks.  But I won’t be slowing down on my Bible reading.  I think I will try to read my Bible slower, thinking deeply and meditating on what God wants to teach me.

I read these verses while I was in the hospital because they were next in my Bible reading plan,

“Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. 
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life…
When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort…
Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. 
I remember your name in the night O Lord, and keep your law. 
This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts.” 
                                                                                                      Psalm 119:49-50;52;54-56

By the way, I don’t believe in coincidences.  I believe these were God’s special words to me at that particular time.  “Hope, comfort in affliction, life, blessing” what better words can God give us. 

My encouragement is for you to pick up your Bible, read it slowly, thinking deeply about these special words of grace and love that God is speaking to you.  Charles Spurgeon puts it this way,

 “And may God, in his infinite mercy, when you read your Bibles, pour into your souls the illuminating rays of the Sun of Righteousness, by the agency of the ever-adorable Spirit; then you will read to your profit and to your soul’s salvation.”

 All for Jesus,

Fletch

Too often we look at life from a worldly point of view, mainly because we live in the world and are surrounded by it all the time.  However, what we need to do is live life from a Biblical point of view.  I have created a 28 day devotional that helps give us a Biblical perspective.  Each day has three different passages with the same three themes:

1. Who God is…
2. Who I am…
3. What I am called to do…

I believe that God wants us to look to the Scriptures and understand how these three fit together.  You can print out this one page devotional chart for your own personal use by clicking here.

How can I get the most out of this devotional?  Read and meditate on each passage of Scripture.  Meditation simply means that you take a few minutes to prayerfully think deeply and ponder what is written.  Jot down some notes, in a journal, as you go along .  Each day has a main theme, so as you go through each passage try to draw out the main theme.   Look at the relationships between who God is, who you are and what God is calling you to do.  Who we are and what God has called us to do should mirror who God is.  Finally, apply the truths to your own life.  Ask the question, “How do these passages identify me and cause me to live differently today as I interact with the world around me?”

• Read and prayerfully meditate on the passages.
• Draw out the main theme.
• Apply it to your life today.

It is critically important that we do not read the Scriptures as a book of “do’s and don’ts”.  God desires that we know Him intimately, that we understand Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins and redeem us back into a loving relationship with God.  May you read, meditate and bathe yourself in the truth of God so that you walk away transformed by His love and grace.

Here is an example of one day:

Who God is…Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one God and this one God who is a Spirit is over all things.  God is sovereign, God is in control.  God watches over me as my Father.

Who I am…1 Corinthians 12:27

I am a member of the body of Christ.  All believers make up the whole body of Christ, but God has also called me to be an individual member, with specific gifts and living out a specific role He has for me.

What I am Called to Do…Ephesians 4:15-16

I am to be a part of a growing body, the church, the body of Christ.  I am to grow individually, but also corporately with everyone else.  I am to speak the truth in love.

The devotional really is that simple.  But I think you see the progression of Biblical thought.  The beauty of this study is that you can take ten minutes to prayerfully meditate on the passages or an hour, whatever you like.

All for Jesus,

Fletch

THIS IS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM JOHN PIPER’S BOOK 50 REASONS WHY JESUS HAD TO DIE.  I thought it would be appropriate to take the next few weeks and focus on the meaning and significance of the death of Jesus as we approach Good Friday and Easter.

He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”  2 Corinthians 5:15

It troubles a lot of people that Christ died to exalt Christ. Boiled down to its essence, 2 Corinthians 5:15 says Christ died for us that we might live for him. In other words, he died for us so that we make much of him. Bluntly, Christ died for Christ.
Now that is true. It’s not a word trick. The very essence of sin is that we have failed to glorify God – which includes failing to glorify his Son (Romans 3:23). But Christ died to bear that sin and to free us from it. So he died to bear the dishonor that we had heaped on him by our sin. He died to turn this around. Christ died for the glory of Christ.
The reason this troubles people is that it sounds vain. It doesn’t seem like a loving thing to do. So it seems to turn the suffering of Christ into the very opposite of what the Bible says it is, namely, the supreme act of love. But in fact it’s both. Christ’s dying for his own glory and his dying to show love are not only both true, they are both the same.
Christ is unique. No one else can act this way and call it love. Christ is the only human in the universe who is also God and therefore infinitely valuable. He is infinitely beautiful in all his moral perfections. He is infinitely wise and just and good and strong. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). To see him and know him is more satisfying than having all that earth can offer.
Those who knew him best spoke this way:
“Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)
“Christ died that we might live for him” does not mean “that we might help him.” “[God is not] served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25). Neither is Christ: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). What Christ died for is not that we might help him, but that we might see and savor him as infinitely valuable. He died to wean us from poisonous pleasures and enthrall us with the pleasures of his beauty. In this way we are loved, and he is honored. These are not competing aims. They are one.
Jesus said to his disciples that he had to go away so that he could send the Holy Spirit, the Helper (John 16:7). Then he told them what the Helper would do when he came: “He will glorify me” (John 16:14) Christ died and rose so that we would see and magnify him. This is the greatest help in the world. This is love. The most loving prayer Jesus ever prayed was this: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given to me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory” (John 17:24). For this Christ died. This is love – suffering to give us everlasting enjoyment, namely himself.

We make resolutions because we see some deficiency in our lives or we want to change something in us that we don’t like.  Self-examination is good.  God wants us to look into our hearts and be honest about the areas we feel we are falling short of God’s best.  You may have some issues like anger, laziness, lack of discipline or a myriad of others that you know are not glorifying God.

Making resolutions is an act of faith.  God is in the process of “sanctifying” us, which just means He is maturing us in our faith and causing us to be more holy every day.  The fun part is that God wants us to participate in our sanctification through obedience and reliance upon the Holy Spirit.  This is when we get to examine dark areas of our lives and shed the light of Christ on them.  For instance, if you struggle with anger… you need to admit your struggle to God and those you are angry against.  Next you need to ask the Holy Spirit show you why you are angry or lose your temper.  Then you ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength, courage and power to overcome your anger issues.  I want to stress this is not just asking God for “help”, but rather asking God to change your heart to become more Christ-like. 

So go ahead, take a good, deep look into your heart and see which areas you need to resolutely apply the gospel.

Jonathan Edwards put this at the top of his resolutions in 1722, the principle still applies:

“Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.”

All for Jesus,

Fletch