….. HOW TO APPLY ONE’S BIBLE READING TO HIS EVERYDAY LIFE
….. (Dr. Robin Starbuck)
This morning Joyce did something I’ve never seen another pastor do. She
(1) demonstrated*
……. how to
(2) apply*
……. Bible selections
(3) of one’s own*
……. choosing.
People get jammed up when they feel they “should” read a certain amount of the Bible as well as pray for a certain period of time, when the fact is THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT TO DO !! They only needed such an unpretentious teacher like Joyce to SHOW how ANYONE CAN DO IT !! The notion that you need someone else to supply you with specific biblical quotes and that there’s some elusive pattern and method that you can learn is counter-productive at best!
Pick a place to start. Joyce likes Psalms or Proverbs while I’m more inclined to go to the New Testament. Start reading and then stop as soon as you come to something that resonates with you. Now RESTATE WHAT YOU’VE JUST READ. MAKE IT ALL ABOUT YOU (OR, WHOEVER YOU’RE PRAYING FOR). Take your time and enjoy it: you’re doing God’s work now and you’re right in the center of His will. Feel His love enveloping you: Feel the Power! Keep reading until you come to another applicable idea. Use your own name and lingo. If you look around on the inside of you, you’ll observe uptightness and negative thinking melting away, replaced by that selfsame Love. Read a little more: you may or may not finish the chapter, but who’s counting? Certainly not God!! You may not have noticed it but your mind has been pretty much off the problem(s) you had been obsessing over. Am I right? Read just a bit more and apply it. You’ll begin to feel a sense of “job well done!” and yes, you can feel good about yourself now – even Jesus is smiling brightly!