Read It

I remember growing up how I hated to read anything but fiction. Science books? Ugh! American History? Blah. Getting me to read anything that didn't grip my mind was met with much angst as a child, even as a young teenager. However, action books, espionage, murder mysteries, now these were mind gripping books that held my attention. I would read through a John Grisham book in a few days. Tom Clancy novels? I ate them up.

When I first became a follower of Jesus Christ, my fist Bible was the King James version. Now that's a tough translation for a 13 year old kid to grasp. There were certain things I could understand, but most of the Old Testament was just too rough to read in the old English style. It made reading the Bible feel like a science book or American History. The style just lulled me to sleep. I lost interest. I have nothing against the King James Version of the Bible. I used it to teach and preach from on occasion. It just used to make me feel like a zombie because it was so difficult to comprehend. Who really speaks like that now days? That translation was written in the language of the people in the 1600's. Even King James himself was not a fan of it. He read the English Standard Version of the Bible. Anyway, I digress. Forgive me.

Once I found a version of the Bible I could understand, which was at that time, the New International Version (NIV), I began to have a fondness for reading the Bible. I understood it. It was written in a language I could understand. I think that's one of the important things in purchasing a Bible, find one that is written in a language you understand, otherwise, what's the point? I read from several different translations now, like the New Living Translation, The Amplified Bible, Today's New International Version, The New King James Version, The Message Bible, and a few others. God did not design the Bible for it not to be understood. He wants us to understand what we are reading because He wants to be known.

Now, God wants to be known and one of the important ways to know Him is by reading the Bible. His character is in there. His promises are in there. The helps for life are in there. The way of salvation is in there. How creation became created is in there.

Studies show that less than 15% of Christians read their Bible every day. Only 19% read the Bible more than once a week! Is it no wonder that most Christians don't know how to explain their faith? Is it no wonder that many follow false teachings without even knowing it? They simply take what the preacher says as fact without ever researching it themselves.
Women read the Bible more than men, almost 5 to 1. Is it no wonder many homes lack male leadership when it comes to spiritual things? Comparatively, in the 1970's almost 73% of Christians read their Bible at least occasionally. Today only 39% say the read it occasionally (occasionally, meaning monthly). Time Magazine reports, 50% of Christians ages 65 and up say they read the Bible weekly, while 15% of Christians ages 18 to 64 read it weekly.

One time while teaching a Bible Study I asked participants to open up their Bibles to 2 Hezekiah Chapter 3. I was amazed that pages actually started turning. Another time at Bible College, I asked during a chapel service for everyone to open up to 1 Hesitations Chapter 13. Of all places I did not expect to hear pages turning, this was it. To my major disappointment, pages turned! The American church is not knowledgeable of Scripture. We need help!

I am sure we all have people we like to spend time with and are very dear to us. In order to know someone we must spend time with them on a regular basis. One way to get to know God, along with prayer is reading the Bible and reading it daily. Don't we who are married spend much time with our spouses? How can we no do that in the most important relationship we will ever have? It's mind boggling!

I knew a man who read the Bible cover to cover every year for decades. When he reached his mid forties, he lost his vision due to diabetes. For the rest of his life, he was able to quote chapter and verse of the entire Bible. This really challenged me to read the Word daily and get it inside of me. We never know when our eyesight may go, or if we will later in life, have access to the Bible. God forbid there be a time in America's future that reading the Bible be outlawed or we become overcome by a foreign nation that excludes the Bible.

I'll close with this quote from American novelist John Steinbeck, "Give me a used Bible and I will, I think, be able to tell you about a man by the places that are edged with the dirt of seeking fingers."

We need to read and know our Bible in order to know God, the plan of salvation, His promises and to know how to defend our faith.

The Bible..... Read it!

Pray, Tell?

The number one problem in marriage is communication. Statistical studies prove the truth of that fact and statement. Communication is also a problem for families, businesses, and friendships. Is it any wonder than that we find this same problem within prayer?

Here are some statistics on prayer:
- An average prayer lasts under five minutes.
- 10% of Christians pray daily.
- 52% of people who pray do so several times a day.
- 59% of Christians are not satisfied with their prayer life.
- 21% have extended times of prayer with other family members (spouse, children, relatives).
-33% of Christian adults regularly participate in a prayer group or other meeting that has a focus on prayer.
-29% of Christians say grace before every meal.
- a 2005 Gallup Poll found that 15% of church goers are committed spiritually to prayer and service within their church community.
- a 2007 Barna Poll revealed 37% of Christians claim no one modeled for them how to pray or received only limited teaching on prayer.
- In 2006 Christian Life Today polled 150 Protestant churches, a study revealed that in 69% of the churches that only the Pastor or Leader prayed during corporate prayer time.

How can a marriage survive if there is no communication between the bride and the groom? It can't, plain and simple. We, the Christian Church are the Bride of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Groom. As believers, we are in a marriage covenant with Christ Jesus. We seldom take this to heart and keep this fact at the forefront of our minds.

Prayer is our conversation time with our beloved Lord. It is where we pour out our hearts to Him. Where we confess our sins, our wrongs. It is where we learn and discern His voice. It is where He speaks to us and reminds us of His love, provision, protection, receive His forgiveness. It is an interactive conversation. Many believers have only one way conversations and seldom tarry or wait in prayer to hear what His voice says. Oh the troubles we can avoid by waiting for direction and healing! Many see their relationship with God as a big Santa Claus in the sky when they pray. Think of it this way. If you hardly ever talk to your spouse throughout the year and spend time with them, do you think if you give them your Christmas list that you'll receive anything special? Yes your spouse may love you and you may get a gift or two, but how much more and special would the gifts be, had the relationship been nurtured on a regular, daily basis?

Think about this believer in Christ, someone prayed for your salvation. Someone prayed for the seed of faith to grow in you. Someone prayer for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for you. Was not God faithful? Were not those answers special, refreshing and meaningful?

American Christians have unsatisfying prayer lives and seldom see miraculous events because we don't know how to wait on the Lord in prayer. We treat God like a fast food restaurant. We want to place our order and have it our hands in two minutes otherwise our eye is on the exit door to go somewhere else and get served quicker. If God answered like that, how would our faith grow? Yet, that's how we act in prayer too. "Lord bless my day and give me a parking spot right in front. Amen." There's seldom the thought, "God, what do want me to do today for you?" Or a prayer like, "Jesus, I invite you into my day. Help me do YOUR will today. Empower me with Your Spirit and empty of my will today?"
God help us. Holy Spirit bring us to our knees before You. Let our hearts hunger for You.

Saints of God, Family of God, let us fall down together on our knees. Let us hear the voice of God in prayer. May we yield our will to His. There is much power in prayer and therefore much we miss out and deprive ourselves of because we fail to give ourselves to prayer.

This quote by Corrie ten Boom tore into my spirit and agreed with my soul, "Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees." May we all take heed. Amen and Amen.

Let's communicate with God every day.

Low and Lifted Up

Today we see many people who promote themselves, trample on others' feelings, shoving others out of the way to get to the front of the line. Kinda like Black Friday at an electronics store. We see many who manipulate others to get their way behind the backs of innocent people. Any CEOs from Wall Street around? Some gossip and slander the good names and reputations of others, making themselves look good and the innocent persons bad. I don't want to dis lawyers, but isn't this one of their key tactics? This is personified on today's reality shows like The Apprentice, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Big Brother, and the whole genre. Some cheat their way to the top. Steroids anybody? Some kill their way to the top like former Cuban Leader Fidel Castro, current North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il, just to name a few of dozens who have done so. This is the "ME" generation we're living in. We are a society of narcissists. It's all about "ME" being high and lifted up, speeding "MY" way to prominence while bludgeoning over others. It used to be divas were women but we now have male versions too. It's a crazy self absorbed world we live in. These warped and self centered attitudes have become apparent in church through the years. All of a sudden everything has become about us and how comfortable we are and not about humility and lifting others up, even if we are uncomfortable and out side of our comfort zone. God help us!

Jesus didn't give us the example of a comfortable, me first life. He humbled Himself and became man. He washed the feet of His disciples. He gave up His will for the will of His Father, God. Nah, I don't see anything comfortable in being born in a manger where animals lived. In growing up and living in Nazareth, a low income village, a town where nobody wanted to be known for living in. A town where no one thought anything good could come from. After all He was God who became man. He could have chosen to live in Jerusalem instead, but then, how could he be acquainted with every type of person in every type of circumstance? I don't think it was very easy and comfortable knowing one of your inner core of friends was going to betray you and rob the till. How comfortable could it be when people ridiculed Him and cursed Him? It surely wasn't comfortable and easy to be whipped, beaten, punched, blindfolded, stripped naked, mocked, have your beard plucked from your face, forced to carry a cross in public, bleeding, skin bare to the bone, tripping and falling, thrown down and nailed to a cross and publicly humiliated. Yeah, that sounds pretty safe and comfortable to me.

He did it all for love. Even though He knew many would neglect Him. Many would make promises to Him and break them a thousand times over. He did it out of love even though many would choose not to believe in Him but let's them make that choice on their own. Yeah sounds pretty selfish to me.

Nah it all sounds to me like the way He taught was all about humbling ourselves in service to Him and others through actions. It's not really about us and how comfortable we feel. It's not about getting all the glory for ourselves. But if we follow His lead, He will lift us up in honor. Wouldn't it be a great experience to be lifted up and exalted by the One who loves us so much and created all things! What an awesome reality for those who follow through!

1 Peter 5:6

"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor." -New Living Translation

We misunderstand the word humility. If we didn't get it yet by the example of Jesus, let's take a look at how E.M. Bounds defines humility, "In humility there is the total absence of pride, and it is at the very farthest distance from anything like self-conceit. There is no self-praise in humility. Rather it has the disposition to praise others. "In honor preferring one another." It is not given to self-exaltation. Humility does not love the uppermost seats and aspire to the high places. It is willing to take the lowliest seat and prefers those places where it will be unnoticed."

In other words it is not today's mantra of being high and lifted up, which is what God is, so in essence today's mantras are putting man in the place reserved only for God. Our mantra for ourselves should be "Low and Lifted Up by God," just like Jesus.

I'll end with this powerful statement also from E.M. Bounds, "God puts a great price on humility of heart."

Interview with The Shack Author

Click on the subject title: Interview with The Shack Author to read the full interview.