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The Bible - A GPS for Life
In these next two months, our New Year's sermon series will be on the Bible. We've titled this series, The Bible – A GPS for Life. The Bible is the guide for a solid, Christian life.
Given time, and if we keep listening to it, the Bible will help us get through difficult times – steering us in the right direction. It steers you towards salvation, which is freedom from sin and self-destruction, abundant life, justice and peace within our land and among the nations.
In the weeks to come, we'll be looking at the nature of the Bible.
- How is the Bible the Word of God – what does that mean?
- We'll be looking at the content of the Bible – it's 66 separate books, you know, not one book that we can read like a novel. It has many different authors, written within several different time periods, and it has many different genres of literature – law and poetry, history and parable, letters and gospel and wisdom literature.
- We'll learn how the Bible came together and how it can change your life.
Think about the words of the Psalmist. The psalmist saw the word of God as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path – it guided the places he went and the way he lived. I have sworn an oath to observe your righteous ordinances. Give me life according to your word. Your decrees are my heritage forever, the joy of my heart … I incline my ear.
As we start the new year – commit yourself to incline your ear to the Word of God, the Bible. Maybe the most important thing that can happen this year is that you have the chance to read the entire Bible from cover to cover with your friends in church. Go to YouVersion.com to get a free daily reading app. Maybe purchase a new translation of the Bible, The Common English Bible, to do your reading.
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Psalm 119:105-112
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.
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How Do You Read the Bible?
First, just do it. Develop a plan and follow through on it.
The plan we are following through YouVersion.com is "The One Year ® Bible Reading Plan." This plan is very clear – every day you'll read a bit from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Book of Psalms and the Book of Proverbs.
Set aside time to read each day – for many people it is early in the morning before you start your day. For others it is in the evening before going to bed.
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You can download the One Year ® Bible Reading Plan through this app.
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Read confidently, assured that God will speak to you and change your life, but read with humility, from the stance that there is always more to learn. As you read, have a pen and a notebook with you to write down notes and inspirations your find and questions you have. Try to figure out what the passage is saying about God, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Is there a command there to obey or a principle to learn? What is the scripture saying in your life right now? Write the answers to these questions in your notebook and you will soon have a spiritual journal that shows you where you've been and how you are growing.
Maybe the most important thing to remember when reading the Bible is that its primary purpose is to point us to Jesus Christ, the one who is the Word if God, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Every verse of scripture that we interpret should be in the light of Jesus, who loved us so much that he gave his life for us and who teaches us to love God completely and our neighbor as ourselves.
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