Looking at my waistline after a series of Christmas parties and all day food and family binges, I know one of my goals will be losing a few inches around my gut.  Unhelpful fat is a dead weight.  It is unsightly, slows us down and impacts our health.   Too often we don’t even realise the full impact until we have been living in that state for several years.

The Bible tells us that while physical exercise profited a little, spiritual exercise profits us much more.     Years of living in the flesh can have a debilitating and even fatal impact on one’s spiritual life too.   The most common danger is not the ‘one-off sin’, but the subtle creep of apathy and general comfortableness with the world.  When considered in the light of eternity, we quickly see why our spiritual health is of upmost importance.   As painful as it is, what we need from time to time is a stark view in a spiritual mirror.

So how am I planning to get in shape and stay in shape?

1. Link my goals into one routine (jog and listen to the Bible at the same time 4 days per week)
2. Smaller eating portions.  More fruit and salad with meat only at dinner.   Only have soft drink once per week.
3. Pray with each of my family members each day (this worked well in 2011)
4. Turn off the computer, iPhone and TV from 6pm – 8:30pm.  To allow the voices of my family and my Lord the chance to speak without distractions.
5. Develop a new, fun and active hobby.  Learn a new skill while meeting new people.

Goals are only half the battle.  A principle is life is that we only get what we measure.   That is why I have built in and bolded realistic and measurable statistics into the plan.  I will not beat myself up, if I don’t see all these objectives through to the end of 2012.  However, my motivation is internal and I believe they will lead to more satisfaction and enjoyment.

My goals don’t have to be your goals.  But what is important, is that you assess where you are at, where you want to be, and how you will get there.   Will you join me as we lay aside every weight that besets us as we press towards the mark that Christ Jesus has set for us?

Blessings

-JC

Have you ever read through the whole Bible in a year?   For me, this strategy for Bible reading has blossomed and borne fruit as year builds onto year.   Although this Bible reading plan can sometimes be burdensome, reading the whole Bible every year provides a solid foundation for understanding other Bible teaching and for personal growth.  Every Christian who is literate enough should attempt this several times throughout his lifetime.  After all, if God’s Word is the basis for the Christian life, shouldn’t we at least read it from cover to cover?

Through-the-Bible reading plans are easily accessible online, and readers can choose to read straight through (three chapters a day), to read through chronologically, or to read selected portions designed to get them through the whole book in twelve months.  Reading through the Bible chronologically is my personal favourite.  I love reading the history alongside the poetry and prophecy that grew out of that history as well as reading the epistles in light of the books of Acts.

If the whole Bible in one year is too daunting, how about settling for a shorter segment of the inspired Word?  Try focusing on just the New Testament or the poetry.  Another approach is to read key Bible passages to give yourself a Bible overview.  This is especially good for people who are unfamiliar with the Bible as a whole and might get bogged down with all the details of reading the whole Bible in a year.  Alternatively,  try a one-book-in-a-year intensive.  One year I selected the book of John and read it several times through – sometimes fast, sometimes slowly, sometimes intensely taking notes, sometimes just engaging with the narrative in my imagination.  That experience enriched my life for years afterwards.  Someone has suggested that the book of Proverbs (with 31 chapters) is perfect for taking one chapter a day to finish the book in a month.  Imagine how well you’d know Proverbs if you did that for twelve months!

Another consideration is which version to read.  What might deviating from your preferred version do for your appreciation and understanding of God’s Word?  I had spent years reading the KJV and NKJV so when I switched to the NIV I really appreciated the more natural English flow and modern syntax.  When reading the ESV, dynamic vocabulary translation choices unfolded fresh perspective on passages I’d read for decades without catching a particular shade of meaning.  With teaching ESL children’s Bible classes, I have dabbled in the NLT, but next year I think I’ll tackle the whole translation.  Who knows?  Maybe it’ll be so exciting that I’ll be speed reading through the whole book several times next year.

You don’t  have to buy a special Bible to start a special reading plan, but you can.  John Macarthur has published a daily reading Bible with notes, and there are many other varieties of the same idea on the market.  You can search at Koorong or Amazon for more options.  My 10 year old son has been using the NLT One Year Bible for Kids, which is based on the key passages idea of Bible reading.  Highly motivated by concrete goals, he likes the idea that he can tick off each day’s reading right in the Bible as he goes along.  If you don’t want to buy a purpose-driven Bible, you can read it online  or get it by RSS feed, or have it sent to your iPhone.  Of course, if you’d rather have a paper reading plan (I do), you can print one from an internet site or buy one at the Christian bookshop or find one on the back table at your church in the Daily Bread.  (Make sure you look up and read the Bible texts and don’t just settle for the interesting story in the little booklet!)

Here’s a fresh idea.  Do you have an heirloom Bible that you have marked with special moments you’ve shared with God?  How about laying that aside for a year, buying a cheapie paperback, and crazily marking it with notes, underlining and colouring with abandon?  You won’t be distracted by all the sermon notes you’ve already put in that heirloom edition.  You’ll have clean, fresh pages that no one but you and God ever need to see.  Psalm 27 may not appear in the right column half way down the left page like it does in your other Bible so you’ll have a chance to think about the Psalm differently when you read it in another position on the page.  At the end of the year you will have a record of your personal journey through the Scriptures and better still a less deliberate, more intuitive grasp of what God is saying in those pages.  Then you can go back to your heirloom Bible next year.

Whatever you choose to do with your Bible reading, choose something.  Don’t leave personal Bible reading to chance.  What ideas do you have for Bible reading in 2012?

However, 250 years ago we would have said the same about colonial England and its allegiance to King or Queen.  Prior to that, the Catholic church was the leading political and ‘Christian’ denomination which integrated its ways into public faith.  In our own circles, we may need to wind back the way our ‘denominational and systematic theology’ experience filters God’s Word.   The point is, we may have subtly created a cultural idol base on our heritage.

Our faith in Christ should transcend both nations and times and movements.   The gospel is universal.   Therefore as much as possible I want to ensure that the Jesus I follow is not altered by my western frame of reference.   To interpret correctly, it is important to place myself in the setting of the Biblical accounts, rather than read my circumstances into it.   A good preparation for Bible study is to spend a few minutes answering these 5 questions, before meditating on a given passage.

1. What was said?
2. Where was it said?
3. Who said it?
4. To whom was it said?
5. How would the audience have understood what was said, in their day?

As we do this, it will help prevent reading our culture and circumstances into passages.  It will be a blessing to see that not only does Jesus love red and yellow, black and white equally, but His gospel is also for all generations and cultures.  Arriving at the original message does take time and effort, but we should never take the lazy option with God’s Word.    There is a richness that comes with Scripture when it is read with the understanding of the author’s setting.

One other recommendation.  Where possible, try and read entire books of the Bible at once.  I personally think it more beneficial to read one book of the Bible in one sitting, once per week, than to cover the same territory in a chapter per day.   In my experience, the former practice results in more wholistic comprehension within the original setting.  It will also helps us be expositors of the Word, rather than topical cherry-pickers.

None of this says, we can’t be thankful for our national citizenship or our heritage, but at the end of the day we are strangers in our countries and this world who are longing for our heavenly home.

Blessings

- JC

While thinking about this imbalance, a friend brought to light a Bible reading plan developed by Grant Horner (a Professor at Master’s College in California).  He shares this anecdote from his first meeting with John MacArthur:

“Sometime later, I was flown out by Masters College for a 3-day interview/grilling process.  The culmination was, of course, being ushered in to Dr. MacArthur’s private study, which is where he asked me one question: “Can I see your Bible?”  I thought he would be horrified, because it looked like it had been through a typhoon — it looked unloved and neglected.  Something from a dumpster.  It was unbound, with stringy mess and paper debris hanging out.  I was so embarrassed.  I thought he would chastise me and recommend I get a new study Bible if I was serious about the Word.  However he flipped through it and handed it to his wife and a said, “If your Bible is falling apart, you probably aren’t.”  And I was basically hired on the spot.”

I have decided to give this plan a go for one month commencing on Easter Friday.  I would love it if someone would join me.  Think about it – how much do you read the Bible by itself and in what proportion is reading the Bible to other works?

You can download the Bible reading plan here.

~ Jeremy

I’ve appreciated Jason’s ongoing series on the King James Version and I marvel at how the ensuing discussion alternates between a fight between kung-fu masters and schoolboys in a fight.  I would like to posit the following as my contribution to this series:

Almost five hundred years ago, a boat set sail from the Continent loaded with a cargo of barrels for England.  To the observer – the barrels would seem like any other cargo on the busy Channel route.  To the insatiably curious – the barrels contained a book unlike any other seen in England.  A pocket-sized English translation of the New Testament for the common man.  Produced in Germany by William Tyndale, the pocket-sized Bible would become an axe to the roots of the status quo and the understanding and application of Scripture in England.  A 16th century contemporary would not understand God’s greater plan for Tyndale and the translation (especially a witness to Tyndale’s death).  A 21st century observer can marvel at how God used this for His glory.

Any ongoing discussion on Biblical preservation has to have the sovereignty of God as its foundational principle.  As we earnestly discuss the purity and preservation of the Scriptures, the Scripture is robust and transparent enabling us to have  this discussion (try doing this with other ancient documents that we assume to be trustworthy).  However, irregardless of our understanding and arguments, God will fulfil His purpose with His Word.

For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

JK

My purpose here is not to undervalue all that the church does to teach its members the Bible.  But the most obvious element of a Bible-based church is overlooked—reading the Bible and letting it speak for itself. Horace Greeley, nineteenth century social reformer and influential editor of the New York Tribune, remarked, “It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people.” How can we incorporate more Bible reading into our group gatherings?

1.  Take time in the church service to read longer portions of Scripture.  Going to a service that is opened with a Scripture reading redirects my mind and reminds me that God is still speaking to us today.

2.  Read publicly from an unfamiliar version from time to time.  Sometimes the familiar cadences of our favourite version can lull us into missing the crisp impact of the text.

3.  Make group Bible study times centred on reading Bible portions and discussing them together.  Frequent use of books other than the Bible for “Bible study” is a trend that concerns me.  Do we no longer have the Holy Spirit helping individual believers understand what God is saying to His people in His Word?

4.  Actually read the Bible at Sunday school instead of just retelling the story.  If the teacher uses a kid-friendly version, the passage can actually be understood by the children without detailed explanation.  I like to print the passage from www.biblegateway.com and then we can all read along together.  As an added bonus, upper primary students can learn to mark the text for inductive study.

5.  Get together with a friend for Bible reading aloud together on a regular basis.  Aim to read through a book of the Bible, asking God to show you what it means.  You could even try this with an unsaved friend, and just see the power of God’s Word at work.

6.  Stuck for what to do for family worship?  How about reading the Bible? Recently I rediscovered my very first Bible, a modern version given to me by my parents and inscribed painstakingly in my eight-year-old wobbly cursive.  From this dog-eared book I am now reading the well-loved stories to my youngest children, aged eight and nine.  I love to watch their faces as they drink in the stories read straight from the text.  They even beg for the next installment, and I don’t think that the pleading is entirely because they don’t want to go to bed!

Please add your ideas to mine for incorporating Bible reading into church life.  Perhaps together we will rediscover how simple it is to “devote ourselves to the public reading of Scripture.”

Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 83: Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?

Answer: Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.

Puritan pastor Thomas Watson (1620-1686) wrote a helpful description of the degrees of sin, excerpted below.  It’s a sobering study and well worth the read:

… 2. Such sins are more heinous that are committed presumptuously. Under the law there was no sacrifice for presumptuous sins. (Num. 15: 30)  What is the sin of presumption, which heightens and aggravates sin, and makes it more heinous?

To sin presumptuously, is to sin against convictions and illuminations, or an enlightened conscience. ‘They are of those that rebel against the light.’ (Job 24: 13) … To sin ignorantly does something to extenuate and pare off the guilt. ‘If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin,’ that is, their sin had been less. (John 15: 22) But to sin against illuminations and convictions enhances men’s sins…

How many ways may a man sin against illuminations and convictions?

(1) When he lives in the total neglect of duty. He is not ignorant that it is a duty to read the Word, yet he lets the Bible lie by as rusty armour, seldom made use of…

(2) When a man lives in the same sins he condemns in others. ‘Thou that judges, does the same things.’ (Rom. 2: 1)

(3) When a man sins after vows.

(4) When a man sins after counsels, admonitions, warnings, he cannot plead ignorance.

(5) When a man sins against express combinations and threatening. …Though God set the point of his sword to the breast of a sinner, he will still commit sin. The pleasure of sin delights him more than the threatenings affright him.

(6) When a man sins under affliction. … ‘In his distress did he trespass yet more; this is that king Ahab’ (2 Chron 28: 22).  … When [Judas] was going about his treason, and Christ pronounced a woe to him, yet, for all that, he proceeded in his treason. (Luke 22: 22)  Thus to sin presumptuously, against an enlightened conscience, dyes the sin of a crimson colour, and makes it greater than other sins.

… 5. Those sins are of greater magnitude, which are mixed with ingratitude. … The English chronicle reports of one Parry, who being condemned to die, Queen Elizabeth sent him her pardon; and after he was pardoned, he conspired and plotted the queen’s death. Just so some deal with God, he bestows mercy, and they plot treason against him. ‘I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.’ (Isaiah 1: 2)

6. Those sins are more heinous than others which are committed with delectation. A child of God may sin through a surprisal, or against his will. ‘The evil which I would not, that I do.’ (Rom. 7: 19) He is like one that is carried down the stream involuntarily. But to sin with delight heightens and greatens the sin. It is a sign the heart is in the sin…

7. Those sins are more heinous than others which are committed under a pretence of religion. To cheat and defraud is a sin, but to do it with a Bible in one’s hand, is a double sin…

8. Sins of apostasy are more heinous than others. …’The apostate,’ says Tertullian, ‘seems to put God and Satan in the balance; and having weighed both their services, prefers the devil’s, and proclaims him to be the best master.’ In which respect the apostate is said to put Christ to ‘open shame.’ (Heb. 6: 6) This dyes a sin in grain, and makes it greater. It is a sin not to profess Christ, but it is a greater to deny him. Not to wear Christ’s colours is a sin, but to run from his colours is a greater sin. A pagan sins less than a baptised renegade.

… 11. It aggravates sin, and makes it greater, when a man not only sins himself, but endeavours to make others sin.

Use (application).  You see all sins are not equal; some are more grievous than others, and bring greater wrath; therefore especially take heed of these sins. ‘Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins.’ (Psalm 19: 13) The least sin is bad enough; you need not aggravate your sins, and make them more heinous. He that has a little wound will not make it deeper. Oh, beware of those circumstances which increase your sin and make it more heinous! The higher a man is in sinning, the lower he shall lie in torment.

Read the whole article here.

Ben Kwok

I think this initial challenge from Berg is spot-on:

Believers who are not diligently cultivating these virtues of Christlikeness will be taking on the likeness of the world instead.  They willingly focus only on the temporal things right in front of them.  They are obsessed with the present — the latest recording hits, the summer’s blockbuster movies, the fall’s television lineup, the current superstars and celebrity fashions, the hottest electronic games, and the season’s ball teams’ standings.  From an eternal perspective, these things are entirely irrelevant.  Yet the near-sighted believer can’t see anything beyond the present draw of the world — neither does he seem to want to.

Furthermore, when he faces a trial or temptation, he is focused only on the immediate situation and how he can get relief.  He cannot see beyond the trial or temptation to what God wishes to do through it in perfecting Christlikeness — the essential virtues.  All he sees is the immediate pain or misery in the trial or the enticing pleasure of the temptation.  Consequently, he lives an earthbound and narrowly focused life.  He is “blind and cannot see afar off” and has brought on the condition by turning away from the ways of Christ.

You can get it from Amazon here.

Ben Kwok

A Sneaking Suspicion (John Dickson)  Written primarily for non-Christian teens, the book provides an evangelistic perspective on issues such as relationships and sex, beauty, suffering, morality, and life and death.  John Dickson moves from these life issues to discuss common suspicions about God (“Didn’t science get rid of God?”, “What about other religions?”) and to demonstrate the purpose and power of the Gospel.  The book’s style is very readable and includes descriptive analogies and a good use of logical arguments.

Youth leaders should read this book to consider the thoughtful way Dickson presents the Gospel’s relevance to teenage minds.

How Firm A Foundation (BJU Press)  I think most Christian teens inevitably ask themselves, “How do I know the Bible is true?”  This is a complex question, and teachers have tended to either reduce the issue (e.g. to a KJV-only position) or to become bogged down in the details of manuscripts, history and theology.  This course presents the orthodox teaching on the Bible’s preservation, with clear instruction on the doctrine of inspiration and the reliability of the Scriptures.  The authors are very helpful in presenting both the Bible’s accuracy and an honest view of the Bible’s preservation in history.

Plenty of practical helps are included to engage students’ interest.  Although intended for Christian schools, the course can be adapted for youth groups.  Students will gain a deeper understanding of the Bible’s preservation and a stronger trust in the Word.  Highly recommended.

The Stranger On The Road To Emmaus (John Cross)  This DVD course helps in understanding the Bible as the story of salvation, using Old Testament imagery and stories to lead chronologically to Christ.  Many Christian teens are familiar with Bible stories and are vaguely aware that the Bible is “all about Jesus.”  By tying the Old Testament to the Gospel with various strands, John Cross helps believers to clearly see Jesus throughout the Bible.

The course also powerfully demonstrates the failure of good works to achieve salvation, while showing the need for both repentance and faith in Christ alone.  I’ve found that teens are often confused on this vital point.

Leaders may need to adapt the course’s length, as there are multiple video sessions and discussion times.  Student workbooks are available, as well as a free online text.

Ben Kwok

Sounds like the beginning of an interesting story doesn’t it? I thought so too when I first studied it in order to present it at a ladies’ meeting. I’d read the account many times before but had not really considered Abigail for all her worth. Turns out, she was quite a remarkable woman. Her noted character, attitude and behaviour were at times convicting for me and at other times, encouraging. I’d like to share the main points that I found from studying this unique woman. First of all- some background to the story…

 From a request to rage

While the shearing was happening, David and his men were in the Wilderness of Paran. King Saul was still on the hunt to kill David. David sent some young men to Carmel to ask for supplies from Nabal and was careful to include that he and his men had not harmed but protected Nabal’s shearers. Nabal’s response to the request was uncooperative and selfish. He acted as if he didn’t even know who David was and refused to give them the supplies. David was not impressed with Nabal’s foolish answer and he became very angry. He made a choice to destroy Nabal.

Now Abigail enters into the narrative…

Recounting the event

One of the young men who worked for Nabal, approached Abigail and told her about David’s request and Nabal’s response. He told how David’s men had been very good to them- “they were a wall to us both by day and night”. But he said, David has chosen to do harm to our master and then said of Nabal-“for he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.”

 1. Abigail was approachable and a good listener. She had the respect of the young men who worked for her husband. They knew who to speak to!

 Rushing to the task

Then Abigail made haste and prepared an abundance of food- far more than just water, bread and grain (that Nabal had complained he could not possibly feed to David’s men) but figs and raisins as well and loaded them on donkeys.

 2. Abigail was resourceful, wise and prudent. Her behaviour here reminds me of Proverbs 31:13-15 where the woman is noted for willingly working with her hands, bringing her food from afar and providing food for her household and others.

 Riding on a donkey

The servants went ahead, according to Abigail’s instructions. She didn’t tell her husband what she was doing. Before long, she saw David and his men (who were prepared to not leave one male of all who belong to Nabal by morning light!) and she hastened to dismount from the donkey, fell on her face before David and bowed down to the ground.

 3. Abigail was a clever planner. Again she is like the woman in Proverbs 31:10,11- she was doing this to save her husband from harm- “so he will have no lack of gain”. She was taking a risk going toward an angry David in this way but was confident and willing to do so. She was also humble and submissive in her attitude.

 Abigail respectfully reports

She spoke to David asking him to let this iniquity be on her and to listen to what she had to say. She told him to not regard “this scoundrel Nabal….for I did not see the young men that you sent”. She presented her food to him and his men. She praised David. She recounted all that she knew about him. She referred to the incident with Goliath and the sling and also how Saul had been pursuing him. She believed he would be the future ruler of Israel and that what he chose to do now would make a difference later in his life.

 4. Abigail was open, honest and respectful. She was willing to take responsibility and was able to express herself clearly. She must have thought about what she would say before she spoke! “She opened her mouth with wisdom” (Proverbs 31:26a)

 5. Abigail was truthful but not hurtful. Proverbs 31:12 says “She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” Abigail could have done nothing but she chose to work behind the scenes to protect her husband.

 6. Abigail was socially aware. She gave God the glory for the events that had happened in the past and was trusting God with what He had said He would do in the future. Abigail acknowledged David’s trust in God and respectfully reminded David to look and think ahead.

 David’s reaction and her report to Nabal

David is pleased with Abigail’s words and for the way her speedy actions stopped him from avenging himself with his own hand. He said “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” Abigail went back home to find a merry and drunk Nabal holding a feast, like the feast of a king. She told him nothing, little or much, until morning light and when she did speak of the events, his heart died within him and he became like stone.

 7. Abigail was wise, careful and astute. She was careful about WHEN to talk to her husband.

 From rogue to regent

After ten days, Nabal died and David rejoiced that “the LORD had returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head”. David then sent for Abigail to be his wife. She rose in haste, rode on a donkey and followed the messengers of David. She moved onto a new life where David soon after became King of Judah.

 8. Abigail was wise and humble. She was quick to comply. Certainly she reminds me of Proverbs 31:30, 31. She was a woman who feared the Lord and her own works surely praised her in the gates. 

 Sometimes we find ourselves in situations like Abigail where we have events in our life that can either make us or break us. Even you men! But when these situations arise, how do we respond? Where and who do we go to for advice or assistance? What do others see – a sinful reaction or a biblical response? We have a responsibility to make wise choices because it won’t just affect us but others around us as well. I’m so glad my Bible is full of good examples of how to live. I certainly couldn’t do without it.

 Scriptural References for this character study can be found in 1 Samuel 25:1-44 (and later references about Abigail’s life in 1 Samuel 27:3, 1 Samuel 30:5, 2 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 3:3 and 1 Chronicles 3:1)

“The MacArthur Study Bible” (Word Publishing, 1997) was helpful in providing some background notes.