Tag: Devotions

Why a hard copy Bible is best

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I tried the tech thing for a few years. It’s not working. I do not think this is an issue of generational shifting. I got scolded in elementary school for handing in a printed essay, I grew up techy when it was know as being a nerd. Some things are not replaceable. A tech Bible is such a thing. We need a hard copy Bible.

1) A hard copy has the benefit of legacy. It is much harder to toss a meaningful book away than digital notes.
2) Tech is often distracting when there is pressure against being still and knowing He is God. Stillness with the word is huge for sermon prep.
3) You can make the Bible digitally accessible and even preach from a tablet while still having a hard copy as your main Bible.
4) Hard copy Bibles don’t crash and are instantly available when the power is out or a recharge station is no where to be found.
5) A hard copy Bible inspires beyond your earthly life. Think beyond conscience and thing longer term.>

Brush your teeth… A parable

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Perplexed and scratching his head, the man could not figure out why his presence people dread. His posture, clothing and appearance were fine, it was his breath that was far from divine.

To flashback a time or two is to visit a statement when the dentist was through. He said to the man most perplexed what at the end of the day he should do next. “Brush your teeth, floss & rinse, this will keep you like a prince.” With an eye roll and a droll sigh, the perplexed man waved goodbye.

I am fine this I see in how everyone one interacts with me. A week or two went by without so much as a leave or cry. But as time progressed each week and day, something told people they should not stay. Each week it became clear, the smell of his breath you had fear.

So the perplexed man sat wondering what to do about peoples’ reactions that were no longer new. He ate things minty and sweet, but that only lasted a moment before defeat. Then he remembered his scoff to a dentist’s advice given so soft. Perhaps the man was right and was trying to help not fright.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” ~Ephesians 5:25-27

Read your Bible!

Book Review: The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

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Tozer’s book is incredibly technical and mysterious at the same time. He pushes you, hard, and asks very pointed questions about your belief in who God is. Often theology proper (the study of God Himself) is glossed over and assumed. Tozer implies throughout the book that maybe it should be first among the theologies.

God Speaks
The big thing that stands out is how God actively wants to communicate today, just as much as in times past. The very fact that God gave us the Bible speaks volumes on how God wants to actively pursue and interact with people. God is not a set it and forget it person. God speaks actively today as He did in times past. This includes authorial intent, what God spoke and meant then is what He is saying to us today.

“The Bible will never be a living book to us until we are convinced that God is articulate in his universe…I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking.” (p. 71-72, Italics author’s emphasis)

More than Saved
We forget God the father. The book brings out something we too easily forget, lose, or never attained. God gave salvation as a means to pursue Him, not as a ‘get out of jail free card.’ The danger of viewing the Bible or Christianity as a psychological self-help community, or merely as a redemptive story is that both neglect the key to the Bible, to faith, to life, and that is a personal God. Jesus will and purpose was the will of the Father. We must get back to that.

Format
Tozer is hard to read. He writes in a way that we do not speak or think like today. This makes getting through the book a little difficult. It’s like reading someone’s journal. He is very humble and very pointed, but it is a chore to get through the book. I say this to be aware of it, not as a criticism. I wish I read this book long ago.

Tozer ends each chapter with what is a lost art in churches today- written prayers. His prayer for himself and those who read the book create a significant impact. One can develop a solid prayer life from the end of each chapter. We often view prayer as only genuine and heartfelt if it is spontaneous. A book of prayers may be helpful and a great resource for today. Each generation must speak to God. Being formal is just as genuine and heartfelt as being spontaneous.

Bottom line:
The Pursuit of God is on my “Must Read List.” It brings into balance that Christianity and the Bile is about God wanting and being known, and everything else is subservient to that foundational principle.