While I was blogging yesterday I started to go off on a rabbit trail (I tend to do that--oops!) which is highly related to what I was talking about... it's part of what God was showing me then, too. That is, how we read the Bible (for devotions or for study) is important. Therefore, I wish to explore this subject now.
Context is very important in the proper understanding of the Scripture. When the Bible was penned all those thousands of years ago, there were no chapter/verse divisions. As I understand it, there wasn't even punctuation as we know it. I remember when I was younger being frustrated at Bible memorization programs that only gave you part of a verse to memorize. I felt like if you were going to do that, you could take any phrase out of the Bible and make it say whatever you want. Come to find out, that's precisely what some people do. (Not bad deduction for a kiddo, eh Watson?). As I got older I realized that even just reading or quoting one or two verses was not much better. Verse divisions do not necessarily begin and end with sentences. In fact, they usually don't. So I had this brilliant idea: I decided to take one of the smaller books of the Bible (one of the Epistles) and read it as much like it was written as possible. I read it like it was a letter from a friend. (go figure-- an Epistle = a letter) What an epiphany! I had sorta guessed by then that context was important, but here it was before my eyes. What enlightenment to take a whole letter of which I knew bits and pieces and read the whole thing. It made so much more sense. And it made me realize that so much of what I had been taught was based off of verses that had been extracted from their context, leaving their meanings subject to the teacher's interpretation. Not cool.
Now, before I go on, I want to point out the fact that God's Word is living, powerful, and perfect. Perfect meaning complete and multi-faceted. Much like a diamond can be looked at from many angles--still being the same diamond. For example, oftentimes there is a literal meaning (or meanings) AND a symbolic meaning(s). This is how you can read a passage over and over and come up with a new revelation each time. Because it's not just words on a page--it's God-breathed, God-inspired words on a page which interact with the living Holy Spirit of God inside of you, who takes what you read and applies it to your life in the most personal way possible. It's simply amazing! I don't know if I can even adequately explain it, but you who have experienced it know what I mean.
Now, the point of my rabbitish trail is that there is a place for "personal interpretation" of scripture BUT I must also clarify it must follow certain rules. #1 it must be consistent with all of Scripture. #2 it must be consistent with the heart of God. (perhaps redunadant, but a necessary distinction, methinks) #3 context of the Scripture must be taken into account to be sure the interpretation is valid, not just something you burped up after eating too many extra long cheese coneys from Sonic. Every day, somewhere in the world, whether in the pulpit or in private Bible study, the Word of God is grossly misconstrued and strange doctrines are born because people don't take context into consideration. Some of these doctrines have even become major teachings of the church! I won't start naming them now, but I will likely eventually be tackling some of them.
Now, let's take a look at the other side of the pendulum. Remember those speed-reader types I mentioned in part 1? They're great at getting the context. But they're missing something huge. The deep study where you actually pay attention to what you're reading and what it means. The part where you get out your Bible dictionary and concordance and all sorts of other delicious Bible study tools and have a serious "feast on the Word" like it was Thanksgiving dinner at grandma's house. (Do I sound like I'm salivating on my computer here?). Guess what though! It's impossible to properly do this without--you guessed it-- context. What did I say before? (say it with me class) Balance in everything.
Therefore, the key to proper Bible study (devos included) is a beautiful balance between taking in context and digging deep. There is a place for objective, expositional teaching/studying of the Bible, and there is a place for subjective teaching/studying of the Bible. One without the other = improper balance and improper balance is never a good thing.
Now I realize some people's heads may be spinning right about now. You look at your daily planner, back to me, back to your planner, now back to me... And as you add up the hours of Bible study we're looking at you say "Yikes!" and start wondering how you'll look in that monkish or nunnish garb. After all, you've already set aside 2 hours and 40 minutes a day for Bible study AND prayer, but it takes at least 4 hours to read through Genesis, not to mention getting down to the nitty gritty. Yes, I'm talking to you. Relax. As much as you would like to drop everything and spend your entire life reading and studying the Bible, I (and hopefully you) realize that's just not practical for 99.99999% of Christians. And anyway I'm pretty sure God doesn't want you to sit around and gorge yourself on the Bible 24/7 and ignore the world around you that is dying of hunger. Again! (say it with me!) BALANCE in everything!
I had this conversation with God too. And this is what I felt like God was telling me. Remember yesterday when I was talking about meditation? (you did read yesterday's post, didn't you? Good.) That's part of the equation. I find that if I take in large portions of scripture and saturate my mind with it, meditate on it, then study it expositorily (that's a word, right?) for however long it takes... Well, it's just like three square meals a day. I dare you to try it. I find that since I adopted that method of meditation and study I can pop scriptures off like crazy when people ask me questions. I get to have the most riveting theological conversations, too. It really is like a well-balanced diet! Furthermore, I'm much more likely to actively share my faith because it's at the forefront of my mind and because I'm more confident in my growing knowledge of the things of God.
This thought may be overwhelming to you, as it was to me at first. But rest assured, once you get things sorted out, it's really not that hard. What I learned to do is set aside several segments of the day for reading through the larger portions of scripture, spend most of the day meditating on it (which isn't hard to do since each reading segment is like a jump-start to the "thinking on scripture" train of thought), then I set aside a specific time (maybe not every day, depending on my schedule). Also, Bible on MP3 is a wonderful invention--I can listen during commutes and whatnot.
Different things work for different people. It's just up to you to figure out what works. Are you commited to being obedient to the Word by meditating on it? Are you willing to skip out on entertainment or leisure in order to get your spiritual sustinence? What's more important to you? Think about it.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Daily Devos: Are We Doing it Wrong? (or, how to study the Bible 101 part 1)
It's hard to know exactly where to start, but I'm going to attempt to start with one of the first things I awakened to when I began this journey: the daily devotional time. "Devotions" is one of those overly-clichéd words that has completely lost its meaning due to its over-use. While growing up, the word to me meant the small portion of your day where you pay homage to God so He'll bless your day. It's almost like you get special brownie points for doing devos. If you don't do them, you're not going to hell right away, but you'd certainly better feel guilty or else you might not have a spiritual pulse.
Now, it seems that in the average "Christian" American home, devotions usually includes reading a verse or two (or maybe a short passage) of Scripture, generally guided by a little booklet (I won't mention any names, but you probably know what I mean) that has some little story to go along with the verse. It's a great feel-good start to get you on your way. The problem? Well, if the Bible is your spritual sustinence for strength in the spiritual warfare we face day-to-day, let's just say that this would be akin to eating a cracker for breakfast before going out onto a labor-intensive job. And not eating lunch, either. Maybe even having another cracker before going to bed. Sound reasonable?
On the other extreme, some people's idea of devotions is to take a verse or two and do a super-deep expositional study for anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours. Admitedly, this is much more spiritually filling--more akin to eating steak for breakfast, to continue the illustration-- but again, it's only one meal, and not a very well-balanced one at that. Many strange doctrines can come out of this style of study as it generally requires taking one or two verses without context, which can be a detriment, which I will delve into in a later installment.
Now, smack-dab in the middle between the different styles of one-verse-wonders are the super ambitious "read through the Bible in five minutes" types who read large volumes of Scripture in short periods of time. They may win all sorts of speed-reading awards, but how much do you really get? This style is akin to eating a bagful of cotton candy for breakfast before that long day of hard work.
My suggestion? Balance in everything. Just as you (hopefully) eat a blanaced diet, you should balance between the contextual reading of what you read and studying the deeper meanings behind what you read. As I said before, I'll get into the importance of context vs depth in a later installment, but for now I want to get back to the point of devotions.
Let's look at what the word "devotion" really means. Taken from DictionaryDOTcom:
Now, it seems that in the average "Christian" American home, devotions usually includes reading a verse or two (or maybe a short passage) of Scripture, generally guided by a little booklet (I won't mention any names, but you probably know what I mean) that has some little story to go along with the verse. It's a great feel-good start to get you on your way. The problem? Well, if the Bible is your spritual sustinence for strength in the spiritual warfare we face day-to-day, let's just say that this would be akin to eating a cracker for breakfast before going out onto a labor-intensive job. And not eating lunch, either. Maybe even having another cracker before going to bed. Sound reasonable?
On the other extreme, some people's idea of devotions is to take a verse or two and do a super-deep expositional study for anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours. Admitedly, this is much more spiritually filling--more akin to eating steak for breakfast, to continue the illustration-- but again, it's only one meal, and not a very well-balanced one at that. Many strange doctrines can come out of this style of study as it generally requires taking one or two verses without context, which can be a detriment, which I will delve into in a later installment.
Now, smack-dab in the middle between the different styles of one-verse-wonders are the super ambitious "read through the Bible in five minutes" types who read large volumes of Scripture in short periods of time. They may win all sorts of speed-reading awards, but how much do you really get? This style is akin to eating a bagful of cotton candy for breakfast before that long day of hard work.
My suggestion? Balance in everything. Just as you (hopefully) eat a blanaced diet, you should balance between the contextual reading of what you read and studying the deeper meanings behind what you read. As I said before, I'll get into the importance of context vs depth in a later installment, but for now I want to get back to the point of devotions.
Let's look at what the word "devotion" really means. Taken from DictionaryDOTcom:
noun
Interestingly enough, the 4th definition is the religious cultural definition. Being a bit of an etymology geek, I always ask the question, How did this word come to mean this? My theory is as follows: devotion time started as being a time Christians devoted (definition 3: assigned to a purpose) to studying God's Word to learn more about Him, thus becoming devoted (definition 1 or 2: dedication or earnest attachment to a person) to Him. Unfortunately, as is often the case, it seems to have become a religious cliché, as we see in definition 4.
How do we break this cycle? How do we learn to truly be devoted to knowing God? Do we have to drop career and family--everything-- and become monks or nuns and spend life in solitude and silent meditation to show our devotion?
Yes! Join up today and you'll receive a free copy of my latest book "How to Please God in 12 Easy Steps!" Well, there's no simple answer, really. But I think that God gives us the clues in His Word. Think of how much the Bible (especially in Psalms) talks about meditating (or related words) on God's Word [day and night, no less!]. (hint, if you don't think of about a dozen off the top of your head, do a word-search on Biblegateway.com. That might help jog your memory). That doesn't mean you sit there in a trance-like state mumbling Bible phrases in the original Greek. God didn't call us to be zombies. Think about the book of James that talks about being a doer of the Word rather than a hearer only.
The point is, whether you read one verse or a thousand--slowly and carefully or at high velocity--if you just forget about what you've read, you've missed the point altogether. The key is not quantity or quality of Bible reading, the key is whether it changes you. Does your daily devotions time make a difference in your life? Does it simmer in the back of your head all day and influence your decisions? Do you pull it out when you have a spare moment and chew on it a bit-- have a little "pick-me-up snack" or another "meal" to boost your strength for your daily battle? If you miss your Bible time, do you still meditate on familiar Scripture and commune with God, or do you hide from him in fear and guilt? God doesn't care whether you "do devotions" but whether you are devoted. Think about it.
1. profound dedication; consecration.
2. earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.
3. an assignment or appropriation to any purpose, cause, etc.: the devotion of one's wealth and time to scientific advancement.
4.Often, devotions. Ecclesiastical . religious observance or worship; a form of prayer or worship for special use.
Interestingly enough, the 4th definition is the religious cultural definition. Being a bit of an etymology geek, I always ask the question, How did this word come to mean this? My theory is as follows: devotion time started as being a time Christians devoted (definition 3: assigned to a purpose) to studying God's Word to learn more about Him, thus becoming devoted (definition 1 or 2: dedication or earnest attachment to a person) to Him. Unfortunately, as is often the case, it seems to have become a religious cliché, as we see in definition 4.
How do we break this cycle? How do we learn to truly be devoted to knowing God? Do we have to drop career and family--everything-- and become monks or nuns and spend life in solitude and silent meditation to show our devotion?
The point is, whether you read one verse or a thousand--slowly and carefully or at high velocity--if you just forget about what you've read, you've missed the point altogether. The key is not quantity or quality of Bible reading, the key is whether it changes you. Does your daily devotions time make a difference in your life? Does it simmer in the back of your head all day and influence your decisions? Do you pull it out when you have a spare moment and chew on it a bit-- have a little "pick-me-up snack" or another "meal" to boost your strength for your daily battle? If you miss your Bible time, do you still meditate on familiar Scripture and commune with God, or do you hide from him in fear and guilt? God doesn't care whether you "do devotions" but whether you are devoted. Think about it.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
What does it mean?
I grew up the same way as a lot of Americans--in a Christian home where we went to church every Sunday; gave our tithe in the offering; did nice things for the sick, elderly, and poor; and read the Bible and prayed regularly. I'm thankful for that heritage, but one day (or, rather, over a process of days, weeks, months... maybe even years) I realized that I was just going through the motions. I did what I did because I was a good person and I wanted to do right by God so I could go to heaven. After all, who doesn't want to go to heaven? At the very least, it was better than the alternative!
I grew up in Sunday school. We learned that Joy was an orange and peace was an apple; love was a strawberry and gentleness was a banana. We learned that Noah built and ark and stuffed it full of cute little critters like giraffs and zebras in order to save them from a big flood. We learned about men with big muscles and weak senses; we learned about a man who ran away from God and got eaten by a whale. We learned about a man named Jesus who did really good things including dying so we don't have to go to hell--as long as we do what mommy and daddy says, because afterall that's what makes the old man upstairs happy. I was taught the same stories and lessons over and over from preschool to high school. As I got older I learned more of the nitty gritty details (all the scandalous stuff children can't hear--like adultry and murder), but never any meat. What did it all mean? What was the purpose of all those stories? Was there more to life; more to History; more to God?
Christianity was always a list of do's and don'ts. Pray, read some Scripture (or a devotional--it's easier!), give money to the church, do good things for people--oh, and mind those fruits of the spirit! Don't use bad language; don't hate, lie or steal... do, do, do, don't, don't, don't. Yet I always came back to I can't, I can't, I can't. Doing bad stuff was easy, doing good stuff was hard. Especially if you took 20 minutes of devotions instead of 10--it's like the more you learn, the harder it is to do it all. For example, did you know that if you hate a fellow human you're guilty of murder? I'm a murderer!
It all seemed like an endless list that got deeper the more you looked. I was scared. If I didn't know all this stuff, how was I going to be able to make God happy enough that I could go to heaven? Yet the more I learned, the more guilty I felt because I wasn't doing it right! I really didn't want to end up in torturous heat and misery and pain for eternity (in case you didn't know, that's a long time!). Why was I even born? It would be easier if I didn't have to go through all this!
I began searching for answers. I tried asking people--good-willed people who should know the answers. But nobody could answer the deepest questions. It seemed all they knew was these little clichés, half of which were derived from songs rather than scripture anyway. And there are certain questions you can't ask or you'll get told... well, basically nothing!
Then I discovered something. Well, a lot of somethings, really. Firstly, God says that when you seek Him with your whole heart you WILL find Him. Secondly, we come to God by faith, which comes by hearing the Word of God. These two facts became the springboard for my journey. I wanted to know God for real. I had no doubt He existed, because I had seen some pretty crazy things that could never be explained in the natural, and because I know I have felt Him. But I wanted to know His true heart, who He really was, and what He wanted from me. Thus it all began. And though my search has been going on for years, I'm really only beginning. God is so deep, wide, high, and just plain unfathomable--I think if I search every moment of my life, and should I live a million years, I would not even begin to ripple the surface of that vast ocean.
I want to be able to share some of the things I've learned here, and hope that many will find this blog and be blessed. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I'm committed to searching out truth and deeper meaning. I believe it is time for the Church to wake up. Time to stop telling the same dozen stories over and over. It's time to graduate from the elementary doctrines into the fullness of God. It's time to dive into the depths and discover more. The time has come to illuminate our world with truth!
I grew up in Sunday school. We learned that Joy was an orange and peace was an apple; love was a strawberry and gentleness was a banana. We learned that Noah built and ark and stuffed it full of cute little critters like giraffs and zebras in order to save them from a big flood. We learned about men with big muscles and weak senses; we learned about a man who ran away from God and got eaten by a whale. We learned about a man named Jesus who did really good things including dying so we don't have to go to hell--as long as we do what mommy and daddy says, because afterall that's what makes the old man upstairs happy. I was taught the same stories and lessons over and over from preschool to high school. As I got older I learned more of the nitty gritty details (all the scandalous stuff children can't hear--like adultry and murder), but never any meat. What did it all mean? What was the purpose of all those stories? Was there more to life; more to History; more to God?
Christianity was always a list of do's and don'ts. Pray, read some Scripture (or a devotional--it's easier!), give money to the church, do good things for people--oh, and mind those fruits of the spirit! Don't use bad language; don't hate, lie or steal... do, do, do, don't, don't, don't. Yet I always came back to I can't, I can't, I can't. Doing bad stuff was easy, doing good stuff was hard. Especially if you took 20 minutes of devotions instead of 10--it's like the more you learn, the harder it is to do it all. For example, did you know that if you hate a fellow human you're guilty of murder? I'm a murderer!
It all seemed like an endless list that got deeper the more you looked. I was scared. If I didn't know all this stuff, how was I going to be able to make God happy enough that I could go to heaven? Yet the more I learned, the more guilty I felt because I wasn't doing it right! I really didn't want to end up in torturous heat and misery and pain for eternity (in case you didn't know, that's a long time!). Why was I even born? It would be easier if I didn't have to go through all this!
I began searching for answers. I tried asking people--good-willed people who should know the answers. But nobody could answer the deepest questions. It seemed all they knew was these little clichés, half of which were derived from songs rather than scripture anyway. And there are certain questions you can't ask or you'll get told... well, basically nothing!
Then I discovered something. Well, a lot of somethings, really. Firstly, God says that when you seek Him with your whole heart you WILL find Him. Secondly, we come to God by faith, which comes by hearing the Word of God. These two facts became the springboard for my journey. I wanted to know God for real. I had no doubt He existed, because I had seen some pretty crazy things that could never be explained in the natural, and because I know I have felt Him. But I wanted to know His true heart, who He really was, and what He wanted from me. Thus it all began. And though my search has been going on for years, I'm really only beginning. God is so deep, wide, high, and just plain unfathomable--I think if I search every moment of my life, and should I live a million years, I would not even begin to ripple the surface of that vast ocean.
I want to be able to share some of the things I've learned here, and hope that many will find this blog and be blessed. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I'm committed to searching out truth and deeper meaning. I believe it is time for the Church to wake up. Time to stop telling the same dozen stories over and over. It's time to graduate from the elementary doctrines into the fullness of God. It's time to dive into the depths and discover more. The time has come to illuminate our world with truth!
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