Daily Bread

There is no substitute for reading and studying and hearing God's Word every day.  Recently the Lord has been speaking to me (Tricia) about one way the scriptures work in our lives.  I wanted to take you on a little trip through my scripture journey recently and then share with you what I'm learning.

First, each morning I have a quiet time of Bible reading and prayer.

I love using a One Year Bible for this practice because I read selections from both the Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs.  The past few years I've been using this ESV translation but I have used other translations in the past and I like to change every few years.  I also enjoy using a prayer journal to write down my prayers as I pray because it helps me to stay focused whether things are quiet in my home or completely chaotic.  I really can't stress enough how essential my daily Bible time has been for me to grown in intimacy with the Lord and knowledge of his Word.

On Tuesday mornings from 10 to noon I am leading a small group through this Children's Bible Field Guide where we are touching on different books in the Bible from the beginning with Genesis to the end with Revelation.  I used this resource with my family when I was home schooling and find this to be a useful book even for adults here in Zambia.  For this study I use the NLT Bible shown above and also my trusty NIV Bible which I've had since even before I gave my life to the Lord.  Leading this class has been fun and useful in diving deeper into the Old Testament especially and now we are starting the lessons on the New Testament.

On Tuesday afternoons from 4 to 5:30 I am meeting with local ladies to look at the life and ministry of Jesus.  I use small gospel books from an organization called Plus Nothing--my copy has the green sticker and I've been using it now for years.  This booklet is incredible useful and I would encourage you to order some for your own use in evangelism.  With the ladies group we are about halfway through the book and I know we've learned so much together. 

Thursday afternoons I use this same resource with the teen girls' Bible study and I usually have between 20 and 40 girls.  Currently we are looking at the week Jesus dies, discussing foot washing, the Lord's Supper and more.  Teaching the teen study keeps me on my toes, motivating me to find answers to questions that I might otherwise be too lazy to research.  I really thank God for the way we look closely at all the Jesus taught and did.  When we finish this study we will be moving on to the book of Acts together and I really thank God for 40 Bibles that have already been donated for that purpose!

For personal entertainment and relaxation I love all kinds of books and movies, but Christian programming and books are often a real blessing to me.  While not critical to my life like God's Word and his Holy Spirit, programs like the Chosen and books like those pictured below, help me keep my mind on things above.

Finally, as a family, we attend a worship service together on Sunday mornings, usually at our church -- Lusaka Community Church.  The current series has been going through the minor prophets in the Old Testament and I'm so thankful for our speaking team for digging in so well to these jewels.  It's always so cool to me the way different things I'm studying during the week will connect with the Sunday message.

So if you have come with me this far, you can see that I'm privileged to be in God's Word so much throughout each and every week.  And I do try to make it a priority!  It doesn't happen by accident.  In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."  Reading the Bible means tasting eternity!  Words that will last forever!  

Did you ever see the movie The Neverending Story?  When I was a kid (and even now), it was one of my favorite movies.  The little boy is reading and enjoying a fantasy story and as he reads along, he becomes part of the story... Really part of the story!  His actions actually have an impact on how the story is going to turn out.

And that brings me to what the Lord has been speaking to my heart more and more over the last weeks.  I am truly and deeply part of the story.  The Bible from beginning to end is God's story and I am a player on that stage.  The stories of the Bible are not some distant mythology.  I'm a character in the very same epic, and I'm a character that God loves and who has an impact on how things progress and result.  Don't worry; I'm not turning into some kind of megalomaniac.  Because I want to tell you that YOU also are part of that very same story that God is writing.  And I really believe that the more you immerse yourself in scripture, the more power you have in the story to discern God's will and obey it.  

I pray that you will also experience the power and benefits of God's Word on a daily basis.