“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength”– Philippians 4:13 (NLT).
Philippians 4:13 is the first scripture I memorized when I gave my life to Jesus. As a recovering control freak, I thought I could do anything because Jesus was on my side. Pushing forward, I still considered myself in control. I soon learned that some things were not my strength.
Two years after retiring from a teaching career, I accepted a part-time job in a doctor’s office. It was during that time that I had a wake-up call. After three months as an insurance claims processor handling data entry tasks, the doctor and I concluded the job was not my strength. It was a stressful job for me.
After failing at this job, I began to dig deeper into scripture. Taken out of context, scriptures can be misinterpreted. That’s why it’s important to read and study the Bible.
Reading and Studying Scripture
Confession time: I’m not a Bible scholar. Bible scholars dive deep into the Bible, spending years learning about the messages, stories, and lessons in God’s Holy Word so they can help others understand.
Scholars study the history and cultures of biblical times. They research and learn the languages of those eras. Diving into the ancient texts, they become more familiar with and begin to understand the verses and the parables.
History was never my favorite school subject and math was not my strength either. However, I was fascinated by my English classes because I love reading and writing. Maybe that’s why I love the stories, the parables, and the poetry found in scripture. I also like the narratives of events as people encounter God and live out their lives in the Old and New Testaments.
Encountering God in Scripture
Each morning, you’ll find me with a mug of hot tea and my favorite Bible. While I’ve memorized other scriptures, Philippians 4:13 has stuck with me because of the lesson I learned early in my walk with Jesus. Spending time with God and encountering Him in scripture is my go-to morning routine. It’s not a have-to for me; it’s a need before I face the day and what it might bring. I don’t eat breakfast until I feast on His Word.
Dr. Tim Chester, pastor of Grace Church Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, UK explains what it means to read our Bibles. “It’s important first to say what I don’t mean. I don’t mean we need to read our Bibles because there’s some law that says good Christians read a chapter every day. Reading the Bible doesn’t make us more or less a Christian. We have God’s approval because of the righteousness of Jesus.”
Continuing, he says, “So why is reading the Bible important? One picture I use is eating. I don’t eat because there’s some law that says I must consume three meals I day. I eat because I get hungry—I need to eat food to live and I love food in all its many different tastes. The same is true of the Bible. I read it each day because I need God’s word to live and because I love it (or rather because I love him).”
Because I Love Him
I’m not ashamed to say, “I love God.” When we love someone, we want to spend time with them. It’s how we get to know others. Spending time with our aging parents brings us joy as they share their childhood stories, their regrets, and the comfort they find in their children and grandchildren. As my parents aged, they began to share stories from their childhood, stories I cherish now that they are gone.
Spending time with God is imperative for developing a deeper relationship with Him. That’s the reason I begin my day with Him. Praying, reading, and meditating on scripture gives me strength, comfort, joy, peace, and reassurance that my God will “never leave me or forsake me.”
Did you know that more than 100 scriptures provide us with that assurance? I don’t have them all memorized but it doesn’t matter because they are stored in my heart.
I always love hearing from my readers. Please e-mail me at carol@carolaround.com with your thoughts or visit my blog for more inspiration at www.carolaround.com. If you need a speaker or workshop leader, contact me at the above e-mail address or through my website. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash