“If we can see what God sees, we’ll do what God says”
Our Character is essentially the sum of our Habits.
The Habit of Solitude, Prayer, Intimate Community
The Habit of Getting in the Word
If we only used the Bible to study and apply it’s practical wisdom in our lives, dealing w/ people and overcoming challenges, it still would stand alone as the greatest book ever written. But the Bible is so much more than a how-to manual, it is an intimate love letter written to you from your Heavenly Father.
Through the words of Scripture, God invites us daily to experience new and exciting dimensions of His love.
Scripture is the holy Word from God, delivered by holy men, to teach holy truths, to make people holy.
We look at this book (the Bible) and think, “it’s sooo big” , but in reality if this is the primary document in which God communicates to His people, then it’s really small. So every paragraph, every line, every word is extremely important.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
It is all good to know that the Bible is useful, reliable, & valuable.
It is another thing to make it your own in a practical way. It is only profitable if you read it. How can we make the Word of God more effective in our lives?
There are 5 practical ways we can cultivate the habit of Getting in the Word.
Hear the Word
The simplest way to receive the Word is to hear it from someone else. Even a young child or someone who cannot read can hear the Bible.
“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:23
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
The parable of the sower, that Jesus taught in Matt. 13:3-23
lists 4 kinds of hearers of the Word.
The apathetic hearer hears the word but is not prepared to
receive and understand it (v19)
The superficial hearer receives the word temporarily but does not let it take root in the heart (v20-21)
The preoccupied hearer receives the Word but lets the worries of this world & the desire for other things choke it out (v22)
The reproducing hearer receives the Word, understands it, bears fruit, and brings forth results (v.23)
Which kind of hearer are you?
small group discussion: what are some ways/examples we can hear the Word?
Read the Word
2nd way to Get in the Word is to read it.
“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it.” Revelation 1:3
This is simply displaying the fact that it is a value in your life and making time to open up the Word of God.
Study the Word
When we study the Word, we go deeper into it’s meaning and application for our lives.
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character... for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
Acts 17:11
With study, we begin to have more power in our handling of the Word. Bible study is an in-depth look into the scripture, to learn and to discover more than you would see during a simple overview or in a devotional reading. Studying involves comparing what the Bible says in one passage to other passages thruout the Bible. It might begin w/ a question that prompts you to search for it’s answer. It is helpful to use other study tools such as commentaries or concordances - there are a ton of helpful bible study websites. Maybe you want to do a word or person study in scripture - 1yr. I examined every word that Jesus spoke in the N.T. each gospel, the book of Acts and Rev. to discover - to do in depth study of the Character of Jesus Christ.
Memorize the Word
A deeper way to get the Word in you is to memorize it.
When you remember the Word, it really lives in you, you live in it, and God’s promises become your possessions.
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word...I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:9,11
Jesus again models for us one reason why we need God’s Word hidden in our hearts. During His time of 40 days of solitude in the wilderness, Satan tempts Christ 3 different times -
How did Jesus model for us to deal w/ these temptations?
He quotes scripture.
It also helps us to answer those who may question our faith.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Pet. 3:15
Having God’s Word alive in us enables us to handle the pressures and difficulties of life so much easier. (life scrip. - sleep)
Meditate on the Word
Another way we live in the Word & the Word lives in us is to think about it or meditate on it.
“His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2
While memorization puts God’s Word in your head, meditation puts it in you heart.
When I’m referring to meditating on scrip. it’s not like sitting in some yoga stance chatting, “ooohhmmmm” it has nothing to do w/ eastern religious practices - those forms of meditation they are trying to close off their mind to everything around them to find the answer w/in themselves - let me assure of something right now - you don’t have the answer - it’s not in you! Only God has the answer - it is found in His Word.
Sure in our times of solitude listening for God, the Holy Spirit will answer and lead and guide us but in meditating on God’s Word is when you focus on a specific verse of scripture. Usually one line, 2 at the most and think it about it on how it applies to your life and ask the Holy Spirit for His revelation as we meditate on God’s Word. -
Read the verse a number of times, paraphrase it, apply your name in it (if that’s fitting) and always in study and in meditation have a pen/pencil and a notepad - b/c
“The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do.”
Isaiah 55:11
The Habit of Trusting in God’s Unconditional Love
In each of our lives, we will come to points of decision that will reveal where we put our trust and hope. We continue to face the fear of the negative consequences of taking a stand & the temptation to rely on our self-accumulated resources & efforts as our source of self-worth and security.
We live in a world that fuels the fires of pride and fear. Through fads, fashion, and pressure to ‘keep up w/ the Jones’ we are constantly being lured into believing we can secure a sense of meaning and safety in stuff, or wealth, or even other human relationships. Standing in absolute contrast to these temporary, always-at-risk, never secure places to put our trust is the unconditional love and promises of God.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
The effects of God’s personal, unchanging, unrestrained love for you are enormous - so enormous that it might seem easier to consider His love so far beyond comprehension that you may not or don’t even try to understand it - but if we do not try we leave the dearly purchased gift unopened and the joy of the giver unrealized.
To put our trust in His love not only affects our lives directly, but is integrated in every relationship and all that we do.
To be just like Jesus, we must love Jesus
Everything that we attempt in our lives, such as developing biblical character traits hangs in the balance in our response to the question Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”
Our answer should not be taken lightly b/c Jesus is taking it
seriously. Our answer will reveal our true motivations for all we have done. Jesus asked, “Do you love me?”
He didn’t ask Peter if he feared Him, respected Him, or admired Him; instead He asked, “Do you love me?”
That is the beginning to everything in life. That is where new life starts. It’s a ? He asks us all - “Do you love me?”
Then live for me.
To be just like Jesus, we must love like Jesus
If we do not really love Jesus, then we will not truly love people.
Remember Jesus’ follow-up to His question for Peter? He 1st asks, “Do you love me?” Peter responds with, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” A very similar response that we might have, huh? Jesus replies with, “Then feed my sheep”
So often we take this conversation between Jesus & Peter as a commissioning of sorts into ministry - we believe that, “well that was for Peter, he’s a pastor, it doesn’t apply to me in that way”
Aahhh... but it applies to every follower - Jesus wants to see the evidence of our love for Him.
“Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40
Jesus is teaching us that how we treat other people is how we treat Him.
As we clearly understand His unconditional love for us, we begin to put it into practice everyday. We are to express our love for Jesus, by loving those He places in our path.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Jn. 13:34,35
If we want to be just like Jesus, then we must love like Jesus
People matter to God, therefore people matter to us.
Our Character is essentially the sum of our Habits.
To be just like Jesus we need to develop these spiritual habits of solitude, prayer, intimate community, getting into God’s Word, and loving like Jesus.
“If we can see what God sees, we’ll do what God says”
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