Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts

Reading Words vs. Seeping Content


Shane Sanchez
Do you ever read something and then pause, to discover that you have no clue what you're eyes just glanced over?

I am the KING of reading words and not seeping in content.

I've been struggling with this since at least my freshman year of high school. I was unintentionally trained to not grasp what I was reading while in school. Reading became necessary and I was normally assigned dry, empty books that meant nothing to me past graduation day. Reading words and missing content became my preferred method of self-teaching mainly due to the fact that it got me by with a passing grade.

Then God decided that post-high school would be a great time for me to realize I enjoy reading thought-provoking material. I began to enjoy reading books that taught me more about who I am in Christ. I even started reading my Bible on a regular basis. I'm 20 days away from reading the Bible in it's entirety in one year.

But, this thought hit me today:

"What have I missed?"

I faithfully read my Bible from cover to cover, but did I grasp what it was saying? Yes, I prayed before and after, but when I was tired and simply read just to complete a task, did I take anything from it? How many times did I miss God trying to speak into my life because I was more concerned about getting to the next days reading than allowing the Spirit to engage me in it's content?

It's scary what we become. We've all done it. We've been trained to read words and not seep content. The most dangerous part of this scenario is that we apply our training to Bible reading.

Starting now I'm doing things differently. The Bible isn't the same as other books in the "Christian Inspiration" section of Barnes and Noble. The Bible is the inspired word of God. I refuse to skim over the words and familiar stories. I want to go deeper, listen more intently, and allow God to use everything in the Bible to further strengthen my relationship with Him and understanding of Him.

What have you been missing?

Take Your Time,
Shane


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Overcome With Pity


Shane Sanchez
Are people your first priority?

If one of your closest friends was killed unjustly would you give up your time to mourn in order to meet the needs of others?

I know this sounds kind of extreme, but as I read through Matthew I was challenged by the example of Christ:

"When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was.When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick." Matthew 14:13-14 (The Message)

Upon being told about the brutal death of John the baptist Christ sought retreat, but he never lost sight of His purpose.

How many of us, as leaders, miss this principle? Whether it's a bad day, an argument with a loved one, built up anger, a death in the family, etc. The initial response for most individuals is to retreat and unplug from everything. We want to totally disconnect and just have time to mourn, reflect, or calm down. In moments like these the last thing we want to do is deal with the needs of other people.

We need to look at the example Christ gave. This one passage of scripture should challenge every leader who believes they are called to a purpose. Even in one of the most emotional times of Christ life, when all He wanted to do was get away, he took the time to live out His purpose. He never lost sight of His vision and took the time to show compassion.

What if we lived our lives like this? Christ never missed an opportunity. His priority was always others first. Even in a time of mourning, he was "interrupted", and still had pity on the broken.

The next time you let your bad day affect the way you do ministry, focus on the example of Christ. Their are times to deal with the tough occasions of life, but in those times we must never lose sight of our calling. We have to constantly be aware of the needs of others and meet those needs at all times.

My prayer is to continuously be "overcome with pity" for the brokenhearted of this world.

-Shane

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That Something


Shane Sanchez
What attribute of God do you love the most?

What is it about Him that grabs ahold of you and doesn't let go?

Lately for me it's been His vastness. I read Psalms 111 recently and it has quickly become one of my favorite Psalms. I read a Message devotional and the way a couple of the verses are translated describe the attributes currently on the forefront of my heart:

God’s works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment! (v2)

Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof.
All that he makes and does is honest and true: (v8)

He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He’s so personal and holy, worthy of our respect. (v9)

These verses describe the current state of my heart. I have had a commitment to studying Him lately that totally goes against my education track record. I enjoy Bible College, I love sitting down and wrestling with scripture, and I constantly read other "Christian" material. I can't get enough of God study right now. I have never been into any of the prior listed forms of study but as I continue to find something new about God each day, my enjoyment of studying is growing.

I am also amazed with the relevance of God and His Word. Many times we lose sight of the fact that God's Word stands forever. It's for the ancient people as much as it is for today's world. The Bible was put together with us in mind. It's not like God inspired The Word and then went "O shoot, these humans are sticking around longer than I thought". He was thinking about each of us when He inspired the Word. He wanted to make sure that what was going to be recorded in the Bible would apply to every individual that takes the time to read it. God's Word is always relevant and can solve the world's problems, even today.

If you don't already, I encourage you to READ! Read your Bible. Pray about what you read, wrestle with what you read, read commentaries, allow God to speak to you through His most obvious form. As you read I also encourage you to find the attributes of God that stick out to you. He is amazing in all His ways but there are going to be some attributes of His persona that fuel your passions and make you who you are. As you begin to understand The Creator you begin to better understand yourself. Remember, we're made in His image (Genesis 1:27).

-Shane
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Dust It Off


Shane Sanchez
There's something about the way it speaks to you...

I have began to read the Bible the entire way through for the first time in my life.

I bought "Pause", the year read-through Message Bible and I'm loving it. I have missed so much. I've sat in church almost twice every week since I was born but there is so much I've never heard. I can't believe how the Bible speaks to me in new and different ways each time I read it. It tends to hit me right where I'm at.

God uses His word to speak. Oh man, does it speak. I am shaken to the core when I read something that someone experienced thousands of years ago that relates to where I am today. I am given examples of lives that are lived close to God and lives that are far off His way. I see that God uses the screw-ups before He uses the "goody-goods". His word is like no other. The parts I used to abandon and shrug off as unimportant are the parts that resonate in my soul.

The wonders of creation are breathtaking, the formation of Israel is incredible, Jesus ministry journey is prophetic, Moses life is inspiring. I'm only 22 days into my Bible but everything I have read so far is speaking directly to my heart. God is teaching me so many new things through His word.

The only thing that upsets me is that I've had this knowledge at my fingertips the entire time I've been able to read and I've never done anything with it. I've had God's written word for my life in front of me and instead I've been waiting for a miraculous sign.

Read your Bible. It's His word. It allows you to sit down each day and be mentored by the greatest teacher of all. Get into Gods word!

I'm Way Better At Sword Drills,
Shane
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