Read your Bible: An encouragement of God’s gentle leading

Lisa Edwards • Jan 18, 2023

Even after nearly three decades of following Christ, there are still entire books of the Bible I’ve never read.


Every year when New Year’s rolls around again, I make yet another plan on how I’m going to finally start reading the Bible. My guilt-fueled efforts may start out strong, but by the second week of January, they’re already fizzling out. Because once you’ve missed one day of reading, it feels that much more difficult to catch up, and eventually the whole thing feels like a lost cause. My Christmas decorations tend to see more of January than my daily Bible reading plan does.


A source of shame


This constant struggle has been a source of shame for me throughout my life. I know that as a Christian I should be spending daily time in the Word, but why does it always seem so hard to actually do? Shouldn’t I desire to spend time with God and hear what He has to say to me? On the days when I feel guilty about not reading the Bible more, I find that I pray less, too. Withdrawing from God feels easier than facing His (supposed) disappointment in me. It’s as if I can see Him standing with crossed arms, waiting to chastise me for my repeated failure. But the fact that I ever picture Him that way shows that I do not understand the God of the Bible very well.


My kids have helped me understand the character of God better than almost anyone. The love I have for my children helps me realize how God must feel about me, since He’s called me His child too. There are things I’ve taught my kids to do since they were young, daily things like brushing their teeth and picking up after themselves, that I still have to remind them constantly to do. 


Even though they know that they should do these things, that their lives will be better for having done them, they still struggle to do them every day. But when I find toys strewn all over the house or a toothbrush gathering dust on a bathroom counter, often my response is to lovingly remind them what they should do, and to say, “That’s ok, let’s try again.”


Removing barriers


As a parent, I would never prefer that my kids withdraw from me rather than open up and be honest. This is true even when they’re opening up about less than pleasant feelings or are confessing some wrong that they’ve done. And if I, a sinful and selfish earthly parent, feel that way with my kids, how much more patient and loving must God be with me (Matthew 7:11)? 


God proved 2000 years ago how far He was willing to go to enjoy a relationship with me that is unencumbered by my guilt and shame. Why would I then impose a barrier onto my relationship with Jesus when He Himself died to remove that very thing?


It seems that my struggle to read the Bible daily is rooted in a lack of understanding of who God is and how He feels about me. The Spirit has convicted me at this point in my life that if I want to understand the true character of God, then maybe the best way to get to know Him is by reading His Word, where He’s already revealed Himself to me.


That motivation, of a desire to know my God better, is one that is so much sweeter to Him than my previous motivation of guilt, trying to do what I think I’m supposed to in order to be a “good Christian.” God said to the Israelites in Isaiah 1:13 that they should “bring no more vain offerings” before Him. The whole passage illustrates how much God hates when we do things, even things He’s commanded us to do, with the wrong heart motivation. The right heart motivation is one that cares about fulfilling man’s primary purpose: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This should be my motivation in reading my Bible each day, and it should be my encouragement to come back and try again when I don’t.


He won't fail us


Again, my children have proven to be a significant help that God has gifted me to aid in this area of my growth. A few months ago, my son told me he wanted to try to read one chapter of the Bible every day and asked if he could read it to me. There’s no way I could say no to that!


Since then, we have finished one book of the Bible and started two more. There have been a few days that we’ve missed, but nearly every day I have gotten to experience diving into the Word with my son and getting to know my Heavenly Father better through his eyes.


God is so faithful to constantly pursue us, and spending time reading His Word is one of the best ways we can pursue Him back. So if you are already feeling discouraged about your resolution to read the Bible more this year, I hope you will remember that God isn’t giving up on you. He’s lovingly saying, “That’s ok, let’s try again."

No Fear of Judgment

08 May, 2024
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:6-11 God has already done the work needed to save us He took the initiative “God has addressed the cause of the offense… Although he is the offended party, God has removed the offense. God has extended “the olive branch.” -Jay Smith He justified us He reconciled us Reconciliation is an objective event that God accomplished by removing the barrier of sin that separated himself from humanity. This result is independent of humanity’s response although it formed the basis for an individual’s subjective appropriation.” Jay Smith Appropriate: “To set apart for or assign to a particular recipient.” Christians need not fear judgment day 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Discipleship Questions: How does it change your outlook on life to know that you have peace with God? In what ways have you experienced the greatness of access to God’s grace? How does future certainty bring us lasting hope? Describe a time when you experienced joy in the midst of suffering. How has God used suffering to grow your faith and mature you? What are some ways you have experienced God’s love being poured into your heart?

The Joy of Justification

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Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:1-5 We find joy in the blessings brought by justification —peace with God —access to God’s grace Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —hope of the glory of God “Christian hope is not uncertain, like our ordinary everyday hopes about the weather or our health; it is a joyful and confident expectation which rests on the promises of God, as we saw in the case of Abraham. And the object of our hope is the glory of God (2), namely his radiant splendor which will in the end be fully displayed. —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans We can even find joy in our sufferings “Various kinds of sufferings will come to us, but we can rejoice in them when we recognize that they serve a purpose: to develop our Christian character. In verses 3b–4 Paul shows how a godly response to suffering can initiate a series of virtues, culminating, strikingly, in hope. Note, however, that Paul is not saying that we should rejoice because of suffering. Evil things are still just that—evil—and we never should be happy about them. But by looking beyond the suffering to its divinely intended end, we still can rejoice in the midst of them.” —Douglas J. Moo, Encountering the Book of Romans —suffering produces endurance “ We know this, especially from the experience of God’s people in every generation. Suffering produces perseverance ( hypomonē , endurance). We could not learn endurance without suffering, because without suffering there would be nothing to endure.” —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans —endurance builds character —character gives us confident hope Discipleship Questions: How does it change your outlook on life to know that you have peace with God? In what ways have you experienced the greatness of access to God’s grace? How does future certainty bring us lasting hope? Describe a time when you experienced joy in the midst of suffering. How has God used suffering to grow your faith and mature you? What are some ways you have experienced God’s love being poured into your heart?

The Faith of Father Abraham

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Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 4:13-25 Abraham was not justified by works Abraham was not justified through the law Justification comes through faith alone —by faith we are forgiven of sin —by faith we are credited righteousness —by faith we are Abraham’s offspring Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. The faith of Father Abraham… —is trusting God no matter how things appear “Paul next goes on to remind us of the way Abraham believed the promise of God even when all the tangible evidence seemed to point in the other direction. In brief, as Paul succinctly summarizes the matter in verse 18, Abraham believed “against all hope” yet “in hope.” Specifically, he did not allow all the many reasons to distrust God’s promise to weaken his conviction that God would do just what he had promised.” —Douglas J. Moo, Encountering the Book of Romans —is being convinced of God’s power —is taking God at His word —is unwavering, even when we fail “Abraham did not always live out his faith, his obedience was not perfect, his trust fluctuated; but his faith was never extinguished. He hung on to God’s promises even in his own flaws and failings—and as he did so, he “was strengthened in his faith.” He was able to look at a mistake and say: This has reminded me that my only hope is to trust in God’s promise, and trust in God to fulfill that promise.” —Tim Keller, Romans 1-7 For You Discipleship Questions: Spend some time discussing justification and talk about the effects of it on our lives. What are some ways that you trust God in spite of how things appear or how you feel? How have you experienced your faith being strengthened through God’s Word? What are some examples of times you have taken God at His word and acted on it in your life? What do you think it looks like for us to have unwavering faith based on Abraham’s example? 
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