Scripture meditation | Stray Thoughts

Here’s a short list of good reads found this week:

Can I Trust the Bible? “For years, my Bible reading raised more questions than answers. In college, I joined a small group Bible study that changed everything. These women read the Bible as if it meant what it said. Do I hear a ‘Duh’?”

Every Excuse Is a Reason to Meditate on Scripture. HT to Challies. Some of the excuses that seem to keep us from reading the Bible are the very reasons we need to read it.

We’ve Got a Hunger Problem: Learning to Long for God’s Word. “We’ve got a hunger problem—or rather a fullness problem. Our lives are so packed and cluttered that we barely notice the empty place in our hearts that only God can fill. If we never feel the ache of real hunger, if we never experience longing in the quiet or the discomfort of waiting, we will never crave what is meant to nourish our souls. So, how do we prepare our hearts for the feast of God’s Word?”

I Am not Charlie Kirk. “I can understand why people want to be like Charlie but the more I started hearing people chanting ‘I am Charlie Kirk’, the more uncomfortable it felt. There was, and will always be, just one Charlie Kirk… and that’s what made him so special. And I want to believe that even Charlie himself would tell you… it’s not him you want to be like… but it’s the Christ who lived in him and through him. And just like there was only one Charlie Kirk… there’s also only one of you.”

Do Not Neglect the Give You Have, HT to Challies. “You may not have big dreams for your life. You may not expect God to do great things through you. You may seem, like Saul, ‘little in your own eyes’ (1 Samuel 15:17) — not very talented or charismatic, not much of a leader. But in the Lord Jesus Christ, God has given you a gift. And as Paul told the young Timothy, so God tells his young men today: ‘Do not neglect the gift you have’ (1 Timothy 4:14).”

No Service Is Too Small, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “Most days we don’t get married, receive a positive pregnancy test, or achieve a breakthrough in our field. Most days, we’re commuting, studying, parenting, working, doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, or paying the bills. Do those activities count in God’s eyes? Does the mundane matter to him?”

Grace for the Birth Story You Didn’t Expect, HT to Challies. “The truth of it is, things in the world don’t work as they should. Your friend’s birth story might be one of empowerment and candlelight, while yours might be one of operating rooms and oxygen masks. You may not even have been conscious when your child entered the world. You may question if you made the right decisions. Or, if it was an emergency situation, if those in control made the right decisions.”

“When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.” ― A.W. Tozer

For those of you who enjoy the Friday’s Fave Fives, I’m sorry I missed posting yesterday! I usually write those posts on Thursday, but this past Thursday I was in atrial fibrillation most of the day. Then Friday was very busy. But I’ll catch up next week.

These linkage posts, however, I add to throughout the week as I read here and there. Perhaps you’ll find some of these interesting and beneficial.

Eternal Security: Fives Reasons God’s Gift of Salvation is Secure. “Can you lose your salvation? Some teach that you can. Others feel like they have. But what does the Word of God promise regarding the eternal security of those who have truly trusted Christ as their Savior?”

Quiet Time and Evangelism: How Much Is Enough? HT to Challies. “Spiritual disciplines are great (and necessary) when the goal is to know God better. Spiritual disciplines are soul-crushing when the aim is to get our metaphysical workout in each day, knowing that we could always exercise more if we were better Christians.”

Meditate on Scripture by Breaking it Down Into Phrases. “One of the best ways to meditate on Scripture is to break it down into phrases and detail the meaning. This can help you to better understand the text and to apply it to your own life.”

How to Mo u rn Over Your Sins, HT to Challies. “‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’ (Matthew 5:4). Spiritual mourning is laden with blessing, and we are to go after it and get as much of it in our lives as we possibly can. The more you know of this mourning, the more joy you will experience in your life.”

What My Wife Taught Me About Life. “Last month, just about a year after my wife Phyllis died, I reread her book Handbook for Caring People, now out of print. I once again saw how this book reflected her own life of being deeply attuned to the needs of people—emotionally, physically, spiritually. I wasn’t the only one who thought she was perhaps the most caring person they’d ever known. So did dozens and hundreds of others.” Andrew Le Peau is the author of Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality (linked to my review).

Reflections on the Reformation. I liked this balanced perspective.

Three Encouragements for Difficult Projects. “If you’ve ever been in the midst of a long, challenging project, you know the war you experience with regret, frustration, and self-flagellation.”

Aged Care Ministry: 3 Challenges and 5 Responses, HT to Challies. “I lost count over the past three years of how many Christians said to me: ‘Those old people must be very open to the gospel, as close to death as they are.’ It’s a plausible idea, but not at all true to my experience. I did not at all find nursing home residents more open to the gospel, but generally less so than those younger in years with more years of life ahead of them. I begin by describing three challenges to bringing the gospel to the frail elderly, and five possible responses to those challenges. I conclude with a word about how all people serve God, no matter how frail and incapacitated they are.”