One key to understanding a passage of Scripture is getting a handle on the sequence of events presented. Some signposts to watch for are "now", "then" and "when".

For instance, I flipped open to Matthew chapter 2. Here's a sample of sequence markers (the "trail" markers):
V.1 "Now after"
V.3 "when Herod"
V.4 "when he had gathered"
V.7 "Then Herod"
V.9 "when they heard the king"
V.10 "when they saw the star"
V.11 "when they had come into the house"
"When they opened their treasures"
V.12 "then being divinely warned"

While these sequences are especially important studying the narrative sections of Scripture like the Gospels or some of the Old Testament books, they also figure in other books as well.

1 Corinthians 15:54 "So WHEN this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, THEN shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

1 John 3:2 "Beloved NOW we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that WHEN He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Other times they introduce a condition or a contingency:

Jeremiah 29:13 "And you will seek Me and find Me WHEN you search for me with all your heart."

Ezekiel 36:23 "…[A]nd the nations shall know that I am the Lord, WHEN I am hallowed in you before their eyes."

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.

Watch for these trail markers as you read, and take a moment to consider what truth they are highlighting.

Do you have other examples?

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Bible study… Intimidating? Frustrating? Go to the Source.

The Holy Spirit inspired every word written in Scripture.  He is the One who pulls back the curtain revealing new things each time we study Scripture. In fact the Bible itself underscores how necessary the Spirit is for understanding.

1 John 2:27 He teaches us

Isaiah 11:2 He is the source of all wisdom

John 14:26 He will teach us all things and remind us

John 16:13 He guides us into truth

Nehemiah 9:20 God gave the Spirit to instruct us

1 Corinthians 2:10-13 The Spirit searches and reveals the deep things of God, the things only He can know and teach

1 Corinthians 2:14 Learning from the Spirit is the mark of a believer

Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance as you read and study.  Let this be your prayer. “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your Law.”  Psalm 119:18

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We are most of the way through our week of Bible school, and I have to say, it has been the least stressful VBS I can remember since I was a kid. (Not counting the VBS my brother and I came down with the chickenpox.) If you’ve prayed for me, for us during this week, thank you. God has answered in a tremendous way.

I know I’m supposed to exercise, but I don’t like it. I don’t like being sweaty. I don’t like that gasping for my next breath and I really don’t like being sore the next day. BUT… I like those really cool high-tech, moisture wicking shirts, and I love good running shoes. So I bought three of those shirts and thus obligated myself. Sigh. Last week, I started getting up early and interval training. (I call it that because I can’t run very far yet. I run til I think I might die, then I walk until I can breathe again. Rinse Repeat.)

My husband, who is a real runner, is extremely encouraging (and wise ). My goals for running are set pretty low. I just want to make it around the park, maybe twice (around a mile and a half). For me, it’s less about the fitness and more about self-discipline- the getting up and doing it part. Sure, I’d like to drop some weight, and get all those other benefits that come with exercise, but self-discipline takes practice. If I can do it here, exercising, it will be easier the next time I try it in some other area of my life. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul talks about self-discipline in relation to effective, credible ministry. Sadly, we’ve seen ministries destroyed when individuals couldn’t practice self-discipline.

The physical life often reflects the spiritual life. Jesus healed people physically as proof of His ability to heal spiritually. My ultimate goal is to translate some practiced physical self-discipline to spiritual discipline. Maybe God is honoring that desire with a less stressful VBS. Even so, I’ll be up… oh about 5:30 in the morning. I can’t quit now. Besides, I bought the shirts.

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Here’s an example. Yesterday, I got to break down the gospel for the kids at church camp. We used 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 as a framework.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Since we weren’t studying Paul or Corinth, I skipped the first part and concentrated on the gospel as Paul defined it.

Christ: Paul doesn’t call Him Jesus here. He wants to draw attention to His title – the chosen Son of God, born for this purpose
Died: Even though He was God, Christ allowed Himself to die a physical death
For: The reason it happened
Our: Christ’s death is sufficient for the sins of every individual person
Sins: Everything we say, do or think OR fail to say, do or think that is contrary to God’s perfection
According to the Scriptures: It is recorded, not made up and God’s reputation is staked on its absolute truth.
Buried: The fact that Jesus was buried is proof that everyone there was thoroughly convinced He was dead.
Raised the third day: Resurrection is awesome enough, but it means His death was acceptable to God as payment for sins and whoever accepts that payment to cover his or her own sins gets to raise from the dead as well, just as God promised.

Dear God, may we never get so familiar with Your word that it loses its meaning and impact in our lives. Like Your compassions and mercies, Your word never fails. It is fresh and new every morning.

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Here’s a revelation- I am not a daring risk-taker. (To my husband- not… one… word) I have never liked going first. Second was okay, but I wanted to watch someone else before I tried, whether it was fire extinguisher class in my chemist days or the trampoline in seventh grade p.e. class. When my husband got a pistol for Christmas, he found someone to teach us (me!) how to shoot, seeing I had never held a gun before.

Sometimes I need some help with intangible things, like how to raise the three wonderful, unique little people God entrusted to me, how to be the partner my husbands needs, or heavy stuff like how forgive the seemingly unforgivable. I need practical demonstrations to watch and learn from. God understands this about me, and He’s given me several options for learning how to navigate life’s situations.

1. Scripture- You knew that was coming, right? But God includes tremendous stories in His word about people dealing with a range of issues and handling them in good and bad ways. The Bible characters aren’t plastic, perfect people. They are flesh and blood with faults and flaws. Saul is my favorite example of how not to deal with the expectations of others. Philip is very sincere and practical in his faith but he has trouble grasping that Jesus has much bigger ideas in mind. That one sounds a little familiar too. If you get inside the lives of Biblical characters, the lessons are endless.

2. Mentors- Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 ‘Imitate me as I imitate Christ.’ There are folks out there, a little further down the life’s road who are great examples. Soak up their experience. I have a few writers I look to for guidance on how this process works, and what I need to do to develop the gift and the passion that God gives. There are few women whose life experiences have blessed me and helped me through some difficult times. Now those examples are people I don’t know personally. I’ve met or emailed them… but that’s about it.

The real mentors I rely on are folks I talk to regularly, through IM or email or over lunch or ice cream. We discuss how faith work in our daily lives, what God is teaching us, or what we don’t understand. The funny thing is, sometimes they think I’m mentoring them. No matter if you’re a baby Christian or a seasoned saint, you need to be in the middle of a mentor relationship, both learning and leading. My son mentors his 2 year old sister, but he gets mentored by his older sister (unwillingly, at times, I admit).

If you haven’t already, find a mentor… and a ment-ee. I highly recommend it.

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We had an ‘incident’ at church yesterday morning, that sent Jon and me home fully torqued off. I was ready to rant this morning. Last night at the evening service, Jon had opportunity to speak to party involved. (It wasn’t planned at all. The other person opened the door, and my husband who has the gift of discernment, walked through it.) This person was crushed by the results and perception of his actions. They were the opposite of his intentions.

It reinforced what God said about David- “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then there’s 1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Love thinks no evil.” Love gives the benefit of the doubt, doesn’t jump to conclusions. And when you put that with John 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Anyone can get ticked off, and it seems it especially easy with our brothers and sisters, but the fact is, Christ calls us to a higher standard, a much higher standard. Had I ranted yesterday, not only would I have torn down a fellow believer – even if the person never knew about it- but I would have missed the lesson that came instead. Once again, Christ redeemed my sin.

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