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STT:Lists

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(This is an encore presentation of one of my earliest tips.)

Are you a list-maker? Why do you make them? To remember things, right? Today's tip is learn to recognize lists in Scripture. 
 
Some of the lists you're already familiar with- Ten Commandments, Fruit of the Spirit and so forth. Sometimes though, they are a little more subtle. For example:
  • They can take the form of instructions, like in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 "Go… teach… baptize… teach." 
  • They can be attributes, as in 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
  • They can be an action plan. "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel." (Ezra 7:10) 
 
One of my favorite lists is in Ephesians 1:3-6. Check out the blessings in those few verses! 
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
 
  1.  Every spiritual blessing (We could actually stop there. The rest of it explains some of what that entails.)
  2.  Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world
  3.  Holy & blameless before Him in love
  4.  Adopted as His children
  5.  Accepted by His grace, according to His will.
 
Now we could dicker about exactly how many things should or could be on the list. For example, 'holy" and 'blameless' could be two separate items, but no matter how you cut it, that's a pretty fantastic list. 
 
There's another in Romans 5:1-11. Check out all that 'we' have, what 'we' were and what 'we' are now.
 
Noticing or even writing down the lists causes us to slow down and consider the truth for an extra moment or two. I number the list items in the text or write them in the margin. 
 
As you study, watch for lists in Scripture, and spend some time with them. I'd love to hear what lists you discover.
 
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STT: Study Like a King

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Scroll Hebrew textAfter checking Ezra's and Daniel's Bible study examples, this week we'll look at the model for kings.

In Deuteronomy, in some of Moses' final teachings to Israel, he gives the standard for future kings of Israel.

Also it shall be, when [the king] sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. Deuteronomy 17:18-20

Did you catch those details?
 1. Write out a copy – longhand.
2. Keep it close.
3. Read it every single day

Moses then lists several reasons and benefits for the king if he follows this program.
1. He'll learn to fear God
2. He'll be careful to obey it God's laws. If he knows the law by heart, he won't deviate from it.
3. He won't think he's better than his subjects.
4. His reign will be extended, and his children will succeed him.

Sadly, the Old Testament history books show that few of the kings took Moses' advice.

Do you think the model is still valid? 

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STT: Progress

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growing plantsEzra 7:10 presents a progression we can follow in our Bible study. It reads, "Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel." Did you catch the steps?
 
1. Prepare your heart- Sins dealt with. Prayers offered. Distractions removed.
 
2. Seek the Law- Energy and effort applied to understanding God's word.
 
3. Do it- Precepts practiced/ obeyed with diligence.
 
4. Teach it- Truth modeled and/ or proclaimed.
 
In most of the tips, I admit, I focus on step 2, but if we skip the preparation, we treat God's message to us as just another book. If we go no further than studying, we might as well be learning Spanish or algebra or biology. And, while God intends for us to obey His Word, if we do that as loners, without sharing what we learn, we fail to fulfill our commission.
 
Bible study isn't an end unto itself. It's a key component in helping us grow in our relationship with God and with others.  
 
How do you view Bible study? A chore. An obligation. A time-waster. A privilege. A duty. A necessity. A habit.
 
Do you follow these steps? (They were pretty convicting to me, too.)
 

 

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STT: Just the Facts

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Sherlock Holmes wannabeAs you study, you run into them- genealogy lists, temple building instructions, missionary journey travel logs. What can you possibly take away from them if you're not into details? Here are some new perspectives on some of these more tedious (boring) sections of Scripture.

Genealogy and Census records- God uses ordinary people to accomplish His purposes. He knows each one, their history and their background, just as He knows ours, and in grace, He not only includes us in His work, but He records that for all eternity. Your name may not be written in Scripture, but it's recorded in God's ledgers. (1 Corinthians 1:26 …not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.)

Lists of offerings- In Numbers 7, for example, there is a huge list of the offerings each tribe brought as the tabernacle system was instituted. It's repetitive, and I often wondered why we couldn't have a much shorter chapter- "Each of the leaders brought …" But what's boring for us, God never tires of. He delights in EVERY offering, EVERY act of worship. It never gets old. If He accepts our worship with such intense delight, shouldn't that change how we offer it?

Temple-building instructions- You find these in Exodus for the tabernacle, in 1 Kings for the first temple and in the last chapters of Ezekiel for the millenial temple. Then there's wall-building in Nehemiah. I admit, those last chapters of Ezekiel are tough to wade through. Why does God do that to us? Just to kill our read-thru the Bible plans? No. Part of it goes back to the point I made about offering and God's delight in our worship. However, it also shows God's care and attention to detail. He has a right way that He wants things done. When we undertake something for God, it must be done His way and not ours. However, more significant than this, the temple and tabernacle represented God's physical presence with His people. When we see the cumbersome requirements that must be met before we can approach a holy God, we get a much greater appreciation for the what Christ's redemptive work did for us.

Missionary logs- If you're not into first century Mediterranean geography, wouldn't it be just as easy to say "Paul made a lot of stops." Yes, but we'd miss some insights, such as God has a plan. The places Paul went were not the only cities around, but they were ones God wanted Paul to go to. There are plenty on ministries around doing good work, but we can't work at all of them. God has a place for us, a route He wants us to take. Those other cities, other ministries- He's got somebody lined up for them.

Now when you read Scripture and hit some details that are … well, boring, take a minute before your eyes glaze over, and ask God why He wanted all that stuff in His word. What can you take away from it? You'll find out GOD is in the details.

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Study Tip: Making Lists

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j0434929

j0434929Most of us concede that if we really have to remember something, we write it down. Important information seems to come at us in lists. If you watch, Scripture is no different. Some of the lists you’re already familiar with- Ten Commandments, Fruit of the Spirit and so forth. Sometimes though, the lists are a little more subtle.

They can take the form of instructions, like in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go… teach… baptize… teach.”

They can be attributes, as in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

It might be an action plan. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10) Yesterday we discussed being prepared for worship, and today, we’re prepared to work. Here’s our mission. We find out what God says, we do it, and we tell others. Why would we want to make it more complicated than that?

One of my favorite lists is in Ephesians 1:3-6. Check out the blessings in those few verses! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

1. Every spiritual blessing (We could actually stop there. The rest of it explains some of what that entails.)

2. Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world

3. Holy & blameless before Him in love

4. Adopted as His children

5. Accepted by His grace, according to His will.

Now we could dicker about exactly how many things should or could be on the list… ‘Holy” and ‘blameless’ could be two separate items, but no matter how you cut it, that’s a pretty fantastic list. There’s another in Romans 5:1-11. Check out all that ‘we’ have, what ‘we’ were and what ‘we’ are now.

Noticing and even writing down the lists that are in Scripture cause us to slow down and consider the truth for an extra moment or two. I number them in the text or write them in the margin. Watch for lists in Scripture, and spend some time with them, at least as much time as the grocery list or that to-do list. After all, these will last much longer.

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