I
was raised going to church every Sunday, yet I couldn’t name more than a
handful of the books in the Bible, didn’t know what a Gospel was or the
difference between the Old and New Testaments (other than the fact that one was
“old” and the other “new.”)
Though
I had many unsuccessful attempts, I really didn’t start reading the Bible until
I changed denominations in my late twenties.
Once I started reading, I was convinced that my Bible was defective
because it was missing a book. I didn’t
have the book of Jobe (it sounds like the plant stakes, so it should be spelled
like them, right?); I only had Job (where one goes to work.) I’ve come a long way, baby!
Recently I found myself in an online
debate with someone. To prove his point
(with which I disagreed) he claimed, “Jesus said, ‘Give a man a fish and you
feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’”
There
was a time when I would’ve taken that statement at face value, but now I’ve
read enough of Scripture to know that, while I believe these words to be true, they
weren’t spoken by Jesus. The fact that this
man credited Jesus with this statement made me question him all the more.
“God helps those who help
themselves.” This is another one of
those phrases that sound like it should be in the Bible, but it isn’t in there
either.
“My people are destroyed from
lack of knowledge” ~ Hosea 4:6
We
have become a nation that is Biblically illiterate, and I was as illiterate as
they come. In the busyness of life, I
guess I didn’t think it was necessary. I
spent an hour a week in church; isn’t that enough?
No. It isn’t.
How
can we say we’re followers of Christ, but not spend any time learning about Him? How can we be like Him when we really don’t
know Him?
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leaving
Earth
The
Bible doesn’t just teach us about Jesus (though that’s the most important
part), it teaches us about life. I never
cease to be amazed at the scope of topics the Bible covers, from salvation (John 14:6) to bland food (Job
6:6) and EVERYTHING in between!
I delight in your
decrees; I will not neglect your word.
~ Psalm 119:16
Let’s face it. We have time for those things that we want to
have time for.
Turn my eyes away from
worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. ~ Psalm 119:37
“Give a man a fish and you feed him
for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” is actually a
Chinese proverb credited to Confucius (usingenglish.com).
“God helps those who help
themselves” was first recorded as the moral to one of Aesop’s Fables written in
ancient Greece.
Father,
forgive me for all the time that I’ve wasted on insignificant things. Increase my hunger for your Word and help me
to choose you above all else!
Lisa
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