I like your post but I would add that the entire Bible - OT and NT, not just the NT - is “spiritual food” for all believers.
Bible reading plans
- Thread starter Matthias
- Start date
-
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
I like your post but I would add that the entire Bible - OT and NT, not just the NT - is “spiritual food” for all believers.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
Ye search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life but they testify of me yet you will not come to me to have life. …..Jesus
It is as easy to make an idol of the bible as it is a car or a job or a house or money. In the above quote Jesus not only spoke to the ‘religious’ of his day but also to every generation which glorifies the written text in preference to its object.
Behold
Well-Known Member
Its the NT that offers the most spiritual food value for the CHRISTian, as all the doctrine for the Church is found in the NT.
We find Paul's epistles only in the NT, and this is the most important part of the "bible" regarding what a CHRISTian is to learn, know, and teach.
So, while the Psalms and Proverbs offer wisdom for example....... the NT offers divine spiritual food that is strictly created for the CHRISTian, and that is mainly Paul's epistles and those are unique to the NT.
Behold
Well-Known Member
A "christian" who doubts the Bible, and enjoys insulting it on forums, has some spiritual issues that are beyond obvious.
The fact is, Jesus loved the word of God, and all all real Christians, will as well.
The Devil hates the bible, and he leads people who belong to him, to have no use for it, other then to deny it, or insult it, or claim its "filled with errors".
“Jesus knew and loved the Old Testament, and the Old Testament that He read, memorized, and loved is the same Old Testament that believers use today. It was Jesus’ only Bible, and the Bible from which Paul defended both his ministry, his gospel, his calling, and his missionary activity. Believers today can read the Old Testament with confidence, knowing that they are reading the Bible Jesus used. And read it they must, for its story is the only context to understand Gos’s salvation, His churches, and His work in the world today.”
chronologicalbibleteaching.com
The Bible Jesus Read
One of the most characteristic features of the ministry of the Lord Jesus was His dependence upon Scripture. When He encountered the devil in the temptation in the wilderness, thrice He quoted the book of Deuteronomy to answer the enemy’s wiles (Luke 4:4, 8, 12). When He inaugurated His...
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
I am sorry Behold, that you cannot tell the difference between worshiping the Bible and worshiping Jesus.
Behold
Well-Known Member
You're just confused.
This happens when you try to think.
You'll repeat this behavior... as usual.
Now, Here is the reality..
The word of God is where Salvation is found, as its the Bible that reveals Jesus as THE Savior.
So, loving the word of God, is the most natural thing for a Christian to want to do, as JESUS and His words are found in THE BIBLE.
We LOVE JESUS and HIS WORD, so we love the Holy Bible.
1 + 1 = 2
Now, i realize that im not describing you @quietthinker ..
However...its a fact that its unnatural for anyone who says they are a "Christian", to not love the word of God.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
The word of God is Jesus....confuse it with the text of Hebrew history and it only reveals one's inability to think well!
sheeplike
New Member
Well, I have no real Bible reading plan. I was a JW for many years - and you may understand that I had to do this as a must... Now I read the Bible, until I find something that touches me, interests me... and then I go deeper: check in Wikipedia, Greek meaning, context - and sometimes its just one Verse - and in the end, it can make me cry, sometimes I realize that I have to chance something - so I pray for help, power, forgiveness.... you name it. Question: the story of the lost son - did you ever check, what he gave to eat to the pigs and wanted to eat it as well, but nobody gave him some? What was that? I checked - if interesting: The pod of the carob tree (which closely resembles a small horn.… Carob pods were commonly used for fattening swine and were employed as an article of food by poor people (or during food shortages).
Another way I discovered, is to search by word. Recently, we went through the bible only for the word to "fast" or "fasting" - when it was done, how long, for what reason... It is interesting to see that the word appears around 60 times in the Bible and to see the different meanings and reasons for it: Death, Jesus 40 days, Moses 40 days, annual fasting, spiritual fasting, prayer in relation with fasting, fasting must not be visible... The only thing I could not find, how fasting was done exactly? Like Muslims do today? No eating at all for 10, 20 or 40 days? One day no food nor drinking? Maybe it depends on the situation, your personal capabilities... But its a good exercise. I did it now three times - and each time (once a year) it makes me happy. I sleep less, concentrate better, feel better, have less to work in the house, less to buy... I wish I could do this forever - but limit is the limit. 94 days are not bad.
Now I am searching for all words in relation to heart, soul and spirit - to see the different meanings and connections. This is really interesting and sometimes fulfilling - only what you can learn about Gods Spirit. But, even if you speak several languages - did you ever realize that the Bible will ALWAYS be in your mother language (or the language you learned it in?). Then the Hebrew and Greek words for it and their meaning - even in other contexts.
But I admit - I am completely alone and isolated - and have to do everything by myself. No church or other believers here.
Another way I discovered, is to search by word. Recently, we went through the bible only for the word to "fast" or "fasting" - when it was done, how long, for what reason... It is interesting to see that the word appears around 60 times in the Bible and to see the different meanings and reasons for it: Death, Jesus 40 days, Moses 40 days, annual fasting, spiritual fasting, prayer in relation with fasting, fasting must not be visible... The only thing I could not find, how fasting was done exactly? Like Muslims do today? No eating at all for 10, 20 or 40 days? One day no food nor drinking? Maybe it depends on the situation, your personal capabilities... But its a good exercise. I did it now three times - and each time (once a year) it makes me happy. I sleep less, concentrate better, feel better, have less to work in the house, less to buy... I wish I could do this forever - but limit is the limit. 94 days are not bad.
Now I am searching for all words in relation to heart, soul and spirit - to see the different meanings and connections. This is really interesting and sometimes fulfilling - only what you can learn about Gods Spirit. But, even if you speak several languages - did you ever realize that the Bible will ALWAYS be in your mother language (or the language you learned it in?). Then the Hebrew and Greek words for it and their meaning - even in other contexts.
But I admit - I am completely alone and isolated - and have to do everything by myself. No church or other believers here.
Hidden In Him
Well-Known Member
Blessings in Christ, and welcome to Christianity Board!
Not to deviate from the OP (i.e. the thrust of this thread), but Fasting is indeed spiritually beneficial in many ways. And yeah, you will sleep less. And feel better. Several days in and I always get that light feeling, like I'm walking on feathers, which is really noticeable when you are heavier than your average median weight for your height.
If I may, what did you mean by 94 days?
sheeplike
New Member
94 days - very simple. I make juice fasting. I only drink tea, or water with fruit juice (I bought a real expensive machine for that). I mean, not only fruit juice, but as well vegetable juice - mixed with water. This is enough and you can go up to 100 days as a max. - At least this is what I did until now. But in the end - sleep is only 3 to 4 hours a day - rest is useless. You get the feeling you can use your time better.
“Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).” - Stephen R. Covey
I encourage all of my readers to develop the habit of engaging in reading the Bible daily.
I encourage all of my readers to develop the habit of engaging in reading the Bible daily.
An indirect response to post #74.
”I suspect that many of you who are reading this have made a commitment to read through your Bible this year. Others still need to make the commitment. But I want to encourage you to do it, and not give up.
Let me begin by dealing with the reasons you might not do it.
1. You have tried in the past and failed. You have started at the book of Genesis countless times, and never made it past the middle of Leviticus.
2. You have a Bible reading schedule and you were following it, until you got far behind. By mid March you realized you were already five weeks behind, and realized that you will never catch up. Amd so you give up.
3. You work shifts, or your schedule changes frequently. Perhaps your work requires you to travel. But because of your inability to to establish a pattern, it becomes increasingly difficult to establish a pattern, it becomes increasingly difficult to carry on the daily discipline of of Bible reading and prayer.
4. Your life frequently cycles into seasons of spiritual lethargy, and during these times, all discipline is abandoned.
5. You are not convinced of how imperative this matter is.”
Do any of those reasons resonate with you? They have with me, and they have and do with many. Said another way, you aren’t alone.
It may be disappointing and discouraging but we shouldn’t think of it as a lost cause. Read on. Our author has some words to share with us that just might get us up and going again.
”Now let‘s consider some reasons why we might do it.
1. Your spiritual well-being depends on it. Psalm 119:11 says, ‘I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.’ Put it the other way around and and say, ‘If I fail to store up Your Word in my heart, I will be sinning against You.’
2. What you read will help you in the day of trouble. Psalm 119:92 says, ‘If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.’ When trouble comes, and it will, your Bible reading will preserve you.
3. You will become wise and will win over spiritual lethargy. Psalm 19:7 promises, ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.’
4. Your prayer life will be revolutionized. John 15:7 says, ‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.’
5. You will become courageous where once you were fearful. Joshua 1:8-9 promises, ‘This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written it in. For then you will make your way then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’
6. Reading the Bible will allow you to understand both God and yourself. Hebrews 4:12 says, ‘For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’”
Our author has one more thing to say. Listen to him; consider carefully what he says.
”One final thought. When you fall behind in your Bible reading, don’t try to catch up. Just pick up where you left off - and keep reading. And even though you may fail to read on a given day, don’t give up. Never quit, never be discouraged, never stop.”
Ready to try again? Alright. Let’s go!
Still not there? If you want to talk about it, I’m here for you - and so are others.
”I suspect that many of you who are reading this have made a commitment to read through your Bible this year. Others still need to make the commitment. But I want to encourage you to do it, and not give up.
Let me begin by dealing with the reasons you might not do it.
1. You have tried in the past and failed. You have started at the book of Genesis countless times, and never made it past the middle of Leviticus.
2. You have a Bible reading schedule and you were following it, until you got far behind. By mid March you realized you were already five weeks behind, and realized that you will never catch up. Amd so you give up.
3. You work shifts, or your schedule changes frequently. Perhaps your work requires you to travel. But because of your inability to to establish a pattern, it becomes increasingly difficult to establish a pattern, it becomes increasingly difficult to carry on the daily discipline of of Bible reading and prayer.
4. Your life frequently cycles into seasons of spiritual lethargy, and during these times, all discipline is abandoned.
5. You are not convinced of how imperative this matter is.”
Do any of those reasons resonate with you? They have with me, and they have and do with many. Said another way, you aren’t alone.
It may be disappointing and discouraging but we shouldn’t think of it as a lost cause. Read on. Our author has some words to share with us that just might get us up and going again.
”Now let‘s consider some reasons why we might do it.
1. Your spiritual well-being depends on it. Psalm 119:11 says, ‘I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.’ Put it the other way around and and say, ‘If I fail to store up Your Word in my heart, I will be sinning against You.’
2. What you read will help you in the day of trouble. Psalm 119:92 says, ‘If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.’ When trouble comes, and it will, your Bible reading will preserve you.
3. You will become wise and will win over spiritual lethargy. Psalm 19:7 promises, ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.’
4. Your prayer life will be revolutionized. John 15:7 says, ‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.’
5. You will become courageous where once you were fearful. Joshua 1:8-9 promises, ‘This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written it in. For then you will make your way then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’
6. Reading the Bible will allow you to understand both God and yourself. Hebrews 4:12 says, ‘For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’”
Our author has one more thing to say. Listen to him; consider carefully what he says.
”One final thought. When you fall behind in your Bible reading, don’t try to catch up. Just pick up where you left off - and keep reading. And even though you may fail to read on a given day, don’t give up. Never quit, never be discouraged, never stop.”
Ready to try again? Alright. Let’s go!
Still not there? If you want to talk about it, I’m here for you - and so are others.
From my X / Twitter “For you” feed - a John MacArthur quote:
“For true Christians, the Bible is our greatest treasure.”
Some may disagree with the expressed sentiment. Whether or not the Bible is the greatest treasure, can we not all agree that it is a great treasure?
What should we do with it?
It’s too great of a treasure to just bury it. It’s so great of a treasure that we should read it, with commensurate regularity.
It’s a real beauty. Won’t you join with others and avail yourself of it today?
1,440. That’s how many minutes we have been blessed with every day.
Many of those minutes are slotted for critical activities that we can’t abandon. I’m strongly suggesting to my readers that one of those critical daily activities should be reading the scriptures.
Is there not 15 minutes out of the 1,440 minutes we each have to work with available for reading the Bible? Maybe there isn’t. What about 10 minutes? No? What about 5 minutes? Still no? If that’s the case on a regular basis then your life is dangerously out of balance and you need to seek realignment. Review your priorities in life and make appropriate adjustments.
I’m no one that you, the reader of this message, has to spend time listening to. How much time did you invest in reading my post? If your life is so filled with critical activities that you still have time to read my message but no time to read the Bible, then let this be the last message of mine that you read. Use that time instead to read the Bible.
“For true Christians, the Bible is our greatest treasure.”
Some may disagree with the expressed sentiment. Whether or not the Bible is the greatest treasure, can we not all agree that it is a great treasure?
What should we do with it?
It’s too great of a treasure to just bury it. It’s so great of a treasure that we should read it, with commensurate regularity.
It’s a real beauty. Won’t you join with others and avail yourself of it today?
1,440. That’s how many minutes we have been blessed with every day.
Many of those minutes are slotted for critical activities that we can’t abandon. I’m strongly suggesting to my readers that one of those critical daily activities should be reading the scriptures.
Is there not 15 minutes out of the 1,440 minutes we each have to work with available for reading the Bible? Maybe there isn’t. What about 10 minutes? No? What about 5 minutes? Still no? If that’s the case on a regular basis then your life is dangerously out of balance and you need to seek realignment. Review your priorities in life and make appropriate adjustments.
I’m no one that you, the reader of this message, has to spend time listening to. How much time did you invest in reading my post? If your life is so filled with critical activities that you still have time to read my message but no time to read the Bible, then let this be the last message of mine that you read. Use that time instead to read the Bible.
From my X / Twitter “For you” feed this evening.
“Your problem is not that God is silent.
Your problem is that you aren’t listening.
Shut up.
Open your Bible.
And hear the word of the Lord.”
(Gabriel Hughes)
The pastor is being blunt with his readers. Maybe even too blunt. But is he wrong?
Diplomacy aside, if we aren’t reading the Bible regularly, he’s probably right.
My hope is that the reader will at least consider the possibility and take appropriate action.
“Your problem is not that God is silent.
Your problem is that you aren’t listening.
Shut up.
Open your Bible.
And hear the word of the Lord.”
(Gabriel Hughes)
The pastor is being blunt with his readers. Maybe even too blunt. But is he wrong?
Diplomacy aside, if we aren’t reading the Bible regularly, he’s probably right.
My hope is that the reader will at least consider the possibility and take appropriate action.
Last edited:
Thank you for starting this thread @Matthias 
.
But we must read it or have it spoken to us first .
.God's word that we have read can be brought back to our remembrance by the Holy Spirit ! Praise God !
But we must read it or have it spoken to us first .
John 14:26 Context
23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. 25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. 29And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.Similar threads
