Billy Graham and His Regrets

Posted on September 4, 2022 by Wayne Davies

Got regrets?

Who doesn’t?

Even Billy Graham had regrets.

I’ve been reading a fascinating book, Ask Billy Graham: The World’s Best-Loved Preacher Answers Your Most Important Questions. It’s filled with the evangelist’s wisdom on a wide range of topics, including family, politics, evangelism, and his relationship with U.S. presidents. My favorite section is entitled, “On Himself.”

Here are a few quotes that stopped me in my tracks.

Do you have any regrets?
“I should have studied more and prayed more and spent more time with my family.”
USA Today, February 5, 1998

What’s the mistake that’s been the hardest for you to live with?
“Not studying enough. I don’t think anybody considers me an intellectual or a very smart man. I’m just an ordinary man. I feel more like a plowboy back on the farm today than I ever did.”
ABC News, Primetime Live, December 30, 1993

You’ve said on a number of occasions that you consider yourself a failure. Why is that?
“I feel that if I had stayed home more, studied more, I would have done more for God and my soul. I needed to grow inside more. I traveled too much, went to too many places, accepted too many invitations.”
CNN’s Larry King Live, May 29, 2005

Here’s the man who preached the gospel to more people than anyone in history, and he wished he had spent more time studying and praying and being with his family.

I find that amazing.

It’s also encouraging to me that he was humble enough to realize this and to talk about it publicly.

I have similar regrets, especially regarding prayer. And I regret how much time I spent at the office, consumed with making more money.

How about you? If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?

Something to think about, pray about, and repent over.

May we all be moved by the honesty of Billy Graham to seek God’s help to live more in accord with His Word and His will from this day forward.

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When Is the Best Time of Day to Read the Bible?

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Wayne Davies

I received this comment recently on the GodWroteTheBook.com blog:

“I have a Bible that my pastor gave to me and I am not sure which time of the day my pastor expects me to read it to gain knowledge of God.”

 

I’m encouraged by this situation for at least three reasons:

1. It’s great to hear that the pastor provided a Bible to this individual. Perhaps this person never owned a Bible before. Can you think of a better way to enhance a person’s life than to give them a printed copy of the Word of God?

Have you ever given someone a Bible? Then you know what I mean.

If you haven’t, why not look for opportunities to do so? Who do you know who would benefit from having a Bible to read, perhaps for the first time? Offer to spend time together, simply reading one book together, one chapter each time you meet. I recommend starting with the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of John. After each reading, ask and discuss two straightforward questions:

“What does this passage teach about God (Father, Son, Spirit)?”

“What is my response to this teaching?”

2. I love that this person knows that the purpose of reading the Bible is to “gain knowledge of God.” Amen to that! There are two types of people in the world – those who know God, and those who don’t. Those who know God possess the most precious knowledge in the universe. Without it, we are trapped in a life of futility and are doomed to face an eternity of misery. With it, there is hope for both this world and the next.

“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

“This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

3. As far as what time of the day is best to read the Bible, here’s a blog post that addresses that question:

Bible Reading Tips – When Is the Best Time of Day to Read the Bible and Pray?
https://godwrotethebook.com/bible-reading-tips-when-is-the-best-time-of-day-to-read-the-bible-and-pray/

(For the past 8 years, this has been one of the most popular articles at GodWroteTheBook.com. Many people are eager to know the answer to this question!)

The psalms offer examples of believers who seek God in the morning (Psalm 5:3), at noon (Psalm 55:17), and at night (Psalm 119:62).

Another biblical response to this question is found in Psalm 1:1-3:

“Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night” (verses 1 and 3).

Anytime is a good time to spend time with God in His Word. Find what time of day is best for you and cultivate the godly habit of sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him, learning from Him, and delighting in Him. Enjoy!

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The #1 Reason to Pray for God’s Blessing (Thoughts on Psalm 67)

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Wayne Davies

Why do we ask God to bless us? Have you ever thought about that?

Psalm 67 provides a wonderful answer to that question.

 

Verse 1 begins the Psalm with a prayer: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us.”

What a great petition! Wondering what to pray for today? Here’s a great place to start. Ask God to provide his grace, his blessing, and his face to shine upon you.

If God demonstrates his love for you through these three realities, would you be content in any situation? Should God answer this prayer, do you think you would have a heart filled with joy and gladness? I would think so!

As we continue reading the psalm, verse 2 says, “so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation [may be known] among all nations.” The first two words of this verse are the key that unlocks the meaning of the whole psalm. The psalmist asks God to graciously bless his people so that all nations on earth would know the ways and salvation of God.

Do you see the significance of this prayer? Verse 1, at first glance, and when viewed by itself, seems to be primarily about God’s people and their desire to receive the blessings of God’s goodness. And there is certainly some truth to that assessment.

But the psalmist didn’t stop there. He also included the purpose of this prayer. He is asking God to bless his people for a specific reason: in order that they can be the channel through which God blesses the rest of the world. We are the recipients of God’s grace in order to communicate the beauty of that grace to all nations.

What we have here is an evangelistic prayer for the salvation of all peoples. The rest of the psalm continues this theme.

3 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.

Note the repetition of the words “peoples” and “nations.” This Hebrew poet is concerned about the spiritual condition of Gentiles all over the world. He is pleading with God to make his presence known to the Jews so that pagan peoples from every land will worship God with joy and gladness!

Psalm 67 is nothing less than an Old Testament version, in sacred song, of the New Testament “Great Commission” delivered by Jesus to his followers before ascending to heaven:

“Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).
“Repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:27).
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

This is the reason that God spoke to Abraham, an idol worshipping pagan, and led him from Ur of the Chaldees to the promised land of Canaan. Joshua quotes these words from the Lord himself: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods’” (Joshua 24:2).

God spoke to Abraham and told him,

1 “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

The Lord of heaven and earth promised to bless Abraham and his offspring, the nation of Israel, so that all nations on earth would be blessed through God’s channel of blessing, the Jews.

Ultimately, this promise of blessing through Abraham was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, for “He (Christ) redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:14).

Psalm 67, written hundreds of years after God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations through his seed, continues the theme of God’s love for the whole world. God has always had a plan to make known his ways of salvation to all peoples. And he chose the Jewish nation to be the human means by which this message of redemption would be brought to fruition. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22).  We see that in Psalm 67 from start to finish, for verses 6 and 7 repeat the wonderful truth that God blesses us so that he can bless the world through us:

6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

May it be so today!

Questions for Further Study, Reflection, and Discussion

  1. Reflect on the meaning of the three requests found in the prayer of verse 1:
    1) God’s grace;
    2) God’s blessing;
    3) God’s shining face.
    How have you experienced each of these spiritual realities recently? Offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for these gifts from God.
  2. Specifically, how would you like God to answer the 3-fold prayer of Psalm 67:1 today? For yourself? For your local church?
  3. What is your response to the truth that God blesses you and your local church so that you can be a channel of blessing to others? Specifically, how can your answer to Question 2 be turned into a prayer for God to bless those in your community and throughout the world who do not know God’s salvation?
  4. From Psalm 67, what new insights did you learn about God and His purposes for us?

NOTE: The above is excerpt from my forthcoming book, How to Pray Like David: A Bible Study on Psalms 42-72 (Psalms Bible Study Guides, Volume 2)

Volume 1 of this series is available on Amazon: How to Pray Like David: A Bible Study on Psalms 1-41 (Psalms Bible Study Guides, Volume 1)

 

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How to Learn Contentment through Comparison

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Wayne Davies

I rarely read a book other than the Bible more than once.

Here’s one that I’m now reading for the fourth time: The Art of Divine Contentment, by Thomas Watson, a 17th-century Puritan pastor and author.

Four times . . . Really?

Yes, it is that good. I need to be reminded often of the Bible’s teaching on contentment.

We are commanded to be content. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

I especially like Chapter 9, “How to Learn Contentment,” which contains 18 rules that show Christians how they can attain contentment. Here is Rule 10: “Often compare your condition.” Mr. Watson unpacks this principle by explaining five types of comparison that lead to a contented life. My favorite is comparison #1: “Let us compare our condition with what we deserve.”

Here are some of his comments on this biblical truth:

“If we have less than we desire, we have more than we deserve. For our mercies, we have deserved less. For our afflictions, we have deserved more. First, consider out mercies . . . What can we deserve? We live on free grace. . . Whatever we have is not merit, but bounty. The least bit of bread is more than God owes us. We can bring kindling to our funeral pyre, but we cannot add one flower to the garland of our own salvation. He who has the smallest mercy will die in God’s debt.”

Is this not what Scripture teaches?

David said it well. “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). If God did treat us as our sins deserve, where would we all be right now?

In hell. But where are we right now?

This simple yet profound comparison, when practiced regularly with an attitude of joyful gratitude for God’s abundant grace toward us, is one way to learn contentment.

NOTE: There are many editions of Watson’s book available online. The one I’ve been reading is an unabridged, modern English translation by Jason Roth. This book was originally published in 1660 and is regarded as a Christian classic. Books such as this can be hard to read. Unfamiliar vocabulary and sentence structure can obscure the original meaning. This updated version makes Watson’s 17th-century writing style more accessible to readers today.

It is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback here:
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Divine-Contentment-Modern-English-ebook/dp/B077XZ55G5/

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How to Worship God by Serving Your Neighbor

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Wayne Davies

Do you find the Christian life to be easy or hard (or both)?

Jesus said that the way that leads to life is “hard” and the way that leads to destruction is “easy” (Matthew 7:13-14). Yet He also instructed us to “Take my yoke upon you . . . and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).

 

 

How can a yoke, which by definition is hard, also be easy? And how can a burden, which by definition is heavy, also be light? A paradox, for sure, as we are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Certainly we can affirm that God expects us to work hard for His kingdom, and that such work will be hard work. We were “created in Christ Jesus for good works . . . that we should walk in them.” And we have been instructed to “do good to everyone” (Galatians 6:10).

Doing good works for our neighbor can be hard, and Scripture acknowledges this. Here are two passages that refer to acts of kindness with language reminiscent of an Old Testament sacrifice.

Passage #1
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).

Doing good and sharing with others is described as a sacrifice. You give up something in order to benefit another. This may be painful to you, resulting in financial and/or emotional loss. Or maybe you give up use of your time. Yet you also benefit, because “such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Doing the will of God brings you much joy and contentment, and knowing that He rejoices over your generosity is a reward in and of itself. Furthermore, God has promised to reward you abundantly in heaven for such demonstrations of love. In light of these temporal and eternal blessings, did the giver really lose anything?

Passage #2
“I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

The Philippians sent Paul money to support him while he was in prison in Rome. Notice how this display of unselfish giving is portrayed not only as a sacrifice, but also as “a fragrant offering . . . acceptable and pleasing to God.”

To describe an act of kindness as a sacrifice to God adds much to our understanding of the meaning of “good works.” Doing good should be far more than a horizontal event. It is not merely the giving and receiving of love between human beings. This is also a vertical event. To give something of value to my neighbor is to offer a sacrifice to God. To feed my enemy is to worship my Lord. To return good for evil is to send a sweet aroma to heaven. And God accepts these gifts and is pleased with them because He is pleased with us for giving them, provided we do them with a heart of love that is tuned to sing His grace.

The Hardest Thing about Good Works
Here is one of the most startling verses in the Bible: “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).

Does this verse mean what I think it means? Does Paul really mean that I can give away everything I own, and yet receive no benefit (such as the rewards God has promised) because this act of apparent kindness was not done out of love?

At first glance, this truth can be alarming, taking the wind from our sails and causing us to doubt what we do.

But the more we reflect on it, the more it makes sense. In the Old Testament, an animal sacrifice, if not offered with a heart of faith and repentance, became a meaningless ritual, turning an outward act of obedient worship into an ungodly activity. This happened repeatedly in Isaiah’s day. Listen to God’s rebuke of His people:

“The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me.” (Isaiah 1:11-13)

Likewise, we must offer our sacrifices of service with a heart of love and compassion, for God is seeking “true worshipers . . . those who worship him . . . in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). May it be so.

Questions to Stimulate Your Response to the Comments Above:

  1. What can you do to cultivate the proper heart attitude when serving others?
  2. Who do you know in the household of faith who would benefit from an intentional act of kindness? What can you do this week to “do good” to this person as an intentional act of worship?
  3. Same question as #2 above, except replace “Who do you know in the household of faith” with “What outsider do you know . . .”
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A Breathtaking Description of Jesus from Colossians 1:15-20

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Wayne Davies

I recently read the book of Colossians and would like to share some thoughts about Jesus based on chapter 1, verses 15-20.

Here is one of the most stunning descriptions of the Lord Jesus Christ in all of Scripture:

 

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV)

Jesus asked the apostles, “Who do you say I am?” Peter responded with these words: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16).

In Colossians 1:15-20 we read how Paul answers the most important question ever asked:

Who is Jesus?

As the image of the invisible God and the dwelling place of all the fullness of God, Jesus is God.

Since all things were created by Jesus and through Jesus, He is the Creator of everything in the universe, both seen and unseen.

Because all things hold together in Jesus, He is the Sustainer and Maintainer of all that exists. All energy originates from Him. Every hurricane, tornado, earthquake, and flood is His doing, for Jesus controls the weather 24/7 – every drop of rain, every ray of sunshine, every stirring of a gentle breeze.

As the head of the church, Jesus is the supreme authority and Judge of His people. We answer to Jesus and are held accountable to Him for everything we think, say, and do. Every idle thought, every careless word, and every unintended action will one day be evaluated by Jesus, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Yes, “the Father has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son” (John 5:23-24).

The purpose of everything that happens is found in Jesus because all things were created for Him and have as their ultimate goal His preeminence. Everything was made for the glory of Jesus. He is the reason that everything exists. Without Jesus, there is no meaning to anything and we remain the hopeless recipients of “the futile ways inherited from [our] forefathers” (1 Peter 1:18).

And because of what Jesus did on the cross, there is hope of reconciliation and redemption for the estranged and guilty prisoners who inhabit this planet. Only through the death of Jesus can enslaved transgressors find peace with their Maker, for His blood is the payment of the price that purchases our freedom from the bondage of sin. “We have redemption” in Him, and only in Him (Colossians 1:14). This is why the 24 elders sing a new song before Jesus the Lamb,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Revelation 5:9-10

This is who Jesus is. This is what Jesus did. This is what Jesus will do for us, should we humble ourselves before Him and embrace Him with faith as our God, Creator, Redeemer, Reconciler, and Peace-Maker.

Who is Jesus? Jesus is breathtaking. Does He take your breath away?

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10 Reasons to Pray Today

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Wayne Davies

Do you sometimes wonder what to pray for?

Or do you sometimes wish you had more substance to your prayers?

Here’s a surefire way to enhance your prayer life – for yourself and anyone else that you care about deeply:

Take a look at Paul’s prayers. When writing to the churches, he often told them, with great specificity, how he prayed for them.

For example, take a look at Colossians 1:9-12.

9  We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

In just a few sentences, Paul tells the Colossians that he asks God to give them at least 9 spiritual blessings that will contribute to their sanctification (holiness):

1-knowledge of God’s will
2-spiritual wisdom and understanding
3-a life worthy of and pleasing to the Lord
4-the fruit of good works
5-greater knowledge of God
6-the strength of God’s power
7-endurance
8-patience
9-joy

Would you like to experience any (or all) of these qualities? Do you know anyone else who would benefit from a life of wisdom that pleases King Jesus, fruitful good works, deeper knowledge of God and his will, along with the strength, endurance, patience, and joy that only the Holy Spirit can provide?

Why not take time this week and pray the prayer of Colossians 1:9-14 for yourself and your loved ones?

And don’t forget a 10th reason for prayer – to express your gratitude to God. “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (v. 12). Because of God’s grace, he has given us the promise of an eternal inheritance. What an incredible reason to pour out your thanksgiving and praise to him!

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How to Talk about Abortion and the Sanctity of Life

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Wayne Davies

With the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, opportunities abound to discuss the question, “When does a human being become a human being?”

At conception?
When there is evidence of a heartbeat?
At birth?

Here is a great resource to help you prepare for such conversations.

How to Defend Pro-Life Views in 5 Minutes, by Scott Klusendorf, will do just that.
https://www.crossway.org/articles/how-to-defend-pro-life-views-in-5-minutes/

Scott Klusendorf is the president of Life Training Institute, where he trains pro-life advocates to persuasively defend their views. A passionate and engaging platform speaker, Scott’s pro-life presentations have been featured by Focus on the Family, Truths That Transform, and American Family Radio.

And for more resources on abortion and the sanctify of life, check out:
https://www.crossway.org/articles/resources-related-to-abortion-and-the-sanctity-of-life/

Here you’ll find a link to a free copy of Scott’s ebook, The Case for Life, along with articles by Wayne Grudem entitled, How to Biblically Defend the Sanctity of Life and 5 Questions about the Sanctity of Life, which addresses these questions:
— Does the Bible consider a fetus a child?
— Is abortion okay in the case that the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest?
— Is abortion an appropriate measure if the mother’s life is at risk?

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7 Truths about Biblical Meditation

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Wayne Davies

There are many beneficial ways to hear God’s Word.

Because we love God and want to know Him better, we turn to His Word and listen to it, read it, study it and sing it, all with a view to obeying it.

 

For those who incorporate these practices into their lives, blessings are promised and received in abundance: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it” (Revelation 1:3).

Scripture is filled with examples of godly people who demonstrate their love for God through their love of His Word. One such saint is the writer of Psalm 119. At least 10 times he articulates his love for God by writing about his love for God’s Word. “Oh how I love your law!” (v. 97). (See also verses 47, 48, 113, 119, 127, 140, 159, 163, 167)

The psalmist also tells us one specific way that he expresses his love for the Word: “Oh how I love your law; I meditate on it all day long” (Psalm 119:97). Meditating on Scripture is a recurring theme in Psalm 119; it is mentioned eight times! (see verses 15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148). Surely we would do well to take a closer look at this often overlooked response to hearing the Word.

7 Truths about Biblical Meditation

1. God commands it.
Before Israel took possession of Canaan, the Lord told Joshua, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:6-8)

2. Godly people habitually practice it.
As mentioned above, the writer of Psalm 119 meditated on the Word “all day long” (v. 97). Or, as the Common English Bible renders it, “I love your instruction! I think about it constantly.”

3. The Word of God is the focus of it.
Biblical meditation is focusing on God’s truth as revealed in Scripture. Paul wanted the Colossians to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16)

4. Prolonged repetition and contemplation is the essence of it.
Pastor Tony Opliger provides this explanation of the meaning of “hagah,” the Hebrew word for meditate.

“Hagah means: to utter, to murmur . . . it is like when you look up a phone number and you have to try to remember it while you take a few steps across the room to get your phone or write it down. 123-4567. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Uttering and murmuring as you try to remember it. And that is hagah.

“Hagah is also what cows do when they eat . . . When a cow eats, it slowly chews its food for a while — then it swallows it — and then a bit later, it burps the partially digested food back up into its mouth. And then the cow chews it some more — and then it swallows again — and then a bit later, burps it up again — right back into its mouth — and then it chews the food even more — and apparently this can go on for hours until the food is fully digested. And that is a picture of hagah. That is meditating.

“It is chewing on the Word of God — it is feasting on or plugging into the Word — it is actively pondering it by uttering or murmuring to oneself over and over and over again. You see, eastern meditation is an emptying of the mind — but biblical meditation is filling the mind (and even the mouth) with the Words of God.”

5. Personal holiness is the intended result and evidence of it.
Meditation is never an end in itself. God instructed Joshua to meditate on the Word “so that you may be careful to do everything written in it” (Joshua 1:8). This is why the psalmist wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

6. Memorizing Scripture is one great way to practice it.
How did the psalmist meditate on the Word “all day long”? (Psalm 119:97). How did he “hide” or “store” the Word in his heart? (Psalm 119:11). He memorized it.

7. Resources abound to help you develop it.
Yes, memorizing Bible verses is not just for children. Adults, too, can cultivate this habit and reap the blessing of God for doing so. If your church promotes Scripture memorization for children, why not memorize the same verses? Get yourself an accountability partner and do it with your spouse or a Christian friend. Or invite your small group to do this together.

Perhaps you already memorize Scripture regularly. If so, great! If not, here are two websites to help you get started:

Navigators “Topical Memory System”
https://www.navigators.org/resource/topical-memory-system/

Fighter Verses
https://www.fighterverses.com/

NOTE: this post is adapted from Wayne’ book, 7 Deadly Sins of Bible Reading: Common Bible Reading Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

 

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God’s Answer to the “Why” Question

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Wayne Davies

For centuries, people have been seeking answers to life’s most important questions: “How did we get here?” “Why are we here?” “What is the meaning and purpose of life?”

It’s NOT About Us
Fortunately, God has provided clear answers to these questions in His Word. God created us, and He put us on this planet for a specific purpose: “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:6-7).

God tells us that He formed us “for His glory.” Furthermore, Scripture reveals that God made everything for His glory: “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever” (Romans 11:36). “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth . . . all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

The title of a Max Lucado book communicates well the paradoxical truth that the meaning and purpose of my life is not found in me because It’s Not About Me. “It’s about God. And that’s an understatement. God created us to know him and love him and show him” (John Piper). Our mission in life, then, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,” is to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

But what does it mean to glorify God? How do we do that? Sometimes the repeated use of a word can cloud its meaning.

Another word that Scripture uses to summarize the reason for our existence is worship. The Apostle John saw a vision of “those who conquered the beast,” singing “the song of Moses . . . and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!  Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15:2-4).

If, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, our “chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever,” we fulfill that purpose through worshipping the Creator. A bird was made to fly; a fish, to swim. And humans were created to worship God. This is why we are here. “We exist for Him” because “we exist through Him” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

Humanity, We Have an Insurmountable Problem
But, alas, we have a problem that prevents us from doing what God made us to do. That dilemma is our sin, which separates us from God and alienates us from our Maker. “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Sin creates a barrier between us and God. He is the Holy One, “of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13). How can we worship God when He cannot even look at us?

Every human being is born with a humanly incurable disease, cancer of the soul. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We do not become a sinner by sinning. We sin because we are born a sinner. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5).

Here’s even more bad news:  our sinful condition causes God to pronounce the death sentence of hell over us. Long before Judgment Day, the unrepentant sinner has already been condemned in the courtroom of heaven. “Whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).

Furthermore, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from this predicament. “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6).

The Two Sweetest Words in the Bible
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive with Christ – by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God has taken the initiative to solve the unsolvable. God is not only holy and just, He is also compassionate, gracious, and loving. He has provided a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) and thereby bridge the gap between us and God.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty of our sin. God poured out His wrath on His Son instead of us, and through faith in Jesus, God declares the guilty criminal to be righteous in His sight.

Now we can worship God acceptably, “for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).

Because God justifies us “by his grace as a gift” (Romans 3:24), we can glorify Him both now and forever more. Salvation is the work of God to transform wretches into worshippers. “Jesus was born of a virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died on the cross and rose from the grave to make worshippers out of rebels!” (A.W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship?).

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