Practical Ideas for Biblical Disciplines

Hello all! It has been a long time since I have posted any updates, but as I was preparing for a Bright Lights meeting, I wanted to be able to share some practical tips for becoming disciplined in your walk with God, yet didn't have the time to cover them. So I set my mind to sharing them here!

I hope what you read below will inspire each of you to develop habits of Bible reading, memorization, prayer, meditation, worship, and personal communication with God in your life!

Bible Reading and Study:

• Martin Luther said: “I study my Bible like I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake every limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf. I search the Bible as a whole like shaking the whole tree. Then I shake every limb – study book after book. Then I shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters. Then I shake every twig, or a careful study of the paragraphs and sentences and words and their meanings.”

• Using a concordance or topical Bible, look up verses about a particular topic you want to study.

• Underline key words in a passage to emphasize their meaning.
  

• If you notice a word or phrase is repeated a lot, count the number of times, and see if there is any other unique word, phrase, or context in which they take place.

• Keep a record of verses God has used in your life. Write them down as god reveals certain insights to you, and how you need to apply it.
  

• Ask the basic questions about a verse, "who? why? what? where? when? how?" It's like interviewing a verse! For instance, "Who is the author?" "Who is he specifically writing to?" "When will this happen?" "What does this word mean?" "How can I apply this in my life today?”

• Use a Bible reading plan to keep you on track, such as this one year plan. It is especially helpful to be able to check the boxes off as you finish reading, and see where you need to read next. As weeks go by, it's exciting to see all the boxes get filled in, x-ed out, or checked off!
  

• Pray the Scripture you are studying back to the Lord, personalizing it if possible. Sometimes you can change words like "he" or "them" to "I" or "me" so that you can more easily apply it to your own life.
  

• Look up words in a dictionary to make sure you really understand what they mean.

• Reading 5 Psalms a day means that each month you will go through the book of Psalms.

• Read 1 chapter of Proverbs a day to finish the entire book each month. Many people like reading the Proverb that corresponds to the day of the month (i.e. January 1st, you read Proverbs 1; January 2nd, you read Proverbs 2...)

• You only need to read 3 chapters each day to read the entire Bible in one year! Think about all the other books you read in a year, then make a commitment to read through THE most important Book, God's Word, this year.

Memorization

• Use motions and expressions. I know that I often feel silly doing this, but many times it is that very silliness that will enable you to remember that verse so clearly! I have also found that having to put motions to the concepts can be helpful because it makes me think about what God is actually saying in a verse.
  

• Make goals for Scripture memory, write them down. I would also really encourage you to share them with someone, like your parents, or siblings, or friends (you might even be an encouragement to them!), or you can leave me a comment here! I can personally give testament to the fact that it really does help to keep you focused.
  

• Write your verse on a card and keep it with you (pocket, purse, etc) to review at any time during the day. You might want to set certain times, like at meals, so you always remember. Someone once said that if you repeat something to yourself at three different times during the day, it will eventually stay in your memory.

• Jenny Florio finds it helpful to write out on paper the first letter of each word in her verse out on paper. Brilliant! That way you can get a hint without seeing the whole verse.
  

• My older sister, Amanda, and I have found that songs can often be recalled better than just words, so we've found recordings of Psalm 119 and other passages put to music and we listen to them, and will automatically start memorizing them.

• During the National Bible Bee this past year, my younger sister, Lady L, and I liked to record ourselves reading the verses we needed to memorize, and then play them aloud as often as we could, usually while we did other simple tasks, like washing dishes, riding in the car, or cleaning our room. We recorded them using the webcam mic on the computer, and then you can burn them to disc or add them to your mp3 player. You can also use a cassette recorder if you have one around.

• Here is a system that might help you memorize and remember scripture. You choose the verses/passages.
  

Meditation

• Keep reciting Scripture. I've often found it best to start out whispering it to yourself, and then stop, but keep thinking it. If you haven't memorized anything, or can't remember, go to Psalms and find a sentence that speaks to your heart and then repeat just that sentence.

• Leave any distractions out of sight – these include computers, mp3 players, to do lists, books, craft projects, schoolwork, games, etc. Even though you might have your eyes closed, if they flutter open for a moment that's all it takes to get distracted

Prayer

• Journal it – I've found that I say a lot more to God when my pencil is already moving. Even when I don't feel like praying, if I just writing out a prayer, God usually opens up my hear to Him.
  

• Choose to pray more than once each day – pick a few times each day, set a timer, spill out the aggravations and troubles you've encountered already, lay your wrong feelings at Jesus' feet, and ask for a right spirit to continue the day with, as well as strength to resist temptations. It's amazing how wonderful a bad day can become!
  
  
• Pray when you're upset and angry – if you can, be alone and say the words out loud, it often brings you back to reality and rational thought, as well as making your heart tender towards the person who might be irritating you. If you can't be alone, then just think the prayer in your head, and ask the Lord for peace.
  

Worship

• Sing hymns, or other songs with biblical words. Really concentrating on what the author is expressing in the lyrics.
  

• Praise God for who He is, and thank Him for all He's done.
  

I pray that these will be an inspiring help to you! Receiving comments makes me happy any day and I hope to hear from you!

This Evening!

Our first Bright Lights meeting is tonight from 7 to 9, and for those who read this before then, I would really appreciate your prayers! This is something completely new for me, and I am nervous. I know that if I focus on God and the people around me, I would completely lose sight of myself. But that focusing part is the problem right now, and that's where I need prayer.

My dear friend Risa reminded me this morning that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." I found great encouragement in that, and am determined to dwell on it all day.

Also to keep in prayer are the girls that are coming (I know of 9), that they would understand the lesson, and desire to live pure lives, set apart for Christ! And since our meeting is about Being Strong for the Lord in Our Youth, I am praying that they would commit themselves to spending their "teen-age" years wisely, doing only those things which please the Lord.

Lord willing, within the next few days I'll post a summary of our meeting!

Moving Forward

I am sorry for my marked silence these many weeks... or rather, months. The Lord has been doing wonderful things in my life and in my family which have kept me very busy.

I am writing to say that I sent my leaders application in, and have been approved! Lord willing, I hope to have my first meeting in early January. Please pray that the Lord would prepare me in every way necessary, bring the girls that He desires to the group, and that they would respond with an open heart to the messages presented.

I would also like to share with you how the Lord is providing more abundantly than I could have ever imagined. We fellowship with another family regularly, and when they were at our house a few weeks ago, I told Mr. S about Bright Lights, and asked him to sign my application for character verification and as a spiritual elder in my life (we home church). He thought Bright Lights was a worthy ministry, and asked about the materials I would be using. I told him that Sarah had prepared student notebooks, and made them available for other leaders at the cost to produce them, asking that, if possible, the leaders provide them free of charge to the girls in the group. We were planning on doing so.

Mr. S generously offered to help me pay for the books, and asked that I keep their family updated so that they could pray for me and for Bright Lights. I was so amazed! I knew God would always provide a way for me, as long as I was doing His will, but never would I have thought to receive such a blessing! God is so good. I am thankful for wonderful friendships, God's love and care, opportunities to serve, and His glorious creation around me... just to name a few things!

Love, in Christ,
Michelle

Shining Your Light

As the following devotion talks of being a shining light, I thought it would be of particular interest to those involved in Bright Lights...

SHINING LIGHTS
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life."-- Philippians 2:15-16 (R.V.).

THE SPIRIT of man, says the wise man, is the candle of the Lord (Proverbs 20:27). By nature we are like so many unlit lamps and candles. As the wick is adapted for the flame, but stands dark and cold until it is ignited, so we are unable to shed forth any light until our nature is kindled from the Eternal Nature of Him who "is Light, and in whom is no darkness at all." Has the candle of your life been lit by contact with Christ, the Sun of Righteousness?

Our Lord says: "Let your light shine before men." He shows how absurd it is to light a lamp, and then obscure its rays by placing it under a bushel. The purpose of ignition is frustrated if the light is covered. Ah! How many of us place bushels on the light of our testimony for God--the bushel of uncharitable speech! Of ill-temper! Of a discontented and querulous spirit! These as well as more conspicuous failings will prevent us from shining forth as light in a dark world. It is not for us to ignite the flame or supply the oil. All we have to do is to keep our lamps clean and bright, to guard against anything that may obstruct the out-shining of the Love and Life of God through the soul. If we are careful to see that anything which might hinder the effect of our testimony and mar our influence is put away, Christ will see to it that our light shall effect the full measure of His purpose.

In contrast to the bushel is the stand or candlestick. The Master of the House may place you in a very small dark corner, and on a very humble stand, but some day, as He passes by, you shall light His footsteps as He goes forth to seek and save that which is lost. What is your stand?--your place in society, your position in the home, your situation in some business house, factory, or school--wherever it be, it doesn't matter, so long as your light is shining forth, steady and clear, warning and directing men and women in the path of life.

PRAYER
O Christ, may the fire of Thy Divine Love burn up our bushels; help us to shine forth as lights in this dark world. AMEN.

(devotion for September 5th, from Our Daily Walk by F.B. Meyer)

Draw From HIS Energy

"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." Colossians 1:28-29

As I was reading through Colossians again today, I was caught by the words "his energy". I spent a large portion of the morning listening to the 6th session of the leaders training and re-reading portions of the manual, so Bright Lights was still in the back of my mind when, after brunch, I decided to read through Colossians. The more I thought of it, the more I felt a need to write about it - in fact, I'm writing the majority of this in the minutes leading up to and following midnight, because I know I can't sleep with these thoughts unwritten. Yes, I am a chronic writer.

But back on topic, I looked up these two verses in the KJV and Amplified tonight, and found the latter to be rather enlightening.

"Him we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature (full-grown, fully initiated, complete, and perfect) in Christ (the Anointed One)." Colossians 1:28, Amplified

Is this not what we are striving to do in Bright Lights? I was very happy to find a verse that so adequately describes the role of a leader in Bright Lights and the reason for which we labor - to present every girl mature in Christ. That is a major responsibility! Though I trust God, and know that He will make me able to complete the tasks He has laid before me, I wonder at how He will accomplish it through such a frail and faulty creature as me. I found my answer in the next verse.

"For this I labor [unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me." Colossians 1:29, Amplified

We CAN do exceeding abundantly more than we imagined, but only with the energy that is beyond human ability; only with the energy that comes from the Father and is generously enkindled* within us, enabling us to do His most perfect work. So if anyone lacks strength for the hard tasks ahead of them in the coming day, or is feeling overwhelmed by the huge responsibility they have (i.e. Bright Lights), just know that God is able and willing to give you His energy, that you may strive to do His will.

Draw from His plentiful supply of joyful energy.


*When I actually took the time to look up this word, I was very surprised to find that it has a slightly unique meaning - if you are at all like me, you may have assumed (yes, I agree, a very bad thing to do) that it was just the Old English way of saying "kindled", but think again. While "kindle" means to arouse feelings or interest, "enkindle" means to spark an emotional or intellectual response in somebody. While somewhat similar, I thought the difference great enough to at least mention and think about. (Definitions taken from Encarta World English Dictionary)

Life Lessons

Since listening to the 4th session in the Leader's Training, I've been looking for stories in my life that can illustrate a spiritual or character-oriented point. I've been simply amazed by how many there are if I simply look for them! And what's more, they make excellent blog posts too. If you would like to read some of them, keep an eye on our family blog, Life On The Potter's Wheel.

Just the other day, my sisters, dad, and I were at our local county fair watching the Tractor Pulls (lots of fun!), and sitting in front of us was a bunch of young adults in their late teens or so - no older than 20. They were being very distracting. Making lots of noise, standing in our view, leaving muddy prints on the seats, wearing crude slogans on their shirts and using bad language, etc. For the majority of the night, I was very annoyed and wondered what on earth their problem was, but towards the end of the pulls, I realized that my attitude was totally wrong!

I saw that this group was just a small representation of the sad state of modern culture, and I felt so guilty for spending the whole time inwardly complaining about them, when I should have been praying. I did pray then, and I truly wanted to weep - for me, for them, for our culture and nation. I walked away wondering what would happen to them as they grew up.

As I was trying to fall asleep that night, it dawned on me that these are the types of stories that can be used in Bright Lights! I could ask the girls what my immediate response should have been, and then take a moment with them to pray together for those young adults who needed the Lord, for the nation, and it's lack of Christian leadership and principles, and for ourselves - that we would think of others first, see their needs, and not worry about how uncomfortable we feel.

I am amazed and humbled when I see how many lessons I can learn if I'm just ready to let the Holy Spirit teach me.

Being A Servant

The Lord recently touched my heart, and showed me how I had been wasting so much of my time pursuing selfish ends. I cried just then, because all of the sudden I saw that it wasn’t my time I had wasted, but the Lord’s. The moment I surrendered my life to Him, everything I had became His. I spent the majority of the next three days agonizing over this mistake, finding verses on contrition, restoration, etc. and pouring my sorrow out before God (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).

But then, when I finally found myself resting in my Savior’s embrace, and trusting Him to fight off the many temptations that I had so easily succumbed to, I began to feel uneasy once again. It’s amazing how quickly Satan replaces one doubt with another! I wondered what exactly God wanted me to do for Him. He had brought me back to himself, but what did He desire of me?

The very next day after these thoughts made me so worried, I was listening to the 3rd session of the Bright Lights Leaders Training, and Sarah was talking about being a servant. She mentioned that to become a true leader, our very first lesson is to humble ourselves and serve others. But more importantly, to serve unselfishly. That hit me so hard, I think I may have skipped a whole breath. I knew what it was to serve, but I reveled in the praise I received, and neglected to deflect the glory to God - the one who truly deserved it. I knew right away that God had opened my eyes to the first obstacle in the way of my relationship with Him.

As I tried to give up my own power over my life, and ask God to be Lord over all I did and direct my every step, I started noticing how much this world needs people willing to serve unselfishly. At this point, God lit another candle of definition, and I saw that serving others was so much more than just being a big help. It was being cheerful, and making someone’s day a little brighter; it was not pointing out another’s faults, but praying for them; it was letting my own discomfort remain unnoticed, and expressing sympathy for another; it was understanding that no one’s problem is smaller or less important than mine; it was assisting difficult and unappreciative people. There is still so much more to being a servant - I just glanced over the edge of a very great chasm in society.

After praying my devotions this morning, I went to my computer to do some writing, and I felt very strongly led to open up e-Sword (a very wonderful computer-based Bible study tool that is provided free of charge) and read one of the Daily Devotions that came with it. When I get on e-Sword, I’ve gotten into the habit of reading the devotion from Our Daily Walk by F.B. Meyer, so I continued with that today. I got partly through the second paragraph and knew that message was for me. I have included it here for your benefit.


July 29

THE CHRISTIAN EXTRA

"Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."-- Mat_5:41.

OUR LORD refers here to the usage of the East in the transmission of royal messages, which were carried forward by relays of messengers, much in the fashion of the fiery cross in the Highlands, as described in "The Lady of the Lake." The messengers were "press-men"; each town or village was compelled to forward the message to the next, and the first man happened upon was bound to forward the courier with his horses or mules.

In some such way emergencies are continually happening to us all. We arise in the morning not expecting any special demand for help, or any other circumstance to interfere with the regular routine of the day's work, and then suddenly and unexpectedly a demand bursts upon us, and we are obliged to go in a direction which we never contemplated. We are compelled to go one mile! Then the question arises. Now you have done your duty, performed what you were bound to perform, given what any other person would have given, what are you going to do about the next mile? You had no option about the first; about the second you have an opportunity of choice. Your action in the matter which is optional determines whether or not you have entered into the spirit and ministry of Christ.

Let us not be stingy and niggardly in our dealings with men. There are certain things that must be done, but let us go beyond the must, and do our duty with a smile, and with generous kindness. It is not enough to pay our servants or employees, let us be thankful for their service; it is not enough to pay our debts, let us give the word also of appreciation; it is not enough to simply do the work for which our employer remunerates us, let us do it with alacrity and eagerness, willing to finish a piece of necessary service even at cost to ourselves. As the followers of Christ, we are to be stars bearing our light on the vault of night; flowers shedding fragrance on the world; fountains rising in the arid wastes; always giving love and helpful ministry to this thankless and needy world, and as we break and distribute our barley loaves and fishes, our hands will become filled again, and with the measure we mete, it shall be measured to us again (Luk_6:38).

PRAYER

O God, may we be more gracious to those around us. May we fill up the measure of our possibilities, and so be perfect, as Thou, our Father, art perfect in love. AMEN.


I hope you were as blessed by Mr. Meyer’s writing as I was, and would appreciate your prayers as I continue to seek to be of service to my Lord and His precious children.