3 things rugby has taught me about leadership

The 6 Nations kicks off tomorrow and I can’t wait. This year the tournament is wide open – Wales may be favourites, but have tough trips away to England and Ireland to overcome, whilst England are hoping to build on a promising Autumn Series.

Whoever you support, many of us who have grown up playing rugby have found that it is the best game in the world. Apart from being good for fitness and great fun to play, here’s 3 things rugby has taught me about leadership:

1)      Take your mates with you

You see it all the time. It starts so well. The players go through the phases. The prop takes the ball up, takes the tackle, goes to ground and two of his mates behind him come straight through and remove the opposition, protecting the ball and their teammate.

But then it happens.

At some point, someone picks up the ball, runs away from his teammates and into trouble. He is inevitably tackled (unless he’s Jonah Lomu) and there is no one behind him to protect him. The ball is taken, the player is left with a bruised ego and a bruised head and the opposition have a platform to attack.

Rugby rewards the team. And good leaders know that they need right hand men, men who are there when the going gets tough. Men who are there when the opposition is swarming around them. Men who are there when you drop the ball and risk losing all that you have built.

When a man gets isolated this happens all too often. He stops being accountable and there’s no one to warn him away from the flirtatious new work colleague. He forgets to have fun with his mates and work consumes him. He neglects to get advice on the new car and yes, a month later the clutch has gone.

In short, leaders should only ever go into battle with faithful men one step behind them.

 

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13)

 

2)      Respect the referee. And each other

Rugby taught me from a young age that people have something to give, even when their appearance makes me doubt (the fat kid in my class giving me a welcome when I tried to run through him is one instance I remember - I think).

Whether you have power, pace, jumping prowess, a Jason Robinsonesque side-step, handling or technical skills you can have an impact in a rugby team. Tall or short, stocky or lanky there is a place for everyone.

In today’s world this is often not so. We are taught to demean others who do not fit the social mould. We fight our corner at work – even colleagues become the enemy and we gossip and smear them to elevate ourselves. We are taught to disrespect others in order to build up both ourselves and our team. But real leaders, leaders with integrity, value their team and look to bring out their gifts and talents, letting them loose on the opposition.

And as we know, as well as respecting each other, rugby players respect the referee. Ok, you may get a bad decision. It may even cost you the match. But players don’t hound referees, the crowd doesn’t sing about the referees private habits and coaches don’t come out spitting blood, blaming their defeat on anyone but themselves.

Leaders must respect people over and above whether they think they have been wronged, over and above a win or a loss, and over and above their own pride. It is as they treat people with dignity that we they will be credible, self-controlled leaders with a sense of perspective on what’s really important in life.

 

3)      Clean you own kit

Leaving your dirty kit to mum to wash may be ok when you are a kid and you’re nursing 10 broken bones when you get home. But when you’re in your 20s or 30s it is not cool. You may have been the big man, scored the winning try, made a heroic try-saving tackle. But you can wash your kit. You should never think you’re too good for that.

Real leaders do the dirty work. They may get attention and adulation out there, but real leaders don’t then go home and abuse their wife or refusing to help her with the kids. They don’t go to church and refuse to clean the toilets when no-one else is willing.

No. Real leaders set an example whether they are being watched or not. Whether they are being rewarded or not. Whether the work is glamorous or not. Because real leaders know that they are submitting to their real leader, Jesus Christ, who rewards for the small acts of obedience, both seen and unseen.

 

So, I look forward to a great tournament and may the best team (England obviously) win.

 

 

 

Dear Marilyn – I disagree

Dear Marilyn

Thank you for sharing your worldview with…well, the world.

Several years on from your death and your worldview is the predominant worldview of our society. Its long name is ‘hedonistic nihilism’.

So, you might be wondering, how’s it going in 2014? It all sounded so promising.

Well Marilyn, I’m afraid it doesn’t seem to be going as well as you might have hoped. These are some stats I’ve come across just this week:

Alcohol

For all the fun people have with alcohol, they’re waking up with more than a headache.

There are an estimated 1.6 million people dependent on alcohol in England¹

Deaths from liver disease in England have reached record levels, rising by 20% in a decade², with alcoholic liver disease accounting for over a third (37%) of all liver disease deaths³.

STIs

For all the amazing nights of passion and self-indulgent flings, the consequences of sexual freedom have been painful.

Rates of sexually transmitted diseases are also rising. In 2009 there were 12,000 more cases than the previous year, when 470,701 cases were reported. If people remained faithful to one partner STIs including HIV would almost disappear, cervical cancer would be eradicated and many other morbidities would reduce including preterm labour and miscarriage.

Even emergency contraception, which means that even if you forget your condom you can terminate your pregnancy early, has its problems. A recent study in the states showed that emergency contraception increases the risk of STIs and does not decrease pregnancy or abortion rates⁴.

Abortion

Free-love and consequence-free sex have led to a rise in abortions which even many of its opponents find stomach-churning.

Get this.

Since 1967 in the UK alone close to eight million preborn babies have had their lives taken by doctors illegally (as 98% of all abortions in Britain (about 196,000 per year) are authorised under Ground C and there is no evidence that continuing a pregnancy is more harmful to maternal mental health than the risk of an abortion⁵).  

Abortion has been linked with a number of physical and psychological consequences for women including abortion increasing a woman's risk of future miscarriages by 60%⁶ and 31% of women having abortions report suffering physical health complications⁷.

Mental Health and Happiness

We are not as happy as your statement makes out.
1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year⁸.

Self-harm statistics for the UK show one of the highest rates in Europe: 400 per 100,000 population⁹.

About 10% of children have a mental health problem at any one time¹⁰.

In a recent survey a third of people over 65 admitted feeling lonely some, most or all of the time¹¹.

Family breakdown

Nearly 1 million women experience at least one incident of domestic abuse each year & 750,000 children/year witness it¹².

Divorce is a tremendously sad thing for most families, and circumstances are often tragic. Unfortunately a society which values individual self-gratification over commitment and self-sacrifice (which are seen as old-fashioned, restrictive values!) will have a higher rate of family breakdown and the concomitant problems such as children having more chance of  (among many others) being in poverty and poor housing, having depressive symptoms, behavioural problems and performing less well in school¹³.

We are losing the belief that we look after our parents in their old age. Grandparents are sometimes abandoned to some care home; we let the government take care of it, we rarely visit them. Instead we live autonomous, selfish lives doing ‘exactly what we want’. And then we feel low, we self-medicate, we go for counselling, we talk about our hurt, and we wonder why it’s not working.

So what's happened?

Despite all this, most will protest that it’s going marvellously. But then I guess when you reject the alternative, you have nowhere to go.

Marilyn, it seems obvious that what you upheld as the ideal, hedonistic nihilism, isn’t working and it isn’t as much fun as we perhaps thought.

What is missing is the sense of accountability, responsibility and empathy that has its roots in a Christian world view. A worldview which says that there is a God, an ultimate lawgiver.

A God who made us, who knows what’s best for us, and who will judge us for how we have responded to him. A God who calls himself a Father who wants the best for his kids. Who sits them down and says, you know what kids, I love you. I want the best for you. Don’t go beyond that garden fence, there’s a busy road outside and it’s dangerous and you will be happiest playing in the garden.That doesn't sound like a restrictive, fun-sapping, control-obsessed self-centred father

A better way

Marilyn, I didn't know you or all your circumstances, but if you were here today, this is what I would say to you:

The best life does last forever. What is best for us and our happiness is not always what we want right now. Instead it is finding our true purpose for living, to know our creator and to live life under his wise rule that brings true satisfaction.

 Yours sincerely

John Greenall

1 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2007, Health and Social Care Information Centre http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/psychiatricmorbidity07 (online accessed 21/1/14)

2 Davies, S.C. (2012) Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer, Volume One, 2011, On the State of the Public’s Health London, Department of Health (online accessed 21/1/14)

3 National End of Life Care Intelligence Network (2012) Deaths from liver disease: Implication of end of life care in England (online accessed 21/1/14)

4 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1465-7295.2012.00498.x/full (online accessed 21/1/14)

5 http://www.nccmh.org.uk/publications_SR_abortion_in_MH.html  (online accessed 21/1/14)

6 N. Maconochie, P. Doyle, S. Prior, R. Simmons, “Risk factors for first trimester miscarriage—results from a UK-population-based case–control study,” BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dec 2006 (online accessed 21/1/14)

7 Rue et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16, 2004. (online accessed 21/1/14)

8 http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/UK-worldwide/(online accessed 21/1/14)

9 http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/self-harm/ (online accessed 21/1/14)

10 http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/children-young-people/ (online accessed 21/1/14)

11 http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/Later_Life_UK_factsheet.pdf?dtrk=true (online accessed 21/1/14)

12 http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/articles/domestic_violence_-_the_facts_the_issues_the_future/ (online accessed 21/1/14)

 13 http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/divorce-and-separation-outcomes-children (online accessed 21/1/14)

Do you practice prayer or magic?

Part 3 of 3  looking at how we work out our one resolution for 2014, to know Christ.

 

'Abracadabra'. 'Open sesame'.

As a kid I loved this stuff. Magic tricks seemed so mystical. So powerful. You just say the special word, and something amazing happens.

And in our fast paced world when we want answers, or results, right now, it is very appealing. To get results we follow certain formulas. We are taught to manipulate people. I speak nicely to the Insurance lady to persuade her to drop my premium. I am polite and smile to get my seat upgraded. And if I don’t get what I want, what a deserve, then I get mad.

When it comes to prayer, who doesn’t want things to happen? For life to ‘work’? We all do. Even the hardened atheist in a life crises won’t complain if prayer ‘works’.

But for many people, some Christians included, prayer is more like magic. Rather than a personal relationship with God, or even alongside such a belief, we can slip into thinking that we can manipulate God by practising various routines and phrases.

But real prayer is different. It is relational. As we seek to ‘know Christ’ in 2014, then we have to avoid any hint of magical thinking or practice.

Here are some examples of how we might stray into magic in our prayer life:

MAGICAL WORDS

‘Church’ words

What are they in your church? What are the words in your church that people repeat over and over and over to produce a reaction, to whip up the congregation?

‘In Jesus Name’

Why do we say that? Well, we want to base everything in the name of Jesus. It’s not a bad thing. But it becomes bad if you ‘have to’ say it and that God won’t hear you or respond to you if you haven’t got it right.

‘I’ll pray for you’

We say this all the time. We text, Facebook, email people to say ‘I’m praying for you’. And if we are then that’s great. But what if we aren’t? What we sometimes know deep down that we will probably forget. But we say it because it’s polite, because it shows we ‘care’, because we think that if enough people say that then the person will feel supported and that when something goes right they will feel it’s because so many people have prayed for them.

The way we say things

Magic says you should say a word, perhaps in a certain way, to get a desired result. If it doesn’t work, just repeat, maybe louder, or recruit more people to help you. Pray at the same time, more passionately, with more sincerity, with more energy, for longer, while fasting, with tears – then, God is more likely to hear and answer. Are we risking manipulating God?

 

MAGICAL PRAYERS

The sinners prayer

Let’s start with the big one. ‘Pray this prayer and you will be saved and go to heaven to be with Jesus forever’ is pretty much how some will present it:

Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life.  But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven for me.  Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of my life; forgive my sins and save me. I repent of my sins and now place my trust in you for my salvation. I accept the free gift of eternal life.

 

‘Repeat after me…’ We have to be careful this does not become an incantation. Up until 150 years ago or so the sinner’s prayer was not used at all. It does not appear in the Bible. Of course, the content can be verified in scripture. But it gives the impression that being saved is easy – follow the formula and you can go to heaven forever. It also gives the impression to churches that people are being ‘converted’.

I have been to a bit London church, heard no gospel preached, then an alter call. People were called to ‘repeat after me’ the sinner’s prayer. And hey presto folks, we have 20 people who have become Christians this morning! Now maybe they did, and I really hope that they did, but we need to be careful to assume this when they haven’t even heard the gospel.

Reciting prayers

We can do the same when we learn certain prayers and recite them. The prayer of confession, for example. Yes, they are in many ways wonderful words full of meaning; I actively seek to learn some of Paul’s prayers in from the Epistles. But saying them does not mean that you get absolved or cleaned up. If anything, they can become stale and comfortable formulae to get what we want before we go on our way again.

Saying prayers (and saying them correctly) does not mean there is more ‘power’ than if you prayed from your heart on the spot.

Recruiting people to pray

Praying together is a wonderful thing, and it is right that we practise it. We are called to pray with and for one another (e.g. James 5:16). And of course I believe God hears and answers prayer. The problem comes if we think that if enough people pray for me then perhaps we can twist God’s arm. If we pull hard enough the door will open. Someone once said, ‘prayer is not an attack on God but a humble dependence on Him’.

Thanksgiving prayers

Prayer is supposed to start with thanksgiving, right? It’s the right formula; then you go on to requests.

Now this is not a bad thing. It is great to thank God. And to start with thanksgiving helps me be thankful and puts my requests into perspective. The problem comes when I do it automatically and not out of a heart of genuine thanks. I might do it to show others that I can pray properly. Or even (usually subconsciously) I can try to flatter God into thinking that I am really grateful and deserving of my forthcoming request being heard. But underneath I’m itching to get on to asking Him something. In short, I’m just oiling the wheels.

How offensive this is to a human being let alone to God!?

 

PRAYING TO MY FATHER

The above are examples of how we can have a pagan view of God and prayer. And I am as guilty as anyone of it.

Do I treat God as a magical force to be approached when something I want, or fear, is in the balance? Will I start really praying when I get my diagnosis of cancer, or when I lose my job and need a new one? Will I say that I don’t need to pray for my maths exam (because I’m good at that) but for my Physics exam I need to pray like crazy?

Do I see God as an emotionless, stern old man who is teasing me, wanting x number of people to pray for x number of days before he reaches down and answers?

Or do I really know God as a loving heavenly Father, who cares for me? Who is listening? Who through my trials and joys is working everything together for good (Romans 8:28)?

I want my relationship with God to be already rooted in prayer, out of a growing, daily relationship with Him. Because I desire God. Because I want to be with Him. Because I trust that he is in control. And because prayer is not about manipulation of an impersonal being, but a wonderful relationship to be explored, enjoyed and lived both in this life and for eternity.

 

Any thoughts? An I over-analysing or not going far enough?

 

Why and how to memorise scripture

Part 2 of 3 posts looking at how we work out our one resolution for 2014, to know Christ.

Let me be honest. I find the concept of memorisation tricky to start with.

It brings up a number of images in my mind. Well, related to exams mostly. Memorising stuff that is just so boring. Happy that once the exam was over I could just forget it and get on with my life. Like driving theory. Or the maths exam. I’ve recently taken my first exam in years and had to memorise a huge amount – it was hard work! And memorisation seems like hard work. And I have a busy life. And I get easily distracted. And my short term memory is not good (just ask my wife!)...

And yet despite all of this over the last 3 years I’ve found memorising Bible verses and passages really helpful. Not necessarily easy, but helpful. So why and how does meditation help us with one resolution for 2014, to know Christ?

WHY?

1. To become like Christ.

This is the aim of the Christian life. We want the mind of Christ. We want his words to permeate our thinking so that we might think and speak and act like Jesus would and therefore show people Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:18: “…we all, who…contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory…”

2. To overcome sin.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” Psalm 119:11

The word of God, Paul says, is the ‘sword of the Spirit’ (Eph 6:17) and so when ready with God’s word we are able to resist the evil one and show that our greatest satisfaction is Christ rather than the sin we are being tempted by.

3. To pastor others

As someone who has been a Christian for many years, I want to be able to bring God’s truth into difficult situations. I want to bring people hope, peace, encouragement, challenge, rebuke. And yet if I don’t know God’s word I end up saying something vague, which sounds right but isn’t bringing the word of God with clarity to a situation.

 

There is power when we bring God’s word into situations. Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

4. To become wise

This says it all really:

Joshua 1:18: 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 in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

5. To declare the gospel

When we are speaking to unbelievers we don’t often have time to go to the Bible, even if it’s only a click away. Or even when we do, we might not know where to go in any case.  It is very powerful when we know the key gospel passages and can either recite or quickly turn to a key verse. Consider learning 1-2 verses for 4 components of the gospel message: 1) Creation, 2) Fall, 3) Redemption, 4) Consummation.

6. To enjoy God

Meditating on the word of God brings us close to him. Memorising verses, and in so doing meditating on them, chewing them over, has massively deepened my walk with God. Storing verses and passages helps us to relate to God as He is and to enjoy Him. For example, imagine being able to call this to mind through the day:

Isaiah 61: 1- 3: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour".

 “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization” Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California

 

HOW?

1. Make time

I find that setting aside 5-10 minutes a day is usually enough. If you  write verses or passages down on a note card to put in your back pocket you can read it at intervals throughout the day. Or have them on your phone. It is possible to find slots in the day, be it at long traffic lights, standing in a queue, sitting on a train or waiting for kids to finish their party/football training/scouts etc.

2. Make use of resources

There are loads of resources around now.

Fighter verses is a great tool which takes you through a verse a week, and has a good app version as well as a kids version. The Navigators was where I started and they also have a plan for you to follow both on paper and via their app.

Logos also have a tool for memorisation which is helpful.

This article has good tips on techniques for memorisation as do websites such as this one.

Kids can also learn verses and this article has some great tips for the kids. Fighter verses has a kids option which you can find through their website.

3. Have a plan

I find that unless I’ve planned what I’m going to learn I won’t do it. I might say I’ll memorise random verses I come across, but it doesn’t seem to work for me. That also means you won’t be tempted to memorise just the verses you like.

I’ve found it best to start small. Commit to one verse a week e.g. like the Fighter verses or Navigators suggest. This will give you an overview of the Bible As you go you might then gain in confidence and attempt a longer passage. Perhaps start with Psalm 1, then Psalm 46, Romans 8.

The next step is to memorise a whole book. I thought this sounded impossible, but got through Ephesians last year. It really is amazing to learn a whole book.

4. Have a method

The method I’ve used is quite simple and unashamedly copied from others.

Essentially you take your first verse, read it ten times, and then close your eyes or shut your Bible and say it ten times. And that's it for the day. The next day you open the verse up and  you say that verse again 5 (if easy) or 10 times. Then repeat the first step for the next verse. And then you do them both together. And that's it for the day. And so on.

So basically, the answer is: repetition and review. Repetition and review.

This resource outlines these steps in more detail and is very helpful for longer passages.

5. Remember the reason

Memorisation isn’t to look or sound impressive. It isn’t boring, rote learning. It is about the fight of faith. It is about life and death. It is about knowing Christ, not simply knowing about Him. That means you don’t need to get too hung up on plans – a plan and structure is there to serve you rather than enslave you, so if you don’t reach your target (and I often don’t) then don’t worry.

 

Any thoughts or other tips that you can suggest?

 

Some of this material is adapted from:

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-memorize-scripture

http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-do-you-memorize-scripture

 

3 ways to read the Bible in 2014

 

In the last post I considered the one resolution that the Apostle Paul calls Christians to at all times, in all places – to know Christ.

How do we get to know Jesus? Well I guess a relationship means simply spending time with someone. And when life is busy it means intentionally setting aside time to be with them. When it comes to God, we call this the ‘quiet time’.

And yet, if you’re anything like me, I don’t often know what to ‘do’. I can have a ‘quiet time’ but everything just moulds into one thing – reading something, praying and if it’s a good day not falling asleep! I get distracted. I get legalistic about having to read a passage a day. And it can get a bit discouraging.  

So what a relief in a way to find that the Apostle Paul did not necessarily find it easy to know Christ. He strains ahead, he presses on. This is not easy work. This will take some effort. And so as we resolve this one thing, to know Christ, we need to work at it.

 

3 ways we can do this are:

Reading the Bible

Memorising Scripture
Prayer

And so in the next 3 posts I’ll consider these 1 by one, starting today with Bible reading.

 

Firstly, before coming to God's word it is key to pray and ask God for His help. I have found more and more a helpful an acrostic that John Piper suggests called IOUS:

I. Incline my hear to your testimonies. Psalm 119:36 (Since my heart is inclined to sleep and to work and to lots of things other than the Bible.)

O. Open my eyes to see wonders in your word. Psalm 119:18 (Since my heart is so often dull and blind to the wonders of the word.)

U. Unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11 (Since my heart is often divided and distracted in many directions)

S. Satisfy me with your steadfast love. Psalm 90:14 (Since my heart is so tempted to be satisfied in other things.)

 

So here are 3 ways (I’m sure there are more!) that we can read the Bible

 

1.       Just read it

·        You can read a book in one sitting – last year I did this for Job, Isaiah and Deuteronomy – and they made much more sense than reading them a chapter a day. I really got a feel of the flow and pattern and got to grips with the place of the book in the Bible. For example, reading Job all the way through has changed my view of suffering immensely.

·       You can read the Bible in a year. Or quicker. If you devour books, why limit your Bible reading to 5 minutes a day. Read all of it. In large doses. Read it as fast as you can. I’ve done it for the last 4 years and it has been great. This is a great article listing lots of different plans to help you do this. My favourite is Bible Eater.

·        You can choose a book of the Bible. And just read it. And read it again. Immerse yourself in the text. You’ll really know it when you’ve read it several times. You’ll deepen your knowledge of the Bible as a whole. This article brilliantly sums up advantages of doing this along with some advice as to how to get going.

 

·        An alternative is listening to it. Youversion on your mobile will help you do this. An alternative is MP3 Bibles. At the moment you can download the ESV audibible here FREE for January 2014 only!

 

2.       Devotionally

This involves choosing a verse or a short passage (you might gradually make your way through a book for example). Again, you read it. And re-read it. Chew it over. Ask God to speak to you,  to nourish you, encourage you, give you direction, joy, conviction and peace.

Reading devotionally (or meditatively) helps us to slow down and ask God to speak to us plainly from the text Pss. 1:2, 119:97, etc.). This is especially helpful if you are academic and lean towards study. Or if you tend to skim over the text to ‘get through your reading for the day’.

George Mueller a 19^th Century English evangelist and one of my spiritual heroes said this:

"I began to meditate on the New Testament, from the beginning, early in the morning . . . searching into every verse for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found almost invariably is this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation; yet, it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer."

 

Some questions I sometimes use when reading devotionally:

1. What does this passage tell me about God?
2. What does this passage tell me about myself/humanity
3. How does this passage lead me to Jesus?
4. Based on this passage are there things I need to repent of?
5. Based on this passage are there things I ought to do/change?

 

There are resources out there that can help us read devotionally, but none of them should replace doing it for ourselves. Youversion again has a whole bunch including Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening, My Utmost for his Highest (Oswald Chambers) and Our Daily Bread.

 

3.       For study

The principal here is going further than devotional reading. It is diving deeper, reading perhaps more academically. And yet you don’t have to have gone to Bible college or own a library of books to do it!

It is an effort to understand even more about a text – it’s genre, context, how it fits in to the Bible narrative etc.

 

A structure with some questions you might ask here are (thanks to Oz Power for these):

Context - What comes before and after the text? How does it fit into the chapter, book, Bible? What is the historical and literary context?

Observation - What does the text say? Identify structure, key words, characters,

Interpretation - What does it mean to the original audience? What are the main meanings of the passage?

Application - What does it mean to us now? What should I take away from this? SPECK - Is there a Sin I need to avoid? Is there a Promise from God I need to claim? Is there an Example for me to follow? Is there a Command I need to obey? How can this passage increase my Knowledge about God?

 

Perhaps have a wide-margined Bible at the ready, or at least a notebook. Pick up a pen, or if you like colours, pick up several. Then read the text. Go through your questions. Make notes. Jot down your findings.

You can use various aids to help.

      ·        Use a ESV/NIV Study Bible

·        Logos has a free mobile app with a lot of Bible study tools on it enabling you to look up words, parallel translations along with tons of commentaries and e-books. I find this really helpful.

·        You can refer to commentaries (e.g. The Message of …. Bible Speaks Today Series (IVP), Bible dictionaries, sermons and other books/online

 

·         Refer to works on doctrine e.g. Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem or Know the Truth by Bruce Milne

Some other tips for Bible study:

1. Go for variety. Acknowledge seasons in life where you might be hungry to study more; or where you feel you need to just read through a book – you might vary day to day, week to week or month to month. Use different resources as I’ve linked to above.

2. Journal and share – write things down. Revisit them. Ask someone to check in with you to see how it is going, perhaps.

3. Plan it in – preferably morning but will vary. You need to ring-fence time. This means getting to bed at a decent time so you can get up in the morning. Your day starts the night before. If you see me out of bed later than 11pm you have permission to shout at me, because I won’t be up the next morning!

4. Know yourself - do you tend towards legalism or licence? If legalism you will tend toward doing it to tick the box, and get very dry. If licence you will probably have no problem in missing a few days here and there. Be aware of this and challenge yourself to read the Bible to know God rather than to satisfy a legalistic tendency to tick the box or forget about it altogether.


I'm aware much more could be said on this. Please do share any tips or experiences you have below, I will enjoy reading them as I know others will!