Three Angles for Bible Reading

Here are three things I'm looking / listening for as I read my Bible:

• Listening for God's voice of encouragement, direction, or correction for my own life. This will probably always top the list for me. Sometimes I catch myself just going through the motions rather than really approaching Scripture as an opportunity to connect with the Lord. When I'm in this mode, I do my best to try to connect with what's written and find application in my life. For instance, with the story of David and Goliath, I try to put myself into David's shoes and learn from his example of faith and courage.
  
• Learning about Jesus and how He works. The stories in the Bible are not random. On each page, something is revealed about how Jesus thinks, feels, and acts. The whole book is one grand Story of the world that created by and for Jesus. The goal of every word and phrase on each page is for us to *know* Him, to understand Him, to be able to anticipate what He would do in a given situation. For example, from the same story of David and Goliath, I would see in David a picture of Jesus (the Son of David), who stands and fights against the enemies who are too great for me. Just like the Israelites who stood behind David that day, I get in on a victory that I had nothing to do with fighting! In a similar way, every person who is used by Jesus throughout the Bible somehow reveals His heart for us. We can also learn from the negative examples in Scripture (i.e. Saul, Ahab, Korah, etc.) about who Jesus isn't.
  
• Listening for verses to give to others. It's so exciting when God alerts me to a verse for another person! This doesn't happen very often, nor do I approach the Bible with this goal in mind. However, I always want to be open to it!
  

One Reason I'm a Pastor

One of the greatest privileges of my life is to be cheered on by guys like this! Feel the LOVE!

If you can't see the embedded video, here's the YouTube link.

Shaping Up

I'm down about 5 lbs. and about 10 minutes in the last two weeks I've been riding my bike to work. Couple quick thoughts:

• Progress, not perfection, is the goal. I get discouraged easily. Discouragement is all about unmet expectations. If I expect to be LeMond right away, I'll give up quickly. But if I make improvement my goal, I'll feel successful more often. I think that's what Paul is saying when he encourages "each one [to] examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another" (Galatians 6:4). In other words, if I compare myself to other people (who seem perfect), I'll get discouraged and quit. But if I compare myself today to where I was last week or last year, then I'll be stoked on how far I've come!
  
• Everything is spiritual. As I wrote on Tuesday, I tend to think that some things are more spiritual or important than others. But that attitude is untrue and unhelpful. Like many Christians, I'm actually fighting an interior battle with a modern version of the ancient Manichaen heresy, which taught that our bodies (and all physical stuff) are evil and our spirit / soul was good. But that's not what the Bible teaches! Our physical bodies are actually part of Christ's body (1 Cor. 6:15) and are the pinnacle of the entire creation God declared as "good" (Gen. 1:31). One of the main reasons Jesus came in the flesh was to show us how to live a completely spiritual life while still in a mortal body (1 John 1:1-4). So while physical exercise alone is only of "little profit," if I'm truly growing in God, then I'll end up benefiting in "all things" (including my physical shape) (1 Tim. 4:8).

OK... maybe that wasn't just a "quick" thought. All that to say... I'm really enjoying riding my new bike. :)

Getting Pumped... in Body, Soul, and Spirit

I’ve been riding my (new) bike to work lately. Trying to get this flab into a more decent shape. I’m making progress… I actually made it up all the hills today without getting off and walking!

It’s definitely true that getting in shape physically helps in every area of life. I feel more energetic, cheerful, and faith-filled when I’ve recently gotten sweaty. The physiology / psychology / spirituality link is undeniable. We are three-part beings. Ignoring any part of our being messes with the whole system. If you want to read more, Adrenaline and Stress by Archibald Hart does a great job of tackling all this from a practical, medical, and theological angle.

Bottom line: working out, forming authentic relationships, and spending time in the Bible are all equally vital to our overall health. None or more or less important—they simply focus on establishing health in different aspects of our total being. Although I’ve often thought and taught this, frankly, my physical body has been getting less attention than it needs. Feels great to begin practicing what I preach!