We looked at the introduction to the Bible section on Tuesday night. It threw up some real challenges for me. I'm very good at reading things fast - with the downside that a lot of it doesn't really stay in my head. I've realised that I don't really approach Bible reading with the right attitude - rather than asking God to bring a particular verse or passage alive, to give it real meaning for me, I tend to approach it like an academic exercise.
Consequently I've been finding the text of the Bible itself a bit dry. I love other people's (well, let's be honest, Tom Wright's!) commentaries but the words themselves don't leap off the page at me. The missing link is the Holy Spirit. Until I start to ask for guidance when reading the Bible and truly open myself to what it has to say, it'll remain a bit of a mystery.
One of the best tips in the Jinadu book on this subject is to insert your own name into particular verses. E.g. 'God so loved Clare / Joy / Naomi that he gave his only Son...' It certainly sharpens just what God has done for us - and continues to do.
I hope Bible reading for you is going well? I'd love to hear more about what God' s been up to in your life since you've been away... x
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Hello all, I wrote this last week but have only just got around to posting it, sorry! I´m a little behind. I shall write a little more now about this week and about what God has been up to in my life too. Very exciting : )
Some thoughts:
My thoughts on this page were that in prayer with God is the only place that we can ever be truly honest. Even with ourselves we do not admit everything; we kid ourselves about thoughts and situations. Whereas when talking to God, you have the opportunity, even if you do not always, to open your heart fully and face up to everything in your heart. So although this can be really difficult at times, the more we pray the more we will get used to opening up and the better our prayers will become. This way we can also become closer to God as we confide more in Him, which he completely wants us to do.
Something that I struggle with is praying for myself, or asking God for guidance in my life. When I pray it is usually for my family or friends who are struggling or for people who have asked me to pray for things. There are so many people who need to be prayed for that I never get around to praying for myself, I feel selfish when I do. However this means that I never really open up to God properly which in a way is much easier. How can I manage to pray for everyone and start to talk to God properly about the things that I feel that I need guidance and help with?
Some questions:
I did struggle with the answer for question three on page 41. ´If Jesus is God, why did He need top pray?’ I know that it was clearly important and needed but I found it difficult to get my head around.
What thoughts did everyone have for the bottom of page 43. What did the connection between Jesus´s and the Desciple´s Prayer tell us? I had the ýour will be done´part, that God is in control of our lives as He was in control of Jesus´s when He knew he was going to the cross. I wondered at this point, how was Jesus´s feeling? Was He angry at God that He had to die, it must have been so difficult to know what was going to happen and accept it. Perhaps it was not as hard as we would imagine given the relationship between Jesus and God, however since He was to experience life truly on earth as a human then did He think about and possibly fear death in the same way?
Thanks and some prayers:
I hope that you can help me out a little if you have time. Do let me know which session you will be studying next week if you can so that I can send my input in advance. Please let me know if there is anything you´d like me to pray for. Please send some prayers for the children here at the orphanage in Peru, they all need praying for so much. I´d also appreciate it if you could pray for me, to have the strength to do my absolute best for the 7 children in my care all day, to show them more love, which they so need and deserve, and to remember this even when they are being difficult.
Thanks so much everyone. I miss the group so much!
Joy xxxx
God in my life...
I found over the last few months on the bus tour that God was distant from me, or more I was distant from Him, however now I have settled into life here I have had much more time to focus on my relationship with God. Yesterday I went to a church which was similar to Christchurch at home and I understood pretty much the whole sermon in Spanish (an American missionary was speaking who used simple language...I´m not that good at the language yet!). They had a live band with electric guitar which I loved and we sang the newer Christian songs. When ´How great is our God´started, in Spanish I almost shed tears; it´s the first time I´ve been able to sing something I know properly with others since I left and I couldn´t have smiled more if I´d tried! With Bible study, I talked over some of the questions from the alpha book with Robyn the volunteer coordinator here, which again is a first since I left I´ve to be able to chat to another Christian about my questions on the Bible. The blog is really fantastic, thank you so much for all the work you´ve put into it. I have had moments when I´ve missed home so much and it has been lovely to have the blog to look to and be involved with life in Bristol still from Peru.
Something that is very prominent in the ethos of the orphanage here is that God wants us to love one another and showing the children love is so important, because they don´t have parents telling them they´re special or giving them hugs and kisses. Although they have food, shelter and an education, they don´t have the security that comes with a loving family. So I´ve been trying to increase the amount of love I show to the kids, striking a balance between strict teacher and friend. The people who work at the alberge are so loving and have an incredible task to raise and educate the 42 children here. They are truly serving God every day and are an inspiration for me with their dedication and endless energy. I just need to start to open up to God more about how things are in my heart, something which having read your entry on prayer I have noticed I´m not so good at.
I think the reason that I wasn´t so close to God during the bus tour was because if He truly is in control then why did He lead me to this tour, with no other Christians (which I know some people had prayed for me about) and noone I clicked with to share the experience with. When I was lonely I started to wonder why God put me in that situation. So if you can help, why does God lead us to places that are so difficult sometimes? How much free will do we have in our lives and how much does God guide us or has He planned everything already? Is this something we just have to work out for ourselves? I´d love a bit of guidance on this!
I know that God lead me to this orphanage and I am so grateful for this and I found a really useful passage which I´d like to share with you all. It´s stuck on my door to remind me every morning.
Philippians 4: 5-7
Show a gentle attitude towards everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don´t worry about anything, but in your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God´s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.
Joy
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