Daily Read : BE TEACHABLE

Series: Our Daily Bread
Author: Dave Egner



READ: Philippians 4:10-19

Casy Seymour, a successful soccer player and coach, notes that everyone on his team hates the 10-by-100 drill that ends practice. Before the men can leave the field, they must run 100 yards 10 times at full speed with minimal rest. If they don't beat a prescribed time, they have to do it again.

The players hate it - until the day of the game. Then they find that they can play a full capacity for the entire match. Their effort has been rewarded with a championship.

The apostle Paul used metaphors of training and competition in his letters. While he was a missionary to the Gentiles, he submitted to the instructions and drills of God amid great suffering and hardship. Twice in Philippians 4, he said, "I have learned" (vv. 11-12). For him, and for each of us, following Jesus is a lifelong learning process. We are not spiritually mature the day we are saved, any more than a schoolboy athlete is ready for professional soccer. We grow in faith as we allow God through His Word and the Holy Spirit to empower us to serve Him.

Through hardship, Paul learned to serve God well - and so can we. It's not pleasant, but it is rewarding! The more teachable we are, the more mature we will become. As members if Christ's team, let's be coachable.

Oh, it's hard to learn the lesson.
 As we pass beneath the rod,
That the sunshine and the shadow
Serve alike the will of God.
-Anon.

God's work in us isn't over when we receive Christ - it has just begun.

Daily Read : STOP TAKE A BREAK!

Series : Our Daily Bread
Author: Joe Stowell

PSALM 131

Life is a busy enterprise. It seems there are always more things to do, places to go, and people to meet. And while none of us would want a life without meaningful things to do, the fast pace threatens to rob us of the quietness that we need.

When we're driving a car, stop signs and other signs warning us to slow down are reminders that to be safe we can't  have our foot on the accelerator all the time.  We nee those kinds of reminders in all aspects of our lives.

The psalmist clearly knew the importance of times of calm and quiet. God Himself "rested" on the seventh day. And with more messages to preach and more people to heal, Jesus went apart from the crowds and rested a while (Matt. 14:13; Mark 6:31). He knew it wasn't wise to accelerate through life with our gas gauge registering on "weary" all the time.

When was the last time you could echo the psalmist's words, "I have calmed and quieted my soul"? (Ps. 131:2). Put up a stop at the intersection of your busy life. Find a place to be alone. Turn off the distractions that keep you from listening to God's voice, and let Him speak to you as you read His Word. Let Him refresh your heart and mind with the strength to live life well for His glory.

Life can make we weary and stressed at times.
I want to stop right now through, Lord, and take the time
To quiet my soul before you. Speak to me from
Your Word. Please refresh me.

Stop and take a break from the busyness of life so that you can refuel your soul.

Daily Bread : EMAIL A PRAYER TO A FRIEND

Series : Our Daily Bread
Author: Dennis Fisher




READ: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

Not long ago, a friend of mine was facing surgery. Two disks in his back and a detached Achilles tendon were creating a lot of pain. After assuring him of my prayers, I was struck with the idea of sending him something in writing to further encourage him.

So I sent the following email: This is what I prayed for you today. 'Living God, I thank You for Your sovereign control over life's events. On behalf of Your dear servant, I ask that You would give him deep peace. I pray for the physicians as they apply their medical skills, that You would give them excellent results. May Your healing hand touch him and bring him back into full service for You. In Jesus' name. Amen.' "

The apostle Paul wrote prayers to encourage other believers  (Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-12; Thess. 1:11-12). He wrote to the Ephesians: "[I] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (1:16-17).

Do you have friends or family members who need your prayers of encouragement right now? besides letting them know that you're praying for them, try sending a writing a written prayer as well.

Lord, help us be encouragers
By praying for our friends in need;
And give us opportunities
To show them love in word and deed.
- Sper

Praying for others is a privilege - and a responsibility.

Daily Bread - LET US SEE THROUGH CRACKED LENSES

Series: Our Daily Bread
Author: Bill Crowder



READ: Psalms 141

I started wearing glasses when I was 10 years old. They are still a necessity because my 50-something eyes are losing their battle against time. When I was younger, I thought glasses were a nuisance - especially when playing sports. Once, the lenses of my glasses got cracked while O was paying softball. It took several weeks to get them replaced. In the meantime, I saw everything in a skewed and distorted way.

In life, pain often functions like cracked lenses. It creates within us a conflict between what we experience and what we believe. Pain can give us a badly distorted perspective on life - and on God! In those time, we need our God to provide us with new lenses to help us see clearly again. That clarity of sight usually begins when we turn our eyes upon the Lord. The Psalmist encouraged us to do this: "My eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not leave my soul destitute" (Psalms 141:8). Seeing God clearly can help us see life's experiences more clearly.

As we turn our eyes on the Lord in times of pain and struggle, we will experience His comfort and hope in our daily lives. He will help us to see everything clearly again.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face:
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
- Lemmel

Focusing on Christ puts everything in perspective.

Daily Read: WHO OR WHAT IS YOUR GOLIATH?

Series: Our Daily Bread

Author : Poh Fang Chia

TAKE THE LIMITS OFF ME !!!! RELEASE ME!!!
 

The towering enemy strides into the valley of Elah. He stands 9 feet tall, and his coat of armor, made of many small bronze plates, glimmers in the sunlight. The shaft of his spear is wrapped with cords so it can spin through the air and be thrown with greater distance and accuracy. Goliath looks invincible.

But David knows better. While Goliath may look like a giant and act like a giant, in contrast to the living God he is small. David has a right view of God and therefore a right view of God and therefore a right view of the circumstances. He sees Goliath as one who is defying the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17:26). He confidently appears before Goliath in his shepherd's clothes, armed with only his staff, five stones, and a sling. His confidence is not what he has but in who is with him (v.45).

What 'Goliath" are you facing right now? It may be an impossible situation at work, a financial difficulty, or a broken relationship. With God all things are small in comparison. Nothing is too big for Him. The words of the hymn-writer. Charles Wesley remind us: "Faith, mighty faith, the promise  sees, and looks to that alone" God is able to deliver you if that's His desire, and He may do so in ways you don't expect.

Not to the strong is the battle,
Not to the swift is the race;
Yet to the true and the faithful
Victory is promised through grace.
- Crosby

Don't tell God how big your giants are. Tell your giants how big your God is.

Daily Read : WHAT IS THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Discovery Series: What Is The Filling OF The Holy Spirit?
Author: Martin R. De Haan II




Before we can answer the question "How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?" we must know what the filling of the Spirit is. The filling of the Spirit is the influence or control the Holy Spirit exercises over us when we yield ourselves to Him. The Spirit of God, who has given us new life and who has taken up residence within us, wants to fill our lives with His goodness and power. He wants us to let Him take control of our lives. Even so, He does not use His power as God to overwhelm us; rather, He fills is only as we submit to Him.

In this sense, then, being filled with the Spirit means that we have placed ourselves under His influence and control. We have yielded to Him, letting Him take over our lives.

We often speak of something that so fills a person's mind that id strangely influences everything he thinks and does. For example, a person can be filled with:
anger

• fear
• jealousy
• remorse
• sorrow
• pride
• love
• anxiety

The Bible it self uses the word "filled " in the same way (see Luke 6:11; Acts 5:17; Acts 13:45)

To be filled with something, therefore, means to be under its control. This truth is stated clearly regarding the Holy Spirit in Eph. 5:18.

Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.

Daily Read : WHO CAN BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Series : How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?
Author : Martin R. De Haan II



The filling of the Holy Spirit should be the desire of every Christian. But listening to how some people talk, one could get the idea that it is reserved only for privileged, spiritually sensitive, special people. We are convinced, however, that the filling of the Holy Spirit of for everyone. But there are two important prerequisites.

First, to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit a person must be a Christian  - he must be born again. This new birth is given by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again, He referred to it as being "born of the Spirit" (John 3:6). He later told His disciples, "It is the Spirit who gives life" (John 6:63). He later told His disciples, "It is the Spirit who gives life"
(John 6:63).

When the Spirit gives the new life, He also enters into the new Christian to live within him permanently - to indwell. Anyone who does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit is not a Christian (Rom. 8:9). Even though the indwelling of the indwelling of the Spirit is not the same thing as the filling od the Spirit, only someone who is indwelt can be filled. So, the first prerequisite to being Spirit-filled is to be a Christian.

Second, the filling f the Holy Spirit is only for those Christians who want to be filled.

Although He dwells within all Christians, He does not fill them just because He is present. TO be obedient to the command to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), a person must want the Spirit filling and then be willing to yield to His control.

Daily Read : MORE OF HIM, LESS OF ME

Series : Our Daily Bread
Author : Joe Stowell




READ: Philippians 3:1-11

While was pastoring a church early in my ministry, my daughter Libby asked me, "Dad, are we famous?" TO which I replied, "No, Libby, we're not famous." She thought for a moment and then said rather indignantly, "Well, we would  be if more people knew about us!"

Poor Libby! Only 7 years old and already struggling with what many of us struggle with throughout life: Who recognizes us, and are we getting the recognition we think we deserve?

Our desire for recognition wouldn't be such a problem if it didn't tend to replace Jesus as the focus for attention, But being absorbed with ourselves crowds Him out of the picture.

Life cannot be all about us and all about Jesus at the same time. This makes Paul's statement that he counted "everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ" (Phil 3:8) strategically important. Faced with a choice between himself and Jesus, Paul intentionally discarded the things that would draw attention to himself so he could concentrated on knowing and experiencing Jesus (Phil. 3: 7-8, 10).

For us, the decision is the same. Will we live to draw attention to ourselves? Or will we focus on the privilege of knowing and experiencing Jesus more intimately?

Lord, thank You for reminding me of the
value of knowing You more intimately.
Help me to keep myself out of the way as
I pursue a deeper walk with you.

Do our choices bring honor to God or to us?

Daily Read : HELP IS ON THE WAY!

Series : Our Daily Bread
Author: Joe Stowell



READ: Revelation 2:12-17

When 33 miners were trapped in a Chilean deep under  the earth's surface, I wonder if they felt totally lost and doomed to a slow and painful death. Imagine how they must have been filled with joy when they got a message from above that the rescue team knew exactly where they were and that the process of getting them out already begun!

There are times in all our lives when we feel like we're stuck in a really bad place. Anxious and alone, we despair that we are out of options and that one understands where we really are in life. But in such moments we need to remember God's comforting words to the early Christians who were stuck in a world where Satan's presence dominated all that was around them: "I know... where you dwell" (Rev. 2:13). Their situation had not escaped the heavenly Father's notice. And as they were faithful to Him, He would sustain them until He rescued them and brought them safely home.
(Rev. 2:17).

The fact that God knows where you are and that He is very much aware of the difficult situation you are in provides the confidence and strength needed to live for His glory. So be encouraged. Remember God's words of comfort. Help is on the way!

You know the struggles that we face, Lord.
You know just what we need to endure them.
Give us the confidence to trust You because of Your
Goodness and to walk by faith. Amen

Our greatest hope here below is help from God above.

Daily Read : THE OFFERING PLATE

Series : Our Daily Bread
Author: Anne Cetas




READ: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

Ed Dobson, my former pastor, often said that he disliked preaching about financial giving to the church. He said his previous job required fundraising, so he didn't like putting any unnecessary pressure on people. But when he was teaching through 2 Corinthians, and he couldn't avoid the topic of giving.

What I remember most about his sermon was the illusion he used. He placed an offering plate on the floor, stepped into it, and stood there as he talked about the importance of giving, our whole selves to the Lord, not just our wallets.

Those two chapters in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians give us a number of attitudes and actions that we are to displaying our giving to the Lord:

1. Give yourself to the Lord first (2 Cor. 8:5)
2. Give, remembering the example of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 8:9)
3. Give according to your means (2 Cor. 8:11-12)
4. Give enthusiastically because of God's love (2 Cor. 9:2)
5. Give generously, not grudgingly or because of outside pressure (2 Cor. 9:5-7)

Next time the offering plate comes around at church, imagine stepping into it. It will help you to excel in the grace of giving (2 Cor. 8:7)

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving Yourself for me on
the cross. Because of Your Love, I give all to me-
my heart, my time my funds - to You.
I Love You.

When we give ourselves completely to the Lord, all lesser giving becomes easier.

Dialy Read : WHERE WAS GOD?

Series: Where Was God?
Author: Vernon Grounds




READ: Hebrews 13:5-8

Was God sadistically absent? That's what Robert McClory, professor emeritus of journalism at the Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, asked after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area of the US.

We may want to try to exonerate the Almighty for permitting disasters that rip against vulnerable communities. But is God absent in such situations? No, McClory insists. Talking about the Katrina tragedy, he said that God was invisibly present "with the suffering and the dying. He was in the individuals, communities, churches, and schools that organized aid for the victims and took evacuees into their cities and homes. He as with the hundreds of thousands who showed compassion by prayer and financial assistance."

So it is in our won lives when a heartbreaking tragedy occurs, such as the death of someone we love. We have no completely satisfactory answer to life's painful problems. We do know, however, that the Lord is present with us, for He said He would never leave us (Heb. 13:5). Jesus name "Immanuel" literally means "God with us" (Matt. 1:23).

Even though suffering baffles our minds, we can trust God to be near and to work out His purpose.

God's unseen presence comforts me,
I know He's always near;
And when life's storms besiege our soul,
He says, "My child, I'm here."
- D. De Haan

The storms of our life prove the strength of our Anchor.

Daily Read - WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Series: How Can I BE Filled With The Holy Spirit?
Author: Martin R. De Haan II



Before we can discuss being filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to know who the Holy Spirit is. Some people insist that the Holy Spirit is an influence - a power or source of God-given spiritual energy. Others see Him as a ghostlike force, entering or leaving us as a kind of cosmic magician, elusive and vague, who drops mysteriously into our lives to make religious things happen and then leaves just as quickly as He came.

The Bible makes it clear, however, that the Holy Spirit is a person who lives within every Christian. It also teaches that He is God, the Third Person of the Trinity.

HE IS A PERSON
The Scripture give us five clear evidences that the Holy Spirit is a person, not strange power.

1. The Holy Spirit is spoken of as 'He'. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as 'He'. He promised His disciples: "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that HE [the Holy Spirit] may abide with you forever" (Jn.14:16).

2. The Holy Spirit has intelligence. He knows the "deep things of God" and reveals them to us
(1 Cor. 2:10:11). Only a person has this kind of intelligence.

3. The Holy Spirit makes decisions. He gives gifts to the Lord's people, "distributing to each on individually as He will" (1 Cor.12:11). Only a personal being can make decisions.

4. Holy Spirit has emotions. He feels love (Rom. 15:30) and grief (Eph. 4:30). An influence cannot feel emotions like these.

5. The Holy Spirit is active. He does things only a person can do:

• speaks (Rev. 2:7)
• intercedes (Rom. 8:26)
• teaches (Jn. 14:26)
• leads (Rom. 8:14)
• appoints (Acts 20:28)
• empowers (Acts 1:8)

HE IS GOD
The Holy Spirit is also referred to in the Bible as God. He is the Third Person of the eternal Trinity, one with the Father and with the Son. The following factors show His deity:

1. Spirit's name appears as equal with the Father and the Son in the formula for baptism and in some of the New Testament prayers (Mt. 28:19 ; 2 Cor. 13:14).

2. The apostle Peter said that the Holy Spirit was God. When Ananias' sin was exposed, Pere told him that he had lied to the Holy Spirit. He went on to say that this lie had not been "to men but to God" (Acts 5:3-4).

3. The Holy Spirit is called "Lord" (2 Cor. 3:17-18).

4. The Holy Spirit possesses qualities that belong only to God: eternality (Heb. 9:14), the ability to be everywhere at the same time (Ps. 139:7-10), sovereign power (Lk. 1:35, 37), and the knowledge of "the things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10-12).

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit, who lives within every Christian, is a person and the He is God. Admittedly we can't grasp the great mystery of how the Holy spirit can live within us. But we don't have to understand it. We just have to trust that what the Bible says is true.

Daily Read - NEED WORDS - "When You Don't Know What To Say - SAY JESUS!"

Series: Our Daily Bread
Author: Anne Cetas

Read : Job 6: 1-14
Roy Clark and his father sat in the family car in the funeral home parking lot for several minutes. As a teenager, he wasn't sure how to respond when his dad put his head in his hands and moaned, "I don't know what to say!"

A friend from their church had been in a car accident. She had survived, but her three daughters had all died when a truck hit their vehicle. What could they say to their friend as a time like this?

In the Bible we are told that during Job's time of grieving, his three friends came to mourn with him and to comfort him. For the first 7 days they sat and wept with him because he was in deep sorrow (Job 2:11-13). "No one spoke to him, for they saw his grief was very great" (Job 2:13). Their presence alone was a comfort to him.

But then the began to lecture. They told Job he must have sinned and that God was punishing him. (Job 4:7-9).

When Job was finally able to respond, he told his friends what he needed from them. He asked for reasons to continue hoping (Job 6:11), for kindness (Job 6:14), and for words that did not presume guilt (Job 6: 29-30).

Remembering the story of Job and his friends may help us when we don't know what to say.

Lord, give me sensitivity
To people in their grief and pain,
To weep with them and show Your love
In ways mere word cannot attain.
-Sper

When someone's grieving - listen, don't lecture.

Daily Read - LIVING EVERY DAY

Series : Our Daily Bread
Author: David McCasland

READ: Proverbs 15:13-33

When Tamer Lee Owens celebrated her 104th birthday, she credited "laughter, the Lord, and the little things" for keeping her going. She still finds enjoyment each day in talking with people, taking a walk, and reading the Bible as she has done since childhood. "I don't know how long He'll let me stay here," she said. "I just thank the Lord for what He's given me already."

Most of us wont live 104 years, but we can learn from Tamer Lee how to enjoy each day that we are given.

Laughter - "A mercy heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken" (Proverbs 15:13). True happiness begins deep inside and emerges on our faces.

The Lord - "The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility" (Proverbs 15: 33). When God is central in our hearts. He can teach us His way through every experience of life.

The Little Things - "better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred" (Proverbs 15:17). Maintaining loving relationships and enjoying the basic things of life are more important than wealth and success.

Not all of us will live a long time, but we can all live well each day - with laughter, the Lord, and the little things in life.

The world if filled with so much good -
Little things that bring us pleasure -
But Christ can fill our lives with joy
Beyond all earthly treasure.  - Sper

Happiness is not a destination but a day-by-day journey.

Daily Read - GOD CARES - In Praise of Sovereignty

Series : Our Daily Word
Author: Dennis Fisher

READ: Psalm 103: 15-22
In James Fenimore Cooper's book The Last of the Mohicans, we become acquainted with a character names David Gamut. He is a devout Christian who delights in setting the Psalms to music and setting the Psalms t music and singing them no matter what the circumstances life brings his way. Gamut believes that God can be trusted in crisis as well as in good times. He lives a life in praise of God's sovereignty - His supreme power, authority, and control over the world.

The Bible tells us about another David, a flesh-and-blood person who was no stranger to unpredictable life circumstances and who loved to respond to God in praise: King David of Israel. He saw the giant Goliath fall by his sling, he was chased by the murderous King Saul, and he watched the nation of Israel rally under his own leadership. Yet in all these situations, David took time to write and sing psalms to praise to his sovereign God. For example, he wrote. "The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all" (Psalms 103:9) . David understood that in all circumstances we can worship and thank God for His care and control.

What are you experiencing today? A time of blessing or testing? In any event, remember David's example and sing praises to God for His rule in our lives.

Lord, Shape my life as only You can,
Guiding each day by Your loving plan;
Take what you need and give what You will;
My life is Yours to use and to fill.
- Branon

PRAISE the LORD! PRAISE HIM according to HIS excellent GREATNESS! (Psalms 150:1-2)

Daily Read - THE WAITING

Series : Our Daily Bread
Author : Marvin Williams

READ : Genesis 15:1-6
Any mother can tell you that waiting to give birth is an experience that builds patience. But pity the poor mother elephant. It takes about 22 months for an unborn elephant to mature to birth!

The shark known as the spiny fish dogfish has a pregnancy duration of 22-24 months. And at elevation above 4,600 feet, the Alphine endures a gestational period of up to 38 months.

Abraham could have identified with these examples from nature. in his old age, the Lord made a promise to him: "I will make you a great nation" (Gen. 12:2). But as the years passed, Abraham questioned how the fulfillment of the promise was possible without even the basic building block of a son (Gen.15:2). But as the years passed, Abraham questioned how the fulfillment of the promise was possible without even the basic building block of a son (Gen 15:2). So God assured him, "One who will come from your own body shall be your heir" (Gen 15: 4) .

Despite his advanced age, Abraham believed God  and was called righteous (Gen 15: 6). Yet he waited 25 years from the time of the initial promise of Isaac to be born (Gen. 17:1,17).

Waiting for  God's promises to be fulfilled is part of trusting Him. No mater how long the delay, we must wait for  Him.

As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, we must wait for Him. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful"
(Heb. 10:23)

Not so in haste, my heart!
Have faith in God, and wait;
Although He seems to linger long,
He never comes too late.
- Torrey

GOD always performs what He promises.

What Some People Are Saying

Discovery Series: How Can I Be FILLED with the Holy Spirit
Author : Martin R. De Haan II



Every follower of Jesus Christ should want to obey the biblical command to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But what does that involve? Some see it as an experience that is recognized by:

• speaking in "tongues"
• feelings of wild ecstasy
• feeling the spirit take them over
• being overcome with great joy
• being "slain" in the Spirit
• having the ability to prophesy
• being able to interpret "tongues"

But other Christians say they have never had any of these experiences. They claim that a person does not have to have any of these things happen to him to show that he is filled with the Holy Spirit as he lives his day-to-day life.

To them, Richard Wurmbrand, who still carries from beatings he received in a communist prison camp, exemplifies the power of a Spirit-filled life. He tells of singing for joy in a cell where he was cold, sick, and hungry. To many, he is a good example of someone who is Spirit-filled.

A Christian named  John who died in a  Grand Rapids nursing home a few years ago, was considered a Spirit-filled  man by those who took care of him. During the last 2 years of his life, as cancer ravaged his body, his joy was irrepressible. He told everybody he met about Jesus Christ.

During is first year, John asked the aids to wheel him into rooms where people were discouraged and depressed. His testimony was used to lead many of his fellow residents to the Lord. After he could no longer be placed in a wheelchair, he talked to people who came into his room.

He radiated such joy that they couldn't help but feel they were in the presence of a Spirit-filled man.

According to the Bible, the privilege for every believer to be filled  with the Holy Spirit began at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13)

The disciples were praying together when they suddenly heard the sound of rushing wind, saw tongelike flames, and spoke in languages they had never learned. As a result, 3,000 people in Jerusalem trusted Christ that very day. The apostles were filled with courage and power, witnessing boldly and performing miracles. As time went on, and despite persecution, these Spirit-filled Christians presented such a powerful testimony that even their enemies spoke of them as men who had "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).

We would all like to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But most of is don't experience the same victory, the same joy, or the same power as these early apostles. So, this leads us to ask, "How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?"

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The Bible And Its Author

Discovery Series: How Can I Know God Through His Book

Author : Martin R. De Haan II

The Bible, the book of books, was written so that we could know the Author behind the authors. Sometimes He is revealed directly in the statements that tell us exactly what He is like. The simple sentence 'God is love" (1 John 4:16) is an example . So is the statement "Be holy, for I am holy"
(1 Peter 1:16)

In most cases, however, we must look into and beyond the stories and statements and people of the bible to see the character of its Author. The story of David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17), for instance, tells us a great deal about God. True, the story is primarily the historical account of a valiant Jewish youth in his conquest of a bigger, stronger, more experienced foe. But is was God's cause that David was defending . It was God's power and control that directed the stone from David's sling and brought the blasphemous giant crashing to the ground. And it was God who was glorifies when the pagan Philistines were put to flight by the armies of Israel.

What  God says reflects who He is.

That God is our God! The details and scenery have changed, but the character of David's God has not. Nor have His principles. He is still with us, and He can be found by those who seek Him. He is involved with all that happens. And He has a plan, a cause, and a purpose for each on of us.

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The Author and His Book

Discovery Series: How Can I Know God Through His Book

Author : Martin R. De Haan II



An author often reveals himself in what he writes. He will sometimes put himself into his characters, talk through their speeches, and pour his feelings into their emotions. Ideas and issues that are important to him will find their way into the pages of his books. Ideas and issues that are important to him will find their way into the pages of his books.

One of the intriguing aspects  of the study of literature, therefore, learning about an author through his writings. For example, we can learn much about the blind poet Milton through his sonnets and through Paradise Lost. And the study of the dark and twisted stories of Edgar Allan Poe take us deeply into his twisted mind and tormented heart.

Sometimes the writer will come right out and tell the reader what he is like and what he believes. The few people who took seriously Adolf Hilter's Mein Kampf for example, recognized his ego, his love of power, and the intensity of his hatred for the Jews.

What an author says reflects who that author is.

Usually, however, an author does not reveal his thinking  and his character directly. His works must be read carefully and analyzed before the reader can begin to understand him. We must study his characters, scrutinize his places and incidents, and review his themes before we can know makes him tick.

Think a moment about James Fenimore Cooper,  the early American writer who wrote such thrilling stories as The Deerslayer, The Pilot, and The Last Of The Mohicans. Reading these stories would give you a sense of Cooper's admiration for the pioneering spirit of the early settlers and his respect for the shrewdness and skill of the American Indian. You should also begin to feel his love for the spirit and adventure and his conviction that faith is virtually important if one is to overcome the fears and uncertainties of life.

"But," you ask, "how is all of this going to help me? What does it have to do with God and the study of the Bible?" Simply this: While one of the interests of literature is to get  to know an author through what he has written, it should be the main interest of all Bible study. The Bible is God's book. Although it was written by men like Moses and Luke and Paul, it is the self-revelation of God. He is the Author behind the authors. And what He says reflects who He is.

While one of the values of literature is to help you get to know the author through what he has written, it should be the main purpose of all Bible Study.

 To know God, therefore, we have to read His book. We have to learn to see Him on every page, above every event, in every place and circumstance, and overseeing the choice if every person who makes his way into the sacred pages of biblical history.

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