WARNING! - Its PERSONAL!

Do not do this only while being watched in order to please them, but be like slaves of Christ who do God's will from the heart.

                                                                                                                                        Eph 6:6  

The Bible is a living entity (1 Pet.1:23) that is able to change your life. It reflects what you truly are (Jas.1:23) and is able to cut to the true heart of matters in your innermost thoughts and attitudes (Heb.4:12). However, the scripture will not become a dynamic thing to you until you allow it to become personal and specific. We use the Bible often in an offensive way, to attack the thoughts and views of others to "correct them from the error of their way."  Yet, do we realize that the Bible is not written to THEM...it is written to US personally!

"Yeah - right!" someone might say. But, have you ever tried to read the scripture by personalizing it? Simply put your name in the place of pronouns or nouns in Scripture. For example, if you were to personalize James 1:23,24, you would write or say "For if ____(your name here)  is a hearer of the word and not a doer, __________(your name here) is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For ________(your name here) looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what __________(your name here) was like."

Let's personalize another one!  Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in _____(your name here) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

This method is a great means to strengthen your faith and encourage yourself. However, be warned that if you do, it will begin to change you. Many passages of Scripture might  literally bring tears to your eyes. The Bible will become God’s letter to you. It will become God’s gift to you! 

Reading your Bible is not just about getting to know the content of the Word, or the technicalities of the law so that I can appear educated and show someone else up. The Bible was give to us so that we could get to know the author of the Word — personally!

So...here are some thoughts for you to consider today.

• Have you ever thought about the Bible as a letter to you personally?
• Do you treat the Bible and your quiet time with God as a personal conversation between you and God?

Jim