Category: Exhortation
A common scene: an athlete reaches the pinnacle of success, then succumbs to indulgence in lucrative distractions. He fails to continue to do what brought him success. The NT stresses moderation, self-control and warns us of destructive overindulgence.
Our throw-away mentality concerning material things has bled over into our view of things designed to be permanent - like marriage. Until we reverse this thinking, marriages and character will continue to fail.
Getting the most out of our Bible class opportunities. Sleep, study, participation are all keys to making the most of our learning opportunities.
Tips on getting the most out of the sermons we hear in the course of a year.
Other Bible references are helpful to study: dictionaries/encyclopedias, atlases, etc. Can someone tell from looking at your Bible library that you are serious student of the Scriptures?
The use of a concordance is explored.
Words are the building blocks of language. We must carefully understand word definitions if we are to accurately assess what the Bible teaches. There are many reference aids in this regard for those who have not formally studied Greek or Hebrew.
Effective Bible study involves understanding the overall flow of a book. In order to get the context of a specific passage, we must pay attention to what the author was trying to argue and where the passage fits into the flow of his argumentation.
It is easy to accept the conclusions of others as our own conclusions. We must have a true hunger for knowledge for our own sake, and we must be submissive to what we learn from God's word. These are easy to give lip-service to, but hard to implement.
It is easy for Christians to become settled in their thinking to the point they cannot explore new ideas. As we plead for others to keep an open mind about the Bible, so must we be open in our thinking.
