The Bible becomes real to me when I look out and see nature and see how it all works together. No accident could have made this happen. God describes creation in the Bible and all that He has done for us. It becomes very personal when I realize that the infinite, all powerful God, created me, and loves me enough that He sent his Son to suffer such a cruel death for what I had done. He loves me enough that He has opened up an avenue through which I can TALK to Him and He will answer. It becomes real and personal when all of man's science confirms events described in the Bible. I show others the reality of the Bible through creation first, and then the love that He has for them, even if they are not obedient to him at that time, for He wants all men to be saved. I show them history that confirms facts stated in the Bible and do what I can to get them to realize that God is so great, yet His love for us is beyond measure.
How do you make the Bible real? God makes the Bible real. I can't make it any more real than it is. For some of us, the Bible has been part of us since our youth. Our lives, our beliefs our very being is built upon it. I think that if there is any way a person can make the Bible more real in their lives, it is by making their lives a reflection of what the Bible teaches. If we do this then Christ is truly living in us. It doesn't get any more real than that.
How do you make it personal? I have to make the contents of the Bible relative to my life. I need to think about how God's Word relates to me, to my life when I study. I need to keep passages that are inspirational to me fresh in my mind. I need to understand what challenges I'm facing and know what passages to study and mediate on as I live.
How do you show others it is real? This has always been a difficult thing for me. Some have been trained on how to present the Bible to those who doubt. I have not and I'm sure many others have not so this is something that many of us could use help with in our lives.
In dealing specifically with the bible study I lead for Campus Crusade, I try and always have the girls apply what we study to their lives. We will pick out verses and talk about how they apply or how we can apply them to our lives. I love bringing up Matthew 5:6 "Let your light shine before people that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in Heaven," and then we'll talk about how we let our "christian lights" shine so that others can see and use us as an example. I also emphasize the YOU's or YOUR's. That makes it very personal. "...that they will see the good things you do and praise YOUR Father..." It shows that people will see what WE do and it will reflect on Him because He is MY/OUR Father....He's my Father and I'm do to His will.
I don't think I ever made the Bible real, but it became real through it's truth. Growing up, you're taught the stories, and that the Bible is God's word, but it doesn't mean anything until you develop the understanding that what the Bible says actually IS TRUE, and not just something your parents and Bible-class teachers are making you learn.
The Bible became real when I realized 1) following it was of great benefit here on Earth, and 2) it had to be followed to get to Heaven. If everything else was true, then those consequences must be true as well. The more you read the Bible, the more you realize no man could possibly put together a story of this depth and significance with no discrepancies, especially once you learn that it also correlates with history. It is not possible!!!! Add that to the fact that you see babies in women's wombs, those same babies grow from 20 inches to 6 feet tall in 15 years, tall trees growing from tiny seeds, and the sun rise everyday...there has to be someone that put this into place. The Bible has to be real, as the evidence is too strong for it.
Concerning making it personal, like all things religion, I put Jesus' dying body on my mind. He is the sole reason for following, being faithful, learning, doing what's right, teaching...everything. Knowing what he did, and realizing I'm the reason for his misery is all I need to make it personal.
The current focus in my life is trying to show Joshua it's real. I point out things that people do positively that help others that correlate with His word, or proof of things that happen in our lives that God is working for us, or that God exists. Once that realization is made, it has to be difficult for anyone to look in the mirror and feel good about a lost soul.
I try to live my life like I m a representative of Jesus. I represent him. I make it real to me by reading and meditating on my bible. Just reading is not enough. I reflect on the words to see how I AM going to be like what I read.
I start answering this by looking at it being real as in it actually happened and this then brings me to making in real as in application of the truth.
I try to picture myself as a participant or observer in the actual setting. I think of it in a role playing type aspect. What would I feel or what would I do in whatever the situation is? When teaching the kids classes at least once a class I mention that the Bible is true; and the things in it really happened. I try to mention stories that are fairy tales that they know and tell them the differences between tales and truth.
Through travel I have a greater ability (and appreciation)to understand the setting of the Bible. It is amazing that I can actually go where people from the Bible have gone. I have sailed on a small boat in the Mediterranean Sea!! While there, I saw a fishing boat, and as it was going by, I thought about all the stories of the Bible. Of those sailing in that very Sea and the Sea of Galilee etc. Jesus walked on the water, Jonah being swallowed up, Paul being shipwrecked. Fishers of fish as well as Fishers of Men. I was doing things in places that they had been. Seeing cities that are different from American cities. Not many individual family dwellings, everyone comes together in communities, because they live together "closely knit" as the Bible says we are to be spiritually. No grocery chains where you can go and stock up on sale items. Small literally closet size stores in some places that they have to go to daily. Dusty streets, kids playing outdoor games not inside playing computer games. It really enlightened my perception of the world. I think American kids should be shown how kids in other countries live, whether through pictures or experiencing it for themselves. Seeing them in what we would call run down "houses", with basically nothing (according to American standards) but smiling and happy all the same. I think they would have a better appreciation for what they have.
Don't get me wrong I love America. Her majestic mountains and amber waves of grain. Freedom.
What do the two have in common? God created it all!! Jesus can save us all! Imagine what heaven will be if Earth is as beautiful and diverse as it is. WOW!
Telling others - I try to mention something about the Bible or God every day. In some way mentioning something. Maybe relating a story of our travels, a passage, a thought or a concept from the Bible. You can work it in if you give it a conscience effort - sieze the opportunity. It may be as simple as "Wow, what sunshine today! God is so good to us!" or "Isn't it amazing that just when we need rain, God provides." Just today I was talking to my co-worker. We were talking about the forest fires in California. I said, "Even with all the devestation now, think about how awesome the regrowth will be. Things have to die or be destroyed sometimes to make them better in the future." I think Bible study and application of that study does that for us. It makes us see our weaknesses and if we apply the truths we learn it makes us stronger than before.
The Bible becomes real to me when I look out and see nature and see how it all works together. No accident could have made this happen. God describes creation in the Bible and all that He has done for us. It becomes very personal when I realize that the infinite, all powerful God, created me, and loves me enough that He sent his Son to suffer such a cruel death for what I had done. He loves me enough that He has opened up an avenue through which I can TALK to Him and He will answer. It becomes real and personal when all of man's science confirms events described in the Bible. I show others the reality of the Bible through creation first, and then the love that He has for them, even if they are not obedient to him at that time, for He wants all men to be saved. I show them history that confirms facts stated in the Bible and do what I can to get them to realize that God is so great, yet His love for us is beyond measure.
ReplyDeleteHow do you make the Bible real? God makes the Bible real. I can't make it any more real than it is. For some of us, the Bible has been part of us since our youth. Our lives, our beliefs our very being is built upon it. I think that if there is any way a person can make the Bible more real in their lives, it is by making their lives a reflection of what the Bible teaches. If we do this then Christ is truly living in us. It doesn't get any more real than that.
ReplyDeleteHow do you make it personal? I have to make the contents of the Bible relative to my life. I need to think about how God's Word relates to me, to my life when I study. I need to keep passages that are inspirational to me fresh in my mind. I need to understand what challenges I'm facing and know what passages to study and mediate on as I live.
How do you show others it is real? This has always been a difficult thing for me. Some have been trained on how to present the Bible to those who doubt. I have not and I'm sure many others have not so this is something that many of us could use help with in our lives.
In dealing specifically with the bible study I lead for Campus Crusade, I try and always have the girls apply what we study to their lives. We will pick out verses and talk about how they apply or how we can apply them to our lives. I love bringing up Matthew 5:6 "Let your light shine before people that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in Heaven," and then we'll talk about how we let our "christian lights" shine so that others can see and use us as an example. I also emphasize the YOU's or YOUR's. That makes it very personal. "...that they will see the good things you do and praise YOUR Father..." It shows that people will see what WE do and it will reflect on Him because He is MY/OUR Father....He's my Father and I'm do to His will.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever made the Bible real, but it became real through it's truth. Growing up, you're taught the stories, and that the Bible is God's word, but it doesn't mean anything until you develop the understanding that what the Bible says actually IS TRUE, and not just something your parents and Bible-class teachers are making you learn.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible became real when I realized 1) following it was of great benefit here on Earth, and 2) it had to be followed to get to Heaven. If everything else was true, then those consequences must be true as well. The more you read the Bible, the more you realize no man could possibly put together a story of this depth and significance with no discrepancies, especially once you learn that it also correlates with history. It is not possible!!!! Add that to the fact that you see babies in women's wombs, those same babies grow from 20 inches to 6 feet tall in 15 years, tall trees growing from tiny seeds, and the sun rise everyday...there has to be someone that put this into place. The Bible has to be real, as the evidence is too strong for it.
Concerning making it personal, like all things religion, I put Jesus' dying body on my mind. He is the sole reason for following, being faithful, learning, doing what's right, teaching...everything. Knowing what he did, and realizing I'm the reason for his misery is all I need to make it personal.
The current focus in my life is trying to show Joshua it's real. I point out things that people do positively that help others that correlate with His word, or proof of things that happen in our lives that God is working for us, or that God exists. Once that realization is made, it has to be difficult for anyone to look in the mirror and feel good about a lost soul.
I try to live my life like I m a representative of Jesus. I represent him.
ReplyDeleteI make it real to me by reading and meditating on my bible. Just reading is not enough. I reflect on the words to see how I AM going to be like what I read.
I start answering this by looking at it being real as in it actually happened and this then brings me to making in real as in application of the truth.
ReplyDeleteI try to picture myself as a participant or observer in the actual setting. I think of it in a role playing type aspect. What would I feel or what would I do in whatever the situation is? When teaching the kids classes at least once a class I mention that the Bible is true; and the things in it really happened. I try to mention stories that are fairy tales that they know and tell them the differences between tales and truth.
Through travel I have a greater ability (and appreciation)to understand the setting of the Bible. It is amazing that I can actually go where people from the Bible have gone. I have sailed on a small boat in the Mediterranean Sea!! While there, I saw a fishing boat, and as it was going by, I thought about all the stories of the Bible. Of those sailing in that very Sea and the Sea of Galilee etc. Jesus walked on the water, Jonah being swallowed up, Paul being shipwrecked. Fishers of fish as well as Fishers of Men. I was doing things in places that they had been. Seeing cities that are different from American cities. Not many individual family dwellings, everyone comes together in communities, because they live together "closely knit" as the Bible says we are to be spiritually. No grocery chains where you can go and stock up on sale items. Small literally closet size stores in some places that they have to go to daily. Dusty streets, kids playing
outdoor games not inside playing computer games. It really enlightened my perception of the world. I think American kids should be shown how kids in other countries live, whether through pictures or experiencing it for themselves. Seeing them in what we would call run down "houses", with basically nothing (according to American standards) but smiling and happy all the same. I think they would have a better appreciation for what they have.
Don't get me wrong I love America. Her majestic mountains and amber waves of grain. Freedom.
What do the two have in common? God created it all!! Jesus can save us all! Imagine what heaven will be if Earth is as beautiful and diverse as it is. WOW!
Telling others - I try to mention something about the Bible or God every day. In some way mentioning something. Maybe relating a story of our travels, a passage, a thought or a concept from the Bible. You can work it in if you give it a conscience effort - sieze the opportunity. It may be as simple as "Wow, what sunshine today! God is so good to us!" or "Isn't it amazing that just when we need rain, God provides." Just today I was talking to my co-worker. We were talking about the forest fires in California. I said, "Even with all the devestation now, think about how awesome the regrowth will be. Things have to die or be destroyed sometimes to make them better in the future." I think Bible study and application of that study does that for us. It makes us see our weaknesses and if we apply the truths we learn it makes us stronger than before.