A Sword.  Our weapon is laid before us, we should come near with respect.   As with any weapon caution is warranted to avoid unknown dangers with the weapon.  Since we are in training we must turn to the Creator of the Sword to understand its form and function.   As with anything we must have understanding to be the most effective.

We have established the Sword is the Word of God.  Many Christians read the Holy Bible daily because they are supposed to.  Reading the Holy Bible daily is what all Christians are supposed to do.  People read the Holy Bible and then they are supposed to read the Holy Bible again.  It is unfortunate that this task has become an act of homework for many people.  We need to think about how we approach our Holy Bible, do we feel our reading time is a time we are doing homework.  People mistake the task as a time they are to learn the dos and don’ts in life.  Homework is something a student does when they are away from their instructor.

The Holy Bible was not meant to be a tool to complete homework but as a portal to seek God.  We can begin to read the Holy Bible due to love but as time passes and disappointments happen then we read the Holy Bible to do our homework.  We are told many times we are to seek God and the Holy Bible is a very tangible way of doing this.  We can sit with our Holy Bible and heart open and look for God.  With the Holy Bible, God is the author and we should experience our time with our Holy Bible as a time that we are not away from Him but fellowshipping with Him.

The Holy Bible can seem difficult to understand simply by the Holy Bible’s structure.  The Holy Bible is not in chronological order, actually Job happened during Genesis even though it is found halfway through the Holy Bible.  Jeremiah, in fact, is out of order within itself.  Psalms are collected together but the first psalm written was Psalm 90 and it was written towards the end of Exodus.

In the Holy Bible, the Old Testament books are arranged in three groups: the first group is historical, Genesis through Esther.  The second group is Poetic, Job through Song of Solomon.  The third group is Prophetic, this group begins with the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel, followed by the Minor Prophets, Hosea through Malachi.

The New Testament books are arranged in three groups also.  The first group again is historical and includes Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the four gospels and also the book of Acts.  The second group is called Pauline, and are the letters Paul wrote to different churches and individuals.  The Pauline letters are Romans through Philemon.  The third group is called General Letters, and consists of letters written by various people.  The General Letters are Hebrews through Revelations.  Understanding the format of the Holy Bible helps make the Holy Bible easier to approach.

We are to seek God daily but this is not a time of homework. We are to seek God daily for a time of fellowship.  We are to seek God to learn to know Him more.  The Holy Bible reveals many things to us as we read it.  But the Holy Bible is not meant to be read alone.  God wants to sit alone with you and explain the words to you, Himself.  No matter how well the commentary writer or narrator knows, what God is saying, God would like to explain the words to you, Himself.  When God is telling you He loves you He wants to say the words Himself.  When our motive shifts from doing homework to fellowshipping with God, we are not reading to learn the rules for life.  Through this fellowshipping time we are getting to know God, the pursuit is half the delight. Through this fellowshipping time we will begin to experience God’s love.  God wants to give you His deep satisfying love this will help you to love Him at a deeper level.

Invite Him: “Lord, Come, sit with me for a while and tell me about Yourself.”

Written by Joyce E Poggensee