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Stop snacking. |
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"He
should keep it with him all the time and read from it
every day of his life." DEUTERONOMY
17:19 (NCV) |
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How
Important is Consistent Time in God's Word? Ask
the Kings of Israel...
Inconsistency
with anything in life comes down to a single question:
"What do you truly value?"
Although forgetfulness or a hectic schedule
may seem like legitimite excuses, they ultimately
cannot hold water. Why? Because what we value
determines our priorities, and
our priorities define how we use our time.
To
get an idea of the value God
expects us to place on His Word, let's take a
look at Deuteronomy 17. Toward the end of the
chapter, the Lord establishes specific guidelines
for how Israel's kings should live and rule. Verses
18 and 19 record two of these important instructions: |
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| How
PC Study Bible helped this portion of
my study: |
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Wherever you see this icon, click
it to view a screen shot from
PC Study Bible of the item described. |
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From
my foundation Scripture (Deut. 17:19),
I discovered a wonderful commentary
from Matthew Henry
on how Israel's kings were expected
to view God's Word. |
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To
help me develop consistency in my own
Bible study, PC Study Bible allowed
me to set up a customized daily Bible
reading plan. |
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"Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of
his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of
this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the
Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it
all the days of his life..." (NKJV) |
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| Put
yourself in the story... |
Israel
has just crowned a new king: YOU.
The coronation is complete. The cheering
has stopped. The crowds have gone home.
And the confetti from your parade is being
swept up in the streets. For the first time,
you take your seat on the throne of your
new nation, ready to tackle your first bit
of royal business. |
The
large wooden door at the end of your chambers
creaks and opens. An attendant requests
permission to approach, shyly announcing
his intentions. "Your majesty, I have
from the priests your first assignment,
as established by the Lord." |
| You
wave him in. He approaches slowly and, kneeling
down, hands you a small scroll. Hurriedly,
you remove the seal and unroll the stiff parchment,
barely containing your excitement. Then, just
as kings for generations before you, your
eyes fall upon these few words: |
"Your
first, and most important, tasks as King,
as decreed by God Himself: 1.) Write out
the Law of God in your own hand, and 2.)
Keep it with you always, and read from it
every day of your life." |
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Even
for the kings of Israel, who were undoubtedly schooled
in God's Word from a young age, God made His Word their
top priority, expecting them to value
it above all else — to the point that
He commanded them to write it out word-for-word, then
carry it with them everywhere and read from it continually!
Matthew
Henry's Commentary
adds these remarks: |
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Having
a Bible by him of his own writing, he must not think it
enough to keep it in his cabinet, but he must read
therein all the days of his life, v. 19. It is not
enough to have Bibles, but we must use them, use them
daily, as the duty and necessity of everyday require:
our souls must have their constant meals of that manna;
and, if well digested, it will be true nourishment and
strength to them. As the body is receiving benefit by
its food continually, and not only when it is eating,
so is the soul, by the word of God, if it meditate
therein day and night, Ps
1:2. And we must persevere in the use of the
written word of God as long as we live. Christ's scholars
never learn above their Bibles, but will have a constant
occasion for them till they come to that world where knowledge
and love will both be made perfect. |
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So what
are the benefits of consistent time in the Bible?
Deuteronomy
17:19-20 lists these specific benefits of feeding
on God's Word: |
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"...that he may learn to fear the LORD his
God and be careful to observe all the words of this
law and these statutes, that his heart may not be
lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn
aside from the commandment to the right hand or
to the left, and that he may prolong his days in
his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of
Israel." (NKJV) |
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| Action
Step: Get a Plan |
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| Without
a definite plan to feed on
God's Word in 2004, our good intentions will
remain just that — mere resolutions
rather than real results. |
| Take
the time to find (or create) a daily Bible
reading plan — and make sure it's in
writing! |
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Click
here to see how you can use
PC Study Bible to customize your
own Bible reading plan and track
your progress. |
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| • |
New Century Version.
Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing,
a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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The
New King James Version, Copyright © 1982, Thomas
Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. |
| • |
Matthew
Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, New Modern
Edition, Complete and Unabridged in Six Volumes.
Electronic Database. Copyright © 1991 by Hendrickson
Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved. |
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THIS STUDY
within PC Study Bible |
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 DIG
DEEPER
with PC Study Bible |
| 1 |
STOP
SNACKING.
Why consistency (and a plan) is crucial for your
spiritual growth. |
| 2 |
DIGEST
IT.
What it really means to meditate on God's Word. |
| 3 |
WALK
IT OUT.
Don't just consume the Word. Do what it says! |
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