Habits: God's Word (Week 2)

Psalms 1:1-3 “God blesses those people who refuse evil advice and won't follow sinners or join in sneering at God.  2Instead, the Law of the LORD makes them happy, and they think about it day and night.  3They are like trees growing beside a stream, trees that produce fruit in season and always have leaves.  Those people succeed in everything they do.”

Have you ever tried to put something together without reading the directions.  Guys we are the worst at this because sometimes our egos get in the way of common sense.  I do this all the time.   I’ll be trying to put together a piece of furniture or a toy for my son of something and I’ll get all the way to the end and have parts left over and lo and behold...what do you know.... The stupid thing breaks....

Now, most of the time I’ll get mad at whatever the object is and talk about how much of a piece that thing is.....but the reality is.....I probably left out the one bolt or screw that was supposed to hold the whole thing together in the first place.

Well if you’re a Christ follower and you’re  neglecting the habit of reading God’s word....You’re leaving out an extremely important part of your journey with God.  You see because inside the Bible there are tons of useful lessons that God teaches us to help us navigate through this life.

Now reading the Bible may be a little confusing for you.  I remember when I started reading it and I couldn’t even understand some of the language that was in it.  And that was because I had a translation, a version of the Bible, that was difficult for me to understand.

But the cool thing is that there are many different versions of the Bible and some created just so people our age can understand it.  One really useful tool is Youversion.com.  At Youversion.com you’ll find like a reading plan that allows you to read the entire Bible in a year.  

Also, there are helpful comments and ideas that other people contribute to different verses to kind of help shape your understanding of that verse.  Man it’s just one of many cool resources to help you understand the Bible.  You definitely need to visit youversion.com and check out some of the features.

So get a version you can understand, find some resources like youversion to help you grasp what certain verses are saying, and probably the most important thing you can do to form a habit for reading God’s word is to read often.  

It’s just like anything else you do.  In order to form a habit you have to do it over and over again.  You might even designate a certain time during your day that you’re going to devote just 5 or 10 minutes to just reading scripture.  Maybe it’s during lunch or when you get home from school.....really it’s just whatever works best for you.

Here’s the deal.  You can’t truly know God’s character without taking in scripture on a regular basis.  The Bible is like this letter direct from God to us and so we can learn a lot about Him just by regularly setting aside time in our day to see what he wants to tell us.  

Remember no athlete competes without training.  No musician performs without practice.  And a Christ follower can’t truly follow God if the Bible isn’t a regular part of their journey with Him. 

Close (Primetime Teaching)

We're Teaching This

Do you have any close friends? Ones you feel completely comfortable around? Friends you can talk to for hours? If so, you’re lucky. Friends like that are awesome. But chances are you have other friends too. Maybe you grew up around each other. Maybe you work at the same job or go to the same school. It’s not that you don’t like them. They’re great. You just aren’t that close. For most of us, our relationship with God feels like it swings between those two extremes. Maybe you can remember a time, after a retreat or a church camp, when God felt super real and personal. You were BFFs. But then, somehow, things drifted in the other direction. There was distance. And, while you’re definitely not against God, you wouldn’t describe yourself as “close” anymore. We all go through times when our relationship with God seems more “far” than “near”, but what do we do about it? Why does it feel so complicated? And is there anything we can do to keep the drift from happening? Thankfully, in His word, God makes it super clear that His desire is to be close with us. And as we journey back toward Him, we may just find Him running in our direction as well.

Think About This

As I stood at the entrance to the gym, I saw the coach walking with my teenage son, and heading straight for me. I took a deep breath and prepared for the words that would come next.

“Your son did awesome today in practice. He just needs to work on his shots. When you are at home shooting, make sure he works on how he’s positioning his hand.” I nodded in agreement, as my son and I gave each other a knowing glance.

We got in the car and on the drive home, I said, “that was funny. He actually thinks you and I are going to practice basketball together.”

“Yeah, I know,” my son replied.

It happens all the time. I have three sons and every single one of them is a good athlete—at least that’s what numerous coaches have said.

I’m not athletic. At one of my son’s baseball’s games, I threw a foul ball back on to the field. It hit the first baseman.

My sons are not mini versions of me—and that’s okay. As my children have grown, I have seen firsthand how God has uniquely created them to be individuals. So it’s an ongoing, ever changing challenge for me to find ways to connect with them.

Here are few things I’ve learned along the way:

1. Be realistic, not frustrated.

Don’t let the frustrations of their differences trip you up. Your differences give them room to grow. At some point, being around someone different from you is always a little unnerving—even if it’s your own kid, but try not to let it frustrate you. Instead, think of understanding them like putting together a puzzle—one piece at a time. and if you feel adventurous, even try something new.

2. Be a student, not a poser.

You don’t have to be good at something to be interested. Let your kids teach you about what they enjoy—whether it’s cooking, sports, filmmaking or repairing cars. Only occasionally will I actually make a shot in basketball. But there is a blissfulness in ignorance, as you can learn something from your son or daughter that is completely new to you. And they’re sure to appreciate you taking an interest, even if it isn’t traditionally “your thing”.

3. Be resourceful, not guilty.

Don’t feel like a failure if you can’t be everything for your kid. You were never meant to be—that’s God’s job. But even if you don’t understand how to build your own computer or can’t catch a football, you might know someone who does. An aunt or uncle, a small group leader, a grandparent, a neighbor. I had two neighbors who loved to throw a football to my boys, and my boys enjoyed it. And it was a great opportunity to widen the circle of influence for my own students.

I want to be connected with my sons. I want to have a relationship with them, but that doesn’t mean that we have to enjoy all the same things. Sometimes it means we just focus on what we do have in common—like a love of pizza. But other times, it means that I intentionally look opportunities to show them that I care about the things that matter to them.

By Tim Walker

Try This

Chances are there are some interests and hobbies your son or daughter enjoys that completely baffle you. This week, try to take an interest in what interests them.

Maybe for you that means:

• Asking what musical artist they’re into and why they like them.
• Going to a sporting, musical or theater event together.
• Watching a TV show together that they really like.
• Visiting a museum together that celebrates what they’re into and asking them to show you around.
• Asking them to give you a lesson on how to do their favorite hobby.

No matter how different you are, you can always value their interests by asking questions and paying attention to the things they care about. In doing so, you’re modeling the way for them to take an interest in the interests of others as well.