Tozer Devotional

Good stuff to ponder.

Tozer Devotional

Bible Reading Bookmark

Here is a project I'm working on for church...

Feed on the Word of God

Listening to Jesus in His revealed Scripture.

First, begin with prayer

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what He has for you in His truth.
  
• Read the passage you are going to study, slowly.
  
• What key phrase or word jumps out at you?
  

  
  

Second, meditate or study God's Word

• Seek after the meaning of the text that God inspired the human author to write.
  
• Ask questions of the text to help you comprehend the passage:
  
  • What does the text say? What are the key words?
    
  • What is the main point? What is the meaning of the text?
    
  • What truths are here? What ideas are supporting the main point?
    

    
    

Third, pray the text

• Respond by expressing your thoughts back to God.
  
• Adore Him, thank Him let His thoughts be your thoughts as you talk to Him in prayer.
  

  
  

Fourth, contemplate and apply the passage

• Memorize a verse or two of the passage that specifically spoke to you.
  
• How does this passage apply to your life? Is there something new to know, be or do from this passage? Is the Spirit leading to change a behavior in your life?
  
• Now that you have worked on the text, let the text work on you: rest in God's truth. Do not be in such a hurry to get on with your day. Hang out with Jesus!
  

No Exhortation with out Encouragment

Titus 2.12-14 provides such great encouragement from Jesus' ministry to us: the appearing of His grace, the imparting His holiness on us, how He is the only source of hope and it's all because of His sacrifice to die on the cross for our sins. In 2.15 Paul comands Titus to exhort God's people to obey (because the aurhority is Jesus'). Without encouragment the pastor cannot exhort. How sad, the pastor or Christian who wants the heavy hand of God as the center of the message without the encoragment of Jesus.

Grace worked out in the real world. The pastor/flock relationship.

In prep for this Sunday's sermon on Galatians 4.1-20 I was struck by how Paul's "real life" relationship with the churches in Galatia provide the field of application for all the great theology of the book. Simple though I know, but still in light of the opening verses of the chapter it is in a pastor/flock relationship, in the church, that the Trinity's adoption of us is experienced. When we commit to a local body and the structure the Lord has given to His church, we fully know how much He loves and provides for us. It is my opportunity as a shepherd to provide Jesus' care and a congregation member's opportunity to receive from Jesus. That reality makes it almost depressing when, in our consumer society, people bounce around from church to church and thus do not experience the fullness of body life that Jesus intends. Likewise it is sad when pastor act as ranchers and managers in the body and deprive Jesus' intent for the flock…there is another reason why Scripture refers to pastors as shepherds.

A prayer for your day from Titus 1.1

May Jesus be the object your faith.

May you rest in knowing that God choose you.

May you listen to Jesus as He reveals Himself to you.

May you know Jesus more and more.

May you allow Him, as the truth, change you.

May you follow as He leads you to look more like Him.