Wednesday, November 11, 2015

30 Days of Thankfulness, Day 11: Necessity

Today's theme is "necessity."  Last night I was thinking about what I might take a picture of today, and I was running through a list of things in my head that might qualify as necessities.  Which brought me to the conclusion that we have an awful lot of things in our lives that are actually luxuries!! :)  Obviously food and water and clothing are the basic necessities, but I decided to focus on a different kind of necessity...my Bible!  I guess to many people in other countries, a Bible would actually be a luxury too.  The reason I'm putting it in the "necessary" category is that as a Christian, my faith is obviously a huge part of who I am.  And (to quote the Bible :)) "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."  So I couldn't really have more than a basic knowledge of God (such as what I might understand of a Creator...through nature, etc.) without the Bible.

I will be the first to admit that I struggle often with consistency in Bible study, especially since adding a new baby to the family.  Some days I just don't get a quiet time at all, and I really miss it.  Thankfully I know this is a season, and one day (hopefully soon!) I'll be getting a bit more sleep, getting up earlier, and having that uninterrupted time first thing in the morning.  Until then, I'm so thankful for the multitudes of verses I memorized as a kid...God brings His word to mind when I need it!  I also get to do Bible study with the kids each day for school.  We just finished up a study from Philippians, we're reading bits of Peter's life in the Gospels, and we've started into "The Dig," a study from Luke.  Even though these are all geared toward children, I'm finding the principles apply to me, too!

On a related note, in this busy season of motherhood with a small baby, one of my go-to devotionals has been She Reads Truth.  In seasons where I have more time to dig deeper and journal, I really like the Bible studies from Love God Greatly.   Hello Mornings also has some great resources!  I would love to hear any of your favorite devotional books or websites/online resources, as well.

So to me, the Bible is a necessity.  :)  I'm thankful that here in America we have the luxury of owning one (or many!) and the freedom to study and learn from God's word.  I know I take that for granted way too often.

3 comments:

Mrs.T said...

Great post! God's Word is indeed a necessity! The more we get to know God, the stronger our faith will be and the more we will be able to trust Him. And of course we get to know Him through His Word.

That's neat that verses memorized as a child are still with you. And also neat that you get to do Bible study with the kids as part of school. You're right, too -- this is just a season, and one day you will again have time for uninterrupted Bible study.

I've found that using the SOAP method of meditating on Scripture is really a blessing and doesn't have to take a lot of time. Currently, though, I am working on a Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount -- Right Side Up Living in an Upside Down World, by Rand Hummel. It's one of his six-week Bible studies; I picked it up while at the ladies' retreat. It's a challenge, but I'm really enjoying it. I'm in the second week of the study.

Kathleen :-) said...

I enjoyed reading this post, as always, but loved hearing what you are learning!!! :-)
I am currently working on reading through the Bible in a year...I started in the Spring and I'm sure it will take me longer than a year, but non the less, trying to work through! :) I also have a book A Parent's Book of Prayer's by Tony Wood, there is a prayer for each day...such a blessing, and I find those Prayer's relate to what I need to be praying for myself as well. I'm also working through The Red Sea Rules by Robert J. Morgan. I am like you, and often find that the things the kid's are learning, either in Patch Club Devotions or in School are just what I needed as well! It's neat to see how God teaches us things, and I'm so grateful for His Word that teaches and guides us just how we need it!!!!

Mrs. Smith said...

Enjoying your thankfulness posts! God's Word--definitely a necessity! Good reminder, Carrie, and also a good reminder of the importance of memorizing scripture, which is an area I am weak in.