"Of the children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites: of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites: of Beriah, the family of the Berites ... "Uh? Skip" my mind said, "Skip it man, it's useless, you can't understand." But my spirit revolted. "Then I can't say I read the Bible fully once." So it went on. Once, twice, thrice, till I lost track of how many times I read the Bible.
It was before my conversion that the Bible was an albatross to me. I used to keep it under my head and read here a little there a little. But the day I came to know the Lord I got wedded to His Word. I thought it sacrilegious to place it on the floor. I wouldn't allow anyone to keep anything on it. I wouldn't even use a pencil to mark it. I was passionately possessive of that Book. Yet no one taught me how to use it. I am surprised why. I felt like Tenzing and Hilary to start from Genesis, walk up the 66 books to end up in Revelation and hoist a victory flag! I felt I knew everything about the Bible.
It spoke to me, comforted me, counselled me, chided me; I even fought with it. It would point out my sin and I would refuse to acknowledge. But daily it would thrash me about till I bowed down before it with penitent tears. Then we would get along well. It became my closest companion.
Not knowing what more to do after the first reading I went back to the front cover and started all over again. And so I read and read and read an umpteen number of times till there was a small Bible inside of me. I do not know why God allowed me to go through the pages so many times without really studying it. I guess He wanted to put a small Bible into my heart. I cannot remove it now. No one can. If I try, it will only leave a bad bleeding wound. I did not know it by heart but the outline was deeply engraved. I would complete one book on a holiday. It was not difficult as I imagined. Many times we are deceived by our own preconceived notions. In journeys if I cannot witness, I aim to finish one book. Reading at a stretch I unearth many new truths.
The more I read the Bible the more restless I became. My victory flag was not waving in the wind. It was pathetically drooping. There was no more the hilarious mood. I knew there was something more to discover in this grand book. So I started marking the
verses which I thought were important. First I did it carefully, neatly. But as the message was seeping in I started marking more, connecting two verses, putting arrows here and there drawing symbols to certain thoughts, writing down in the margin what that particular verse inspired in me, the dates God spoke to me through that verse, my confessions, my feelings, "P" against verses which had prophetic significance, "E" for evangelism, a cloven tongue for Holy Spirit, numbering where there is a list, and so on. The pages were turning colourful and were falling off. My friend seemed to age too quickly but I didn't want to switch over to a younger fellow. I hugged him and kissed him secretly. My good old friend!
Parting was painful when I left for college everyday. So I developed the habit of carrying a pocket New Testament. It was actually to keep my mind and eyes occupied; because I had presented them to my Lord as instruments of righteousness and I did not want them to behave like vagabonds. So it served a double purpose. I read it till the lecturer entered the class, in the bus stand and wherever I could possibly read.
As I continued reading, the pages became alive to me. I would imagine myself in that situation. How would I feel if I were born blind and my eyes were opened suddenly by a touch? — and I would jump with joy. If I were to sit at Jesus' feet and be listening to Him not caring who said what—and the warmth of the presence of Jesus would envelope me. I would giggle at the nose-cuts the Pharisees received and clap hands for Jesus. I would spread my share of palm leaves when Jesus rode on the donkey and try to ouch the hem of His garment. I have literally lived in many pages of the Bible! Night I would be sitting by River Jordan watching the baptisms. I would run behind Jesus when John pointed to Him as the Lamb of God, only to wake up in the morning to realise they were just dreams. I was like the hungry man of Isaiah 29:8: "It shall even be as when a hungry person dreams of eating, but awakens hungry still."
Beloved, keep yourself in Bible situations and imagine your plight. It will enlarge your meditation. The immediate next step is to keep Jesus in that situation and paint the picture again. If it were Jesus, what would He have done or said? Ask yourself the question: Do I have the courage to do what Jesus would have done? That is the ideal. Now come down from heaven to earth and relate what you read to practical life. Have you faced a similar situation in life? How did you act or react? Was it closer to Jesus model? Analyse and find out where you deviated from the Bible pattern.
Now lift it up to the Lord in prayer. Specifically pray abiding on that portion you have read. Confess your failure to the Lord and seek His help and take decisions. Worship the Lord from that portion, mentioning that particular attribute of the Lord so that it will be unerasably registered in your memory.
From the beginning (for seemingly no reason at all) I practiced reading the Tamil Bible (my mother tongue) in the morning and English Bible in the evening. Now I understand the value of it. Bible study materials are abundant in English and a good knowledge of the English Bible gives you access to all this. In my early days, atleast I did not hear of systematic Bible Study Programmes. We had to just struggle through.
Once it happened that I left my suitcase in an auto and walked off. Along with it my Bible was gone. I prayed God to tell the driver to send my Bible atleast. It was like losing someone. Reluctantly I bought another Bible and started reading it. Suddenly it dawned on me why God did not answer my prayer. Now in the new Bible from the brand new unmarked pages new thoughts blossomed forth. And I started marking again the new messages excitedly.
We should not of course idolise our Bible. It is the matter that is important. Write, rewrite, mark, underline, count, calculate, join, refer to the map. When you can use it no more get a new copy. Do not discard your old Bible. Keep it safe in the shelf. It is your spiritual biography. Some day you will need those messages God spoke to you.
Once I had to manage with a borrowed Bible for a week. Something was different which made me want to read more. I realised it was the large type. I felt comfortable and easy to read. I changed my Bible to a larger print. Since then I discourage anyone using a small print.
Do not be prejudiced against new translations. Some are good and very reliable. If you have read your Bible enough number of times, try a different translation next time you start from Genesis. It will definitely enrich your understanding of the Word.
The NKJV, NIV, NASB and RSV are reliable translations. Good News Bible and The Living Bible are helpful for light reading. Don't use many at a time. Mark the year. Put the date at the end of each day's reading, and aim to finish it in a year.
Later I was privileged to attend certain Bible Study Programmes conducted for lay people. That was when I realised that scholars have done a lot of work on the Bible, and that we should not be reading the Bible for ever but studying. We were introduced to many study materials in these programmes. I bought a notebook for my Bible. I realised with shame that I had used notebooks for all the subjects except - The Bible. How sad. In Luther's days the devil kept the people in darkness by chaining the Bible. Today we have the open Bible, but the devil has cunningly chained our hands from using it fully. We are not ignorant of the devices of the devil. If you do not have a notebook for your Bible - please buy one - today! Never sit down to study your Bible without your note and pen.
Write down all the possible questions in the chapter you read. Then answer them. Put down your meditation thoughts. Draw figures where you want. Mark the date. Never mind long interruptions. Restart. Don't give in to the feeling it is impossible. Give a heading and subheadings to each chapter of the Bible. (This you can write on your Bible itself). Paraphrase the contents of each chapter in your own words and write down. Don't be tempted to think you are wasting time. You'll realise the value of it all, years later. Try to share what you discover with others. If there is a Bible study join it. Get good Bible study books and use them.
When you study the Bible remember how you prepared for your secular examinations. Should we not labour more for godly things? If an examination is conducted in the Bible I am sure 50% of believers would miserably fail. That's because we just casually read, never study. How can we allow ourselves to be cheated over so great a treasure? Arise from your lethargy and start labouring. If two or more join and study, question each other. Have a test each month among yourselves. Wherever you minister, conduct tests for Christians and reward them. Teach them how to study the Bible. Don't take it for granted that they know. Introduce them to a sound correspondence course. If some Bible examination is conducted in your place, boldly make an attempt. It is not a shame if you fail. You prepared for the examination and the purpose is served. (But please try to pass!)
Make an attempt to memorise important verses and passages. If you are blessed with a good memory, try to memorise an epistle. Never mind if you forget it after sometime. It is impossible then to forget the overall content of the book.
I was too anxious to finish the Bible in a year. Then the Lord applied the brakes and I was inspired to meditate verse by verse. One day I would meditate just 5-10 verses. The process was painfully slow but rewarding. I would ponder over that one verse, word by word and bring in all the related verses I could recollect. At this time I was blessed with a loose-leaf Bible where I could write down my meditation, remove or insert pages. It added a new dimension to my study.
Don't worry about what you don't understand. The Lord would teach you step by step. Use Concordances, Bible Dictionaries and Reference Bibles freely. It is better always to start with the New Testament. Don't skip. Turn to all the references. Even if the pages turn slow your knowledge will expand fast.
If you have read through the Bible quite a few times, then next time choose a topic of interest to you and trace it from Genesis to Revelation and mark those passages as you read through. So far I have marked the passages on worship, women and Messianic
line. It makes an enlightening study. You can also do important character studies.
The New Analytical Study Bible is a topical Bible which has sorted out the entire Bible into 27 topics. The Chronological Bible is in chronological order.
Still I was not satisfied with my Bible knowledge. I got some self study material and tried. I could not understand many things, neither could I discipline myself. So I started doing a correspondence course. Ooph! All that I have read in the past 25 years came to a, clear focus. Like a jigsaw puzzle the pieces were falling into place. I felt I had missed so much. Will we ever start from the scratch to study a science subject? Do we try to discover by ourselves what scholars have already discovered and written down? Will a science student be made to sit under an apple tree to discover why an apple falls down to earth? First he studies Newton's laws of gravity and then proceeds further. We start from where they left. That's why science is advancing. Why is not religion advancing? Because we start from the beginning never caring for what scholars have already put down in black and white. We must start from where they left. Then religion will advance by leaps and bounds.
The reformation in churches will come only when the amateur will be full of the knowledge of the Bible, standing in par with the professional. Only then will we experience the promise of the New Covenant: "None of them shall teach his neighbour, and none
his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.' For all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them" (Heb 8:11).
I am no Bible scholar. In these days of theological explosion I know what I have written is baby talk. But if I have succeeded in sparking in you a love for the study of the Word of God, by pouring out my heart, I am satisfied.
"Blessed is the one whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, and who mediates on His Law day and night" (Psa 1:2).
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, 8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
"Of the children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites: of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites: of Beriah, the family of the Berites ... "Uh? Skip" my mind said, "Skip it man, it's useless, you can't understand." But my spirit revolted. "Then I can't say I read the Bible fully once." So it went on. Once, twice, thrice, till I lost track of how many times I read the Bible.
It was before my conversion that the Bible was an albatross to me. I used to keep it under my head and read here a little there a little. But the day I came to know the Lord I got wedded to His Word. I thought it sacrilegious to place it on the floor. I wouldn't allow anyone to keep anything on it. I wouldn't even use a pencil to mark it. I was passionately possessive of that Book. Yet no one taught me how to use it. I am surprised why. I felt like Tenzing and Hilary to start from Genesis, walk up the 66 books to end up in Revelation and hoist a victory flag! I felt I knew everything about the Bible.
It spoke to me, comforted me, counselled me, chided me; I even fought with it. It would point out my sin and I would refuse to acknowledge. But daily it would thrash me about till I bowed down before it with penitent tears. Then we would get along well. It became my closest companion.
Not knowing what more to do after the first reading I went back to the front cover and started all over again. And so I read and read and read an umpteen number of times till there was a small Bible inside of me. I do not know why God allowed me to go through the pages so many times without really studying it. I guess He wanted to put a small Bible into my heart. I cannot remove it now. No one can. If I try, it will only leave a bad bleeding wound. I did not know it by heart but the outline was deeply engraved. I would complete one book on a holiday. It was not difficult as I imagined. Many times we are deceived by our own preconceived notions. In journeys if I cannot witness, I aim to finish one book. Reading at a stretch I unearth many new truths.
The more I read the Bible the more restless I became. My victory flag was not waving in the wind. It was pathetically drooping. There was no more the hilarious mood. I knew there was something more to discover in this grand book. So I started marking the
verses which I thought were important. First I did it carefully, neatly. But as the message was seeping in I started marking more, connecting two verses, putting arrows here and there drawing symbols to certain thoughts, writing down in the margin what that particular verse inspired in me, the dates God spoke to me through that verse, my confessions, my feelings, "P" against verses which had prophetic significance, "E" for evangelism, a cloven tongue for Holy Spirit, numbering where there is a list, and so on. The pages were turning colourful and were falling off. My friend seemed to age too quickly but I didn't want to switch over to a younger fellow. I hugged him and kissed him secretly. My good old friend!
Parting was painful when I left for college everyday. So I developed the habit of carrying a pocket New Testament. It was actually to keep my mind and eyes occupied; because I had presented them to my Lord as instruments of righteousness and I did not want them to behave like vagabonds. So it served a double purpose. I read it till the lecturer entered the class, in the bus stand and wherever I could possibly read.
As I continued reading, the pages became alive to me. I would imagine myself in that situation. How would I feel if I were born blind and my eyes were opened suddenly by a touch? — and I would jump with joy. If I were to sit at Jesus' feet and be listening to Him not caring who said what—and the warmth of the presence of Jesus would envelope me. I would giggle at the nose-cuts the Pharisees received and clap hands for Jesus. I would spread my share of palm leaves when Jesus rode on the donkey and try to ouch the hem of His garment. I have literally lived in many pages of the Bible! Night I would be sitting by River Jordan watching the baptisms. I would run behind Jesus when John pointed to Him as the Lamb of God, only to wake up in the morning to realise they were just dreams. I was like the hungry man of Isaiah 29:8: "It shall even be as when a hungry person dreams of eating, but awakens hungry still."
Beloved, keep yourself in Bible situations and imagine your plight. It will enlarge your meditation. The immediate next step is to keep Jesus in that situation and paint the picture again. If it were Jesus, what would He have done or said? Ask yourself the question: Do I have the courage to do what Jesus would have done? That is the ideal. Now come down from heaven to earth and relate what you read to practical life. Have you faced a similar situation in life? How did you act or react? Was it closer to Jesus model? Analyse and find out where you deviated from the Bible pattern.
Now lift it up to the Lord in prayer. Specifically pray abiding on that portion you have read. Confess your failure to the Lord and seek His help and take decisions. Worship the Lord from that portion, mentioning that particular attribute of the Lord so that it will be unerasably registered in your memory.
From the beginning (for seemingly no reason at all) I practiced reading the Tamil Bible (my mother tongue) in the morning and English Bible in the evening. Now I understand the value of it. Bible study materials are abundant in English and a good knowledge of the English Bible gives you access to all this. In my early days, atleast I did not hear of systematic Bible Study Programmes. We had to just struggle through.
Once it happened that I left my suitcase in an auto and walked off. Along with it my Bible was gone. I prayed God to tell the driver to send my Bible atleast. It was like losing someone. Reluctantly I bought another Bible and started reading it. Suddenly it dawned on me why God did not answer my prayer. Now in the new Bible from the brand new unmarked pages new thoughts blossomed forth. And I started marking again the new messages excitedly.
We should not of course idolise our Bible. It is the matter that is important. Write, rewrite, mark, underline, count, calculate, join, refer to the map. When you can use it no more get a new copy. Do not discard your old Bible. Keep it safe in the shelf. It is your spiritual biography. Some day you will need those messages God spoke to you.
Once I had to manage with a borrowed Bible for a week. Something was different which made me want to read more. I realised it was the large type. I felt comfortable and easy to read. I changed my Bible to a larger print. Since then I discourage anyone using a small print.
Do not be prejudiced against new translations. Some are good and very reliable. If you have read your Bible enough number of times, try a different translation next time you start from Genesis. It will definitely enrich your understanding of the Word.
The NKJV, NIV, NASB and RSV are reliable translations. Good News Bible and The Living Bible are helpful for light reading. Don't use many at a time. Mark the year. Put the date at the end of each day's reading, and aim to finish it in a year.
Later I was privileged to attend certain Bible Study Programmes conducted for lay people. That was when I realised that scholars have done a lot of work on the Bible, and that we should not be reading the Bible for ever but studying. We were introduced to many study materials in these programmes. I bought a notebook for my Bible. I realised with shame that I had used notebooks for all the subjects except - The Bible. How sad. In Luther's days the devil kept the people in darkness by chaining the Bible. Today we have the open Bible, but the devil has cunningly chained our hands from using it fully. We are not ignorant of the devices of the devil. If you do not have a notebook for your Bible - please buy one - today! Never sit down to study your Bible without your note and pen.
Write down all the possible questions in the chapter you read. Then answer them. Put down your meditation thoughts. Draw figures where you want. Mark the date. Never mind long interruptions. Restart. Don't give in to the feeling it is impossible. Give a heading and subheadings to each chapter of the Bible. (This you can write on your Bible itself). Paraphrase the contents of each chapter in your own words and write down. Don't be tempted to think you are wasting time. You'll realise the value of it all, years later. Try to share what you discover with others. If there is a Bible study join it. Get good Bible study books and use them.
When you study the Bible remember how you prepared for your secular examinations. Should we not labour more for godly things? If an examination is conducted in the Bible I am sure 50% of believers would miserably fail. That's because we just casually read, never study. How can we allow ourselves to be cheated over so great a treasure? Arise from your lethargy and start labouring. If two or more join and study, question each other. Have a test each month among yourselves. Wherever you minister, conduct tests for Christians and reward them. Teach them how to study the Bible. Don't take it for granted that they know. Introduce them to a sound correspondence course. If some Bible examination is conducted in your place, boldly make an attempt. It is not a shame if you fail. You prepared for the examination and the purpose is served. (But please try to pass!)
Make an attempt to memorise important verses and passages. If you are blessed with a good memory, try to memorise an epistle. Never mind if you forget it after sometime. It is impossible then to forget the overall content of the book.
I was too anxious to finish the Bible in a year. Then the Lord applied the brakes and I was inspired to meditate verse by verse. One day I would meditate just 5-10 verses. The process was painfully slow but rewarding. I would ponder over that one verse, word by word and bring in all the related verses I could recollect. At this time I was blessed with a loose-leaf Bible where I could write down my meditation, remove or insert pages. It added a new dimension to my study.
Don't worry about what you don't understand. The Lord would teach you step by step. Use Concordances, Bible Dictionaries and Reference Bibles freely. It is better always to start with the New Testament. Don't skip. Turn to all the references. Even if the pages turn slow your knowledge will expand fast.
If you have read through the Bible quite a few times, then next time choose a topic of interest to you and trace it from Genesis to Revelation and mark those passages as you read through. So far I have marked the passages on worship, women and Messianic
line. It makes an enlightening study. You can also do important character studies.
The New Analytical Study Bible is a topical Bible which has sorted out the entire Bible into 27 topics. The Chronological Bible is in chronological order.
Still I was not satisfied with my Bible knowledge. I got some self study material and tried. I could not understand many things, neither could I discipline myself. So I started doing a correspondence course. Ooph! All that I have read in the past 25 years came to a, clear focus. Like a jigsaw puzzle the pieces were falling into place. I felt I had missed so much. Will we ever start from the scratch to study a science subject? Do we try to discover by ourselves what scholars have already discovered and written down? Will a science student be made to sit under an apple tree to discover why an apple falls down to earth? First he studies Newton's laws of gravity and then proceeds further. We start from where they left. That's why science is advancing. Why is not religion advancing? Because we start from the beginning never caring for what scholars have already put down in black and white. We must start from where they left. Then religion will advance by leaps and bounds.
The reformation in churches will come only when the amateur will be full of the knowledge of the Bible, standing in par with the professional. Only then will we experience the promise of the New Covenant: "None of them shall teach his neighbour, and none
his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.' For all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them" (Heb 8:11).
I am no Bible scholar. In these days of theological explosion I know what I have written is baby talk. But if I have succeeded in sparking in you a love for the study of the Word of God, by pouring out my heart, I am satisfied.
"Blessed is the one whose delight is in the Law of the Lord, and who mediates on His Law day and night" (Psa 1:2).
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, Mob:8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
