Wednesday, April 14, 2010

You're A Christian--Now What?? Part II

This past Saturday, I had the blessed privilage to be on the phone when my sister prayed to repent of her sins and trust Christ as her Savior. I have been praying for this for more than a decade. I am so thankful to God for His blessing in this regard. I began to reflect, since she is my baby sister in the Lord and by birth, that I should make some effort to help her along in the early stages of her walk with our Lord. Since I was going to be writing this anyway, I thought I'd interupt my expositions of Matthew and II Peter to present these same truths to you. I hope you are encouraged in your faith and that you will share these with other believers as well.

Things I wish someone had told me when I got saved

2) Learn to study the Bible.

How many days last week did you skip a meal? Probably none. We have to eat to live. Taking in food is how we get the energy we need to move and the stuff we need to repair our bodies.

Now, you've been saved less than 2 weeks. Think how desperately a baby, especially a newborn, needs food. I mean, you and I eat three meals a day. A baby eats, what, 7 if you count nighttime feedings. Therefore, since you're a newborn spiritually, you need to feed your spirit. The only way to do that is to study the Bible.

Remember, though, that studying the Bible is hard work and it's something you have to learn to do just like you had to learn to add or read. I've been saved for nearly 26 years and for the past 11 or so have really focused on studying, preaching, and teaching the Bible and I feel like I'm just barely getting started to learn it. Ask questions when you don't understand something. If you're not sure what a passage means or how it applies, get a notebook and start to keep notes of questions that you have. You'll find sometimes even in the reading of the Bible that it will answer your questions.

The key thing to remember: the Bible is spirtual food. Your soul needs it like your body needs food.

II Peter 2:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

I Peter 2:1-2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

Psalm 1:1-2 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

2 comments:

St. Lee said...

Praise the Lord! I am happy for you brother, and happy to have a new sister in the Lord.

Joe Blackmon said...

Thank you, Lee.