Episode #340 Scripture That Sticks: Moving Beyond Your Quiet Time – Learning to Enjoy Life with God

I have good news for you today. You and I don't need a perfect quiet time in order to live a scripture shaped life. We get to go into day-to-day experiences of life with God. And today we're talking about what happens after our Bible reading and how scripture gets to go with us into everyday life circumstances. 

Now, if you've been a believer for a bit of time, you've probably heard James 1:22 before. It says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

It's not the point to simply read the Bible. We get to be those who apply it and do what it says. But here's where things can get tricky. For a lot of years, I spent my efforts trying to figure out what I was supposed to do and making action steps only based on my own understanding. I knew the Bible was supposed to be put in action, and I thought it was up to me to figure out what to do and to bring about God's transformation in my own life. I thought living as a transformed Christian was a way of proving to the Lord that I was serious, that I was faithful, that I was focused and determined and loyal as a Christian. But that's not true. We partner with God in his good work in our lives, but he's the one who does the transforming work. We apply what the Word says, not just based on our own understanding. Not just based on what we read and reflect on but based on what God reveals. And there is so much freedom that comes from that because as you read your Bible, as you read it today, as you read it tomorrow, there are things on God's heart that he wants to share with you. There's ways you can apply scripture to your life and in your circumstances that God wants to empower. That he wants to reveal to you and show you how to walk in.

Now, if this sounds complicated or new to you in any way, or you simply wanna refresh on how to do this, I walk you through how to walk with God and enjoying scripture with him, and experiencing God in the Bible, in my Captivated Playbook.

It's beautiful. It's simple. I walk you step by step through this process, and there's a link available for you to get that in the show notes. But for today, we're focusing on this area of application. It really comes down to this core question of what would God have you do? And that's not something for you to guess at or try and figure out on your own. That's something that God himself wants to share with you. 

I'm gonna read some passages for us that relate who we are as Christ followers to plants, and the goodness, the nutrients, the guidance that we receive from the Lord. And so pay attention to hear that in these verses.

Psalm 1:2–3

 "But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

 and on his law he meditates day and night.

 He is like a tree planted by streams of water

 that yields its fruit in its season,

 and its leaf does not wither.

 In all that he does, he prospers."

John 15:4–5

 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,

 unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,

 he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Feeling unsure when you read the Bible doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. It actually probably means you're paying attention. And wanting to apply what you're reading is good. That is a good desire because God invites us to partner with him as he's transforming us. We get to be doers of the word, not just hearers of the word. But scripture was never meant to be mastered in a sitting. It was meant to be returned to again and again, with God.

So let's make this super practical for a second. God invites you to do something with what you're reading in the Word. The first thing you get do is to stay connected, to ask him to be in the moment with you. To ask him to reveal himself. To ask him how he's on display in scripture and in your life and how you can live connected, not disconnecting from the vine. And asking him, God, what does it look like to apply this today? God, what's the fruit that you are wanting to bear in my life from what I'm reading?

For a long time, I spent way too much effort trying to duct tape fruit to myself based on what I thought I was supposed to look like because of the Bible verse I read. Instead, we get to be those who stay connected to God, ask him to produce his good fruit in us. Ask him what it looks like to apply what we're reading and then we take action based on what he shares with us and what he is planting in our spirits. 

Here is an action step that you can take into conversation with God:

God, what's one way I can practice staying connected to you as I go about my day today?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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