Many Christians have seen the word "EXEGESIS" and often do not know what it actually means.
If you been wondering - well here is the meaning:
Biblical exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of the Bible. The goal of Biblical exegesis is to find the meaning of the text which then leads to discovering its significance or relevance.
I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings;
Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from
worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things
that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life,
so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh,
finally you have the idea.
Is it not amazing to see how a wild animal trusts a human being - it is totally awesome
Below are the words of an awesome song:
I was lost when ya found me here
You pulled me close and held me near
And I'm a fool but still you love
I'll be your fool for the king of love
He gave me wings so I could fly
And gave me a song to color the sky
And all I have is all from you
And all I want is all of you
It's grace, grace
I'm nothing without you
Grace, your grace
Shines on me
And there've been days when I've walked away
Too much to carry
Nothing left to say
Forgive me Lord when I'm weak and lost
You traded heaven for a wooden cross
And all these years you've carried me
You've been my eyes when I could not see
And beauty grows in the driving rain
Your oil of gladness in the times of pain
It's grace, your grace
I'm nothing without you
Grace, your grace
Shines on me
Your grace, your grace
I'm nothing without you
Grace, your grace
Shines on me oh yeah
Shines on me
Shines on me
I'm everything with you
Shines on me
Shines on me
It's your grace
Shines on me
Your grace
Oh
Your grace it shines on me
Your grace
Your grace
Shines on me
Shines on me
Your grace it shines on me
Your grace
I have written on this topic before on a previous post some time last year but I received an email this morning that prompted me to add this topic again as the timing for me was quite interesting with regards to what is happening and the email contained Proverbs 29:14 which states:
"If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure".
My understanding of this is that when we treat others unfairly it has serious consequences for us - treating people unfairly can result in our own throne being toppled - God always ensures justice and those treating others fairly remain secure - God does not let someone get away for treating people unfairly and what we must remember is it is not for us to take revenge as God tells us and gives us the following promise:
Psalm 37:28
"The Lord loves justice, and He will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever".
When you have felt unfairly treated that is just and has validity do not go out for revenge - God always ensures justice is fair in some way or another so leave it up to Him.
As Christians we need to realize that God will always triumph with justice and fairness. AMEN
The dictionary explains "humble" as follows:
Humble - Near the ground; not high or lofty; not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; Thinking lowly of one's self; claiming little for one's self; not proud, arrogant, or assuming; thinking one's self ill-deserving or unworthy, when judged by the demands of God; lowly; weak; modest.
Have you ever been in a situation that you need to be more humble or lowly ??? Sometimes we can end up in a situation where one has no choice and God requires us to be humble and one might even have to sacrifice certain things and possibly sink to what we think is a lower level. We think it it but yet the Bible teaches us to be humble and it tells us we will also be rewarded for that. Jesus was humble:
Philippians 2:8 (New International Version)
8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Maybe in our lives we need to be more humble and not to think of ourselves in too high regard or think we are better than others.
Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Each one of us is unique and God promises us the following when we are humble:
Proverbs 22:4
Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honour and life.
Below are photos of an old bible that my mother has dating back to 1845 with some family history and various notes. The cover is a bit worn around the edges but the Bible pages are still in a good condition.
Front cover
Bible opened with an old material bookmark
Inside page with notes
Mine and my brothers birth noted
Side view
I am sure everyone has at some time attended a service that you found totally boring or you just never seemed to get the message that was being carried across to you.
I today experienced that and I felt totally lost in the sermon and was not sure what message was being carried across.
I have sat and thought about a few things why we experience a sermon boring - Here are some factors as to why and I will discuss each listed in short detail:
Lets first look at the first three I listed - VERSES, CONTEXT and APPLICATION:
I am no biblical expert but I can tell that when verses are selected in a sermon which do not fit in with one another an individual listening to a sermon looses the message from the moment the preacher starts and if they are not in context with one another relating to the same topic you get lost instantly - why ? - it confuses one to what or where the message is going and most people want to know how they apply the verses within ones daily life and if a preacher cant apply and show the context in which it was written to people when hearing the message you get lost just like I experienced this morning.
God's message or Preachers message:
You always find a captivated audience when its God's message and not the preachers message - ok so now you might ask what is the difference, well its easy to spot the difference and it is as follows:
With God's message is being carried across it cuts like a knife and why ?
Hebrews 4:12 (New International Version)
12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
If a preacher drifts off Gods word that is when you will experience a "bored" feeling as it becomes his message and not Gods word as Gods word is alive and active and is so sharp it will cut like a knife in your heart.
Not structured correctly together with audience involved
A preacher has to also ensure that the sermon is structured according to the audience - if an adult audience pitch it accordingly and if a youth audience do the same and when the audience is mixed there must be a balance between both as I believe only then can your audience remain captivated.
Preacher,Life experience and knowledge
If a preacher is not familiar with the topic presented an audience will pick it up easily and the same goes for seeing the research gone into the topic - if not well researched together with a preacher who presents a topic that they have no life experience in can become absolutely boring and I am sure many who read this article can relate to it as you have experienced it some or other time ?
Spirituality
Besides what I have mentioned another factor that we must not forget is where we are in our own spirituality as this can also lead to what we experience as boring and can be summed up like this:
If the message you listening to is perhaps pitched at to a lower level than your understanding of Gods word you can experience a "bored" feeling. If the message is pitched beyond your level of understanding and a preacher does not give context and understanding you can also experience the same.
I have found that a sermon is only effective and captivating when the preacher pitches at the correct level, can apply the verses in context, is well researched, it is structured and most importantly everything must be Biblically based and if there is any life experience regarding the given topic.
I would just like to end by saying that if you going to preach - use Gods word for the basis of everything so that whatever you say can be confirmed by what the Bible says - It is the only way to keep an audience captivated and this ensures you are carrying Gods message and not your own message.
