What The Bible Means To Me

My own understanding of the bible comesfrom experiences that I have had in my life such as attending church services and bible studies growing up as well as religiousfunction which serve the purpose of increasing my understanding of the bible ad h which contributed too much of my current knowledge and understanding of the bible. I ampersonally very focused and locked into the "/ienefits of the scripture of the bible and the insight itprovides us to the past present and future of our history here on earth.

Interpretation presents many challenges that can be difficult to overcome. There seems to be more challenges that arise when interpreting the Bible. Interpreters face many challenges and the validity of their methods are sometimes questioned. Although there are challenges to effective biblical interpretation such as distance of time and geographical location, difference in culture and language, and human pre-understanding and presupposition, these challenges can be overcomed.

Most of the Bible is just that, stories with another meaning to them, and a lot of them I had no idea about before ministry. The prayer services taught me how to think when I looked at passages in the Bible and I’ve got the hang of it somewhat. A lot of the Bible and it’s ideals make much more sense when you can make those connections. I like to think of the Bible as not just our religion’s doctrine, but also as the “How to Live a Pretty Solid Life” guide. The messages really just want to keep us in line and respect everyone

Jesus—perhaps the most discoursed name in history. He has transformed and influenced many lives including mine. To some people, He was a prophet. To others He is a mere legend. To me, he is a father and a friend, but most of all, He is my Lord and Savior through justification, sanctification, and redemption.

In Shaped by the Word, by Robert Mulholland Jr., one finds a way to read scripture in order to provide a deeper understanding of God and allow His Word to shape one’s spiritual life. In the Introduction, in chapter 1, the reader is introduced to the idea that there is a movement in the church that seeks to become deeper and stricter in spiritual formation. He claims there are many books written for this purpose, and his intending purpose for this book is for God to use however he may want in the reader’s spiritual life. Mulholland provides the reader with a prayer to pray in preparation of reading this book and states there may be points where God is knocking and calling the reader’s attention to something new.

Jesus to me is much more than just the person whom I worship on Sundays. Jesus to me is a best friend. He is someone that I go to when I am sad, happy, mad, confused, or hurt. He is a close friend to me that goes beyond Sunday masses and theology class. For an example, I pray to Jesus outside of school and masses. He is someone that I am constantly talking to; whether it is for forgiveness or help. Talking to Jesus is my time to securely express my feelings out, knowing that He cannot tell anyone.

One text that has been incredibly formative in helping me understand my calling is “The Summons”, by Dennis McCallum. This is the story of a young girl being called by God to accept Christ and to share his teachings with others. McCallum uses a narrative format to share several wonderful sermons with the readers. There is one section in particular that touched my heart. The bible study instructor is asking the group to open their hearts to God. “This is what God wants for you tonight. He doesn’t want you to commit to keeping a religious discipline. He wants you to come to Him with empty hands and an honest heart, and forge a relationship with Him” (McCallum, 1993, p. 79). Reading these words forced me to reexamine how I was living my life. I attend church regularly. I even work for my church, but was I really developing my relationship with God? I found that I was going through the motions. I needed to truly commit my whole life to the Lord, not just part-time. My relationship with God needs to be nurtured and cared for, just as any other relationship in my life. That is why I want to attend seminary. I want to learn everything I can about my Lord. I want to be able to share His word with others.

First and foremost, I have always believed that I needed to be grounded in God’s word. The Bible states in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All scripture is God-breathed

I have been going to a Bible study at a friends house and he has been helping me understand what the Bible is saying to me and I feel like this is a calling from God so I can help other people out when they do not understand what the bible is saying and to also help out my friend and my pastor. I feel like this is the place for me to get my degree and to be able to help out others and everyone in my church is very supportive including my mom because she says an education is very important. I look forward to starting my classes online to further my

Several months ago I began a Bible reading plan called As It Happened. This plan is designed to guide you chronologically through the Bible in a year. It always interested me to see how each individual book connects with the others and fits in the bigger picture, and this plan has helped me with that. It amazes me that the Bible never contradicts but rather complements itself. Considering that it was written by 40 different authors in a period of approximately 1,500 years, this seems impossible. But what is impossible for man is possible with God. Our Heavenly Father was the ultimate Author of His

While the Holy Bible is filled with many different types of writing, including history, narratives, poetic literature and apocalyptic, it forms a cohesive theme that tells me where I, and all things originated from, as well as my purpose in this world. Because the Holy Scriptures give, what is to me, a plausible understanding of who I am and how my life matters, I have discovered that I want to align my life and future in accord with its directives and commands. The reason that I hold these writings with such high regard is because the Holy Bible says of itself that God breathed it out onto men to write down and that it contains the very instructions needed for me to live a life that is honoring of God and worthy of what God deserves. II Timothy 3:16-17 states, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”. For this reason, the Holy Bible has taken on a role of great importance in my life and because it is the very revelation of God, revealing who God is and how God has worked and continues to work throughout history, I have determined that it is foundational to my faith and a practical guide to direct me in determining the course I should take in this life.

What we learn from Scripture is the power of Scripture itself. "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword," Hebrews says (4:12). Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s word will accomplish his will. In Acts 2:37 we see the results of the proclamation of the word of God in changing people lives.

Finally, most of the time I am like fertile soil. I reflect on the Word of God and live it out in my actions and thoughts. I strive to know God's Word and actually listen to it. I have been taught by my parents, teachers, and other religious teachers how to understand the Word of God. Good soil must be cared for and tended to. In that way, I must continue to think about and actively live out God's Word.

This is a guide for reading, studying, mediating, applying, and praying God’s inspired word into your life.

Since I have been influenced so much by my parents and by Tyler (my youth pastor who I previously wrote on), I find myself seeing Jesus as a combination of their views, in addition to adding my personal experiences which helps me see who Jesus is to me. What it comes down to, is that he is not some super-natural divine being that I can never talk to, but really just an awesome role-model and friend that is always by my side.