Host: TJ Freeman
Summary:
In this episode, TJ Freeman discusses the fundamental practice of reading the Bible. He addresses common struggles such as finding time to read, understanding the content, and dealing with feelings of guilt. TJ offers practical advice and encouragement to help listeners engage with Scripture more effectively.
Key Points:
Listener Takeaways:
Connect with Us:
Host: TJ Freeman
Summary:
In this episode, TJ Freeman discusses the fundamental practice of reading the Bible. He addresses common struggles such as finding time to read, understanding the content, and dealing with feelings of guilt. TJ offers practical advice and encouragement to help listeners engage with Scripture more effectively.
Key Points:
Listener Takeaways:
Connect with Us:
The Bible is a big book. It's a big, old book and it can be pretty tough to understand sometimes you ever struggle with reading the Bible. Maybe you're like many people and you're just so busy. You really want to, but with everything going on in your life right now, it's just tough. You got the verse of the day that kind of scratches the itch a little bit. But to just sit down and read the Bible, that's, that's pretty tough. Or maybe you do have time and you sit down and you read, but you're just going, I don't really know what to do with this thing. And I'm kind of embarrassed to ask anybody, do I read it cover to cover? Do I just flip it open and just start reading? Maybe you have done one of those things, or maybe you've just jumped in and you kind of have a grasp of where to go, but. And as you read, you're like just not understanding how all of this fits together. Do I have to read all the names in these long lists? What about these rules I read about in the Old Testament? How do I know which ones I should be thinking about applying to my life today and which are just outdated and not relevant anymore? How am I supposed to interpret these things? Maybe when you read the Bible You feel a heavy weight. You know that what the Bible says and what your life looks like don't match up. And when you pick it up, you just feel guilty. So honestly, it's a little easier not to pick it up right now. What do you do when you're in a season in your life where for whatever reason, reading the Bible just doesn't come naturally. It's not as easy as you wish it could be. We're going to talk a lot about that in this podcast because the scriptures are true. Really fundamental for everything that we understand about God, about ourselves, about the world around us. But what I want to do today is try to get it locked in. Why reading the Bible is so helpful and why it's worth the fight. So if that's useful to you, this is the episode you're going to want to listen to. My name is TJ Freeman and I am a rural pastor. As I have shared on previous episodes, I'm a reluctant rural pastor. I did not want to spend my life living in the middle of nowhere. Far from Chick fil A, far from sushi, far from, warm weather here in the Northeast. It's not where I thought I'd be, but it's where the Lord has me. And actually, as he has kept me here, instead of allowing me to leave, like I asked him to do for the first three years that I lived in the middle of nowhere, he's changed my heart and he's helped me see the value of being a Christian. In places that most people have never even heard of. There's a sense in which we have the opportunity to glorify God from the middle of nowhere in a way that's. Really life giving because it's what he's created this whole planet to do this whole world is here to glorify him You're here to glorify him And when you as you as a Christian are out there in the middle of nowhere We're not that many people are the weight of responsibility that you have to bring him glory and the opportunity You have to bring him glory and the joy you can find by bringing him glory are kind of magnified It, you have a really great opportunity out there to know God and then to make him known in a way that's really significant based on the place where you live. So this podcast is a response to my struggle of not really wanting to live in the middle of nowhere and then finding the value of that, not in my own heart, not in the world around me, but rising from the scriptures. And I've noticed that as I've been out here. that there are a lot of churches that are struggling. There are a lot of Christians that are struggling. There are a lot of churches that are struggling. We want to see the kingdom of Christ advance. We want to see the gospel continue to go forth so that the whole world is filled with God's glory. That means we need to have really healthy Christians and really healthy churches out there in the middle of nowhere. You, you probably, if you live in a rural place, you're pretty far from a Chick fil A. Which is a good reference for me. Cause I just love that Lord's chicken, but you're probably not that far from a dollar store. And I've just noticed that dollar stores have made an effort to get into places with really small populations where a lot of other businesses won't want to go. And. I thought, how much more important is it for the church to be in a place like that? So this podcast exists because I want to encourage you to be the healthiest Christian you can be, especially if you live in a town where there's no healthy church, that's a tough thing. So. This podcast is just meant to help strengthen Christians who don't have the opportunity to go to a healthy church in their community. Maybe you drive somewhere far away. Maybe you watch church online. Maybe you haven't been to church in a while. Maybe you're struggling in an unhealthy church. And so I don't want to replace the church. That's not my goal because that would be impossible. That would be wrong. What I do want to do, though, is come alongside you and help think through some Biblical principles that will help you be a really healthy Christian with the hopes of God's glory being seen a little brighter right there where you are. And maybe you could even pray about the possibility of the Lord putting a healthy church out there where you are. So I don't know exactly where you're at on your journey. I assume there are going to be some people listening to this who are not Christians, but you're curious. There are going to be some newer Christians listening to this and there are gonna be some people who have been a Christian A. Long time and. In any of those cases, being in a place where there's not the presence of a healthy rural church, it's hard to be a healthy Christian. And so I just want to be a support and a help, but I'd love it if. If this translates into the establishment of a healthy church where you are. So be praying about these things. Well, as I mentioned on this episode, we're talking about what it means to read the Bible, why it's so important, why it's worth fighting for. And I know the struggle. I completely understand what it's like to sit there and go, I'm really not sure what to read today. Or, you know, I've been reading today, but it's like I just keep skipping through. I have to keep going back and starting over and I'm not processing what I'm reading. Or sometimes when it's like, wow, this is a, just a long list of some, some people's names that I can't even pronounce or places or some kind of law that doesn't seem to be applicable to today. And what do we do with these kinds of things? I know exactly what it feels like to be in that place. You can also be in a spot where life is hard and busy and. You know, some of those things I mentioned in the introduction, I mentioned those because those are real things that people are dealing with. So I say all of that to encourage you with the fact that you're not alone. You're not the only one who has these struggles. In fact, I think pretty much every Christian at some point in their spiritual walk has had to wrestle with things raising from ranging from laziness to not understanding, to just being distracted. Or apathetic. There's, there's all kinds of things. So you're not alone in those things, but you should not then accept the fact that you're there having good company in a bad place doesn't make the bad place any better. It just helps you understand, okay. Other people have gotten through this and I can get through this too. So I just want to give you an acronym today that I think will help you. This is going to. Not solve all of your problems, but it, it might help you when you're struggling to think about why it's worth pressing on and fighting for. And the acronym that I want to give you is one of my favorite words, eat, E A T, eat, and the E of this acronym is just to help you remember what reading the Bible is about, and it's about engaging with God. There's all kinds of things people say about the Bible. Some people call it something like basic instructions before leaving earth. Um, that's another acronym that's used. I don't particularly like that acronym because I think it's about something way more than basic instructions and God's word abides forever. So even after you've left the earth, God's word will remain. I just don't think that kind of thing is useful, but it is an opportunity to engage with God, which is amazing. God is the one who made you. He made you, not randomly, he made you in his image after his likeness, and he's entrusted to you the care of his stuff. He gave you dominion over everything on this planet. And God made you to find satisfaction in him. I think about the way that when Adam and Eve were in the garden, they would walk with the Lord in the cool of the day. They just enjoyed this relationship with him. They got to engage with God. In a way that was really life giving. So think about what happens when you read God's word. It is not as if God is speaking to you. It is God speaking to you. He has spoken through his word. and allowed it to be recorded and preserved so that you could hear it. And it's not written directly to you. You're not the original audience of scripture, but it was written with you in mind. And as you read what God has written in his word for you and for all of his people, He is speaking to you in a way that, that has an impact on your heart. So you have an opportunity to engage with God. This is what everybody wants. People want an experience where they can connect and they, they probably oftentimes don't know what they're trying to connect with, whether it's mother nature, you know, being in awe of a storm or like some epic view, or they want to find a deeper degree of intimacy with another human. Or they turn to drugs or alcohol, some other substance to try to find an experience that's deeper and more engaging than what normal life has to offer. God gives us so much, gives us something so much better. He has given us his word, which is the creator of all things who made you to find your satisfaction fully in him. Speaking directly to you through this word. So engaging with God in his word is the E of our acronym, and it really is a privilege to be able to do that. But it's more than just engaging with God. The A of our EAT acronym is ABIDE. So God did not just make us to hear from him like some, I don't know, big, powerful booming broadcast that goes out and you're just supposed to hear it and I don't know do whatever it says like some Dictator God has called you to actually abide in him and he's given us his word to help us be able to do that Matthew 4 4 is a really good example of that when Jesus says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. And that is a quote that goes all the way back to Deuteronomy. It's from Deuteronomy 8, 3, where God reminded Israel that that part of the reason he gave them manna in the desert is so that they would remember. They need to depend on him for everything. And he goes on to say, we want, I wanted to remind you that man doesn't depend on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So we actually depend on God in the same way. We depend on food to sustain us. And how does God do that? Sustaining? He does it through his word. He helps us to abide in him. So when you think about reading the Bible, you shouldn't think about it as these little snacks that you have every now and then to give you a little spiritual pep in your step. You shouldn't think about it as like gross health food that, you know, you don't really want to eat it, but you know, you're supposed to, nor should you think of it as some, you know, a quick, You know, this is going to, I'm going to read it and it's going to be a quick fix. And I'm going to have everything I need right away. Abiding in the word means lingering over it. It means enjoying it. It means consuming it and thinking about it, probably memorizing it. And we're meant to abide in the Lord as we abide in his word. So we're engaging with the God who made us, the God who Knows how to satisfy our souls in a way that nothing else can. And then we are abiding in him by spending time in his word. And that leads to the T which is transformation. And this is really significant. Transformation really matters. And I think. Everybody kind of wants transformation. You may say, you know, I want somebody to just accept me as I am. And I want to be who I naturally am inside, whatever, but everybody has a sense that they want to improve. They want to grow. They want to be effective. They want to be useful. Probably most people have some sense of wanting to leave a legacy. There's a desire to transform from what you are into something better. And. The Bible is the way in which that happens. And for the Christian, we want to transform, not for some self centered reason, not so that we can have more wealth, not so that we can make a name for ourselves, not so that people in society like us more, we have more friends or whatever, we don't want to be transformed for some earthly reason. Sometimes we do. I mean, just be honest. There sometimes are bad motives in the things that we do, but generally when we're thinking correctly, and as we're growing in the Lord, we know we don't want to be transformed for selfish reasons. We want to be transformed because God made us in his image to give him glory. And we've failed because of our sin. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. In fact, we were born with this sinful nature. And our sin is the source of everything we hate. Our sin and the sin of people around us. Without sin, all of the bad stuff in the world wouldn't exist. And that's what eternity is going to be like. God will remake the heavens and the earth. There'll be a new heavens and a new earth where there is no sin. Everything good is there. Everything bad is gone. But we're not just sitting idly by waiting for that day going, Oh, you know, come Lord Jesus. Although we say, come Lord Jesus, looking forward for the day that he returns. But until he does, we've got work to do. And that work is being transformed so that we can be more like him, so that we represent him well, and so that we think more like him. And as we think more like Christ, the less we care about the things of this world and the more we are satisfied in the Lord. So this whole idea of being transformed. Think of something like second Timothy three, 16 and 17 tells us all scripture is breathed out by God. So this is God's word. The Bible is God's actual word and it's profitable. Well, that's good. I like things that are profitable. I don't like things that are unprofitable. That would be a waste of time and energy. So this is profitable. What's it profitable for? For teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Goes on to say that the man of God might be complete and equipped, fully equipped, for every good work. So, God's Word is profitable to teach us things because we need to learn. Part of the reason you're listening to a podcast like this is because you don't have it all figured out. And, News Flash! Neither do I. But we can walk through God's Word together and realize, Oh, it actually is instructive, and I want to learn the things that it says. And when I go wrong, the next thing is there, reproof. The Bible makes it clear where we're going wrong, and we want to realize that. You don't want to stand up in front of a group of people and have spinach in your teeth and your fly down. It would have been nice if somebody pointed that out ahead of time. That's kind of what the Bible does in all of our life, points out the areas where we have flaws, points out the areas where we're not doing the things we should be doing. Where there are things about us that are unsightly. The Bible points those things out and we're reproved when we see those things, but it doesn't leave us there. It's not just pointing the finger saying, Hey, you're terrible. Have a nice day. The Bible goes on to correct us, to show us not just what we're doing wrong, but how to fix it. So that we can do what's right and then training in righteousness, this ongoing learning, how to walk in the things that are right so that we don't go back to the things that are bad. And when we do that, we're complete. And that's actually what you want. That idea of being complete is awesome. Nobody who is complete has a need to go out and do anything wrong. You know, if you're complete, you're not turning to the bottle to try to find some satisfaction. If you're complete, you're not lonely and longing for a deeper relationship with someone. If you're complete, you're not frustrated and losing your temper. If you're complete, you're not worried about your finances all the time. You know, being complete is, it's what we actually want. The Bible brings us the kind of completion that we're looking for progressively, progressively over time as we engage with God and abide in Him and in His word. We begin to experience this transformation that takes us from incomplete to complete and then equips us for every good work. So it helps us do things that are pleasing to the Lord, and there's nothing in life that's more enjoyable than being pleasing to God. It's the thing He made us for, and you will find more enjoyment in that than anything else. And through His Word, He transforms us so that we can actually Do the things that are pleasing to him and find that kind of enjoyment. And more than that, the Lord has told us things like in Psalm 119 how can a young man keep his way pure by guarding it according to his word? That's verse nine or verse 105 of Psalm 119. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It actually guides you and helps you to make the right decision, but it's like right there in front of you. It's not like you can see miles down the road. All the time. Usually, you have like a little flashlight, like a headlamp. And as you look down, it's like the word's shining on the path right in front of you, and you're able to take the next safe step. That's kind of how God's word works in us. We know that it will not return void. Isaiah 55 says, So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to be empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. God has given us his word for our good, and he's going to use it to work in us in a significant way. And that's the other thing to just bear in mind. You might not feel like anything happened to you when you read the word of God. You might feel confused. You might be reading a list of names and be going, I don't get the relevance of this thing. But God put it there for a reason. And he means to do work in you. That helps you engage with him, abide in him and be transformed by him as you read his word. So it's actually worth doing even when it doesn't feel like it is. And you can just tell yourself that, you know, I don't know why I'm reading this right now, but I can tell you why I'm not reading it. I'm not reading it for a quick fix. I'm not reading it to get God off my back. I'm not reading it. So I feel good about myself. I'm reading it because I need to eat it. I don't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And I need to engage with him and everything that he said, I need to abide in him by reading his word and I will be transformed by his spirit. Another one that's an encouragement is Psalm 19, verses 7 to 11. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. Don't you want your soul to be revived today? The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Don't you want to be made wise to do things that are not foolish? To think things that are not foolish? The precepts of the Lord are right. rejoicing the heart. Oh, wouldn't it feel so wonderful if your heart could just leap with joy? If you could rejoice, rejoice, the commandment of the Lord is pure. Enlightening the eyes. Don't you want to see more clearly? The fear of the Lord is clean. Don't you not want to walk around in filth? It endures forever. Don't you want some truth that's not your truth today? Or don't you want to not be subject to somebody else's, whatever they decided is their truth today? Don't you want the eternal truth that comes from the Word of God? The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold. Even much fine gold, sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, moreover, by them is your servant warned and keeping them there is great reward. So, dear friend, I want to encourage you today not to think about, oh, I know I need to read the word, or where do I start? Or how do I apply this? I want you to think about the fact that God has spoken all of it's important. He does something in you through it. That is guaranteed. It's bigger than you. It's not up to you to just figure it all out. Think about making that a priority in your life. I know you have a lot going on, man. I got kids in sports for some reason that I'll never repeat. We decided to have a litter of puppies, man. Those things make a mess and they're very noisy. We have a Boston Terrier. Her name is Georgia, and I'll tell you why we bred Georgia. We bred Georgia because she was expensive and I wanted that thing to pay her room and board. So I thought this is one way to do it. We have four kids. It'd be a good experience for all of us. Well, it's been an experience and it's been a good one generally. Anyway, that coupled with the sports coupled with being a pastor in a growing church my wife, Katie is a school teacher. We, we get it. We know what it's like to have a lot going on. And I know what it's like on some days to be convinced that there just aren't enough hours in the day. And I'm like, man, if you get up early, you're already getting up early to do all the things that you need to do to get your kids off to school. If you get up earlier, are you going to be worth anything throughout the day? If you stay up later, you get to the end of the day and it's like, Oh, I am so tired. I just need to plop in front of the TV or just go to sleep. I know it's hard, but it's worth it. Being in the word will give you something. That you can't give, get any other way. It gets you engagement with the one who made you to do all the stuff you're doing for his glory. It helps you to abide in him instead of your own strength. Instead of the dollar. Instead of your stuff. Whatever it is. Your, your own ability. And it transforms you so that you're no longer dealing with some of the things that you're dealing about yourself or the people in your life are dealing with about you right now. God's Word is, is powerful, and it's worth the investment. I had the opportunity to go hear one of my heroes at a workshop a few years ago. And I got up really early that day to drive several hours to go listen to him talk. And the first thing that he said when he got up there is, If you came here today to hear from me, and you've not yet heard from the Lord, you've made a terrible exchange. And that was like daggers to my heart, because that's exactly what I had done. What good is it to enjoy the richness of this world while ignoring the endless superior riches of heaven? We have those, we have access to those through the Word of God. So think about how you might make it a priority today. There's probably something that you can cut out. There's probably a step you can take. This, this episode really isn't about how to do it. It's about why to do it, but I want to encourage you to think about the how. So what did we learn today? We learned that reading the Bible isn't easy. If you're struggling, you're not alone. There's a lot of reasons that people don't read the Bible. We talked about the acronym, engage, abide, transform, and that is eat. One of my favorite things to do. And we are going to. Engage with God, abide in Him, and be transformed by His Word. And I hope that that helps you as you consider what it means to be a Christian living out there in the middle of nowhere. You representing the Lord well by knowing Him well where you're at is especially important because there's probably not nearly as many Christians around you as there would be in a bigger, more populated place. And so I'm gonna pray that the Lord uses this to help you be a healthier Christian. So that God's glory is seen out there in the middle of nowhere in a way that transcends that place and brings some glory to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Thanks for listening. Come back next time. Next time I'm actually going to, it'll feel like backing up a little bit, but I think it's an important concept to consider. Is that we need to, if we're going to walk according to God's word and love him and obey him, we really need to be assured in the relationship we have with him. The reason I put this episode first is because I'm going to base everything I say in every episode of this podcast on the word. That has to be our sure foundation. And so we're going to look in God's word to see what does the Bible say a real Christian is and help us answer the question. Am I one? Are the people around me who say they're one, are they one? If we should arrive at the conclusion, we're not sure what do we do about that? Those are some of the things, and there's a threefold sort of test we can look at to get some assurance in terms of what our relationship with the Lord. So I can't wait to see you next time. Thanks for listening to Back to Rurality.