Food for Thought

For the week of February 4, 2008

(Questions and Scriptures for further study)

 

1.  This weekend we explored the difference between the proper use and the misuse of the Bible. We saw that the ultimate goal of studying and knowing the Bible is not to simply fill our minds with biblical information; it’s to change the way we think about God and the way we live. How do the following verses speak to this insight?

Philippians 1:9-11

Colossians 1:9-14

2.  Those who misuse the Bible often distort the meaning of a verse or passage by taking it out of context – forgetting who it was written to and the historical situation it was written in. How might that impact the interpretation and application of Joshua 1:8? 

One of the best ways to guarantee that we are properly interpreting any one biblical verse or passage is to compare it with the rest of the Bible. In other words, keeping in mind what the Bible says in its entirety rather than one verse by itself. How does reading Hebrews 11:32-40 help with a more accurate application of Joshua 1:8?

3.  Properly used, the Bible produces agape or self-sacrificing love in the lives of those who study it. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 identifies what this agape love might look like.

Looking back, has your knowledge of the Bible helped you or changed you in regards to living out this kind of love and life?  How so?

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Other Bible Study Resources

Online - www.crosswalk.com – numerous free Bible study resources, Bible translations, and word search tools.

Adapted from North Coast Bible Church