There are seasons in life and each season has its purpose and resulting fruit. Some seasons are tougher than others but God uses all of them for His kingdom work. As military spouses, we well know our share of difficult seasons as we’re nearing a decade of combat deployments, sometimes back to back, but all of them too long.
Whether on a mountaintop or in a valley, where do you turn for peace and strength? I hope you’re turning to your Creator. This is a time to deepen your relationship with the only One you’ll ever truly need, God Himself. Where can you find him? Besides everywhere (duh, He made it all!), you can get to know Him better by spending time in His Word, the Bible.
For new believers, and some not.so.new, approaching the Scriptures can be intimidating. It’s a big book, after all. The good news is that you’re not alone. First and foremost, invite the Author to join you as you approach His Word. He wants you to join Him there and He’ll be overjoyed that you’ve invited Him to be your tour guide. Learn to open your heart and your mind to His guidance, and enjoy the unspeakable joy that comes from a personal relationship with the God of the Universe.
Okay, so where does the Tech Tuesday part come in? Since I’m a DigiGeek, my initial response to all things is how can my computer help me here? I’ve harnessed the power of my computer in Bible study for many years and have learned that there’s a mountain of information available to help you spend more time in Scripture and to make that time more fruitful.
A simple start would be a daily/weekly reading plan. I noticed some nice reading plans recently at the local Christian bookstore that were priced at one or two dollars. I laughed to myself since I know that there are scores of these reading plans available for FREE on the Internet. All you have to do is print them out and slip it into your Bible. I can remember creating and typing out my own reading plan about fifteen years ago before the Internet became what it is today. How things have changed!
Second, if you’re like me, sometimes you want to know what a word means, or meant in the original language of the written text. One option is to spend hundreds of dollars on a shelf full of Concordances or you could simply harness the power of the Internet (for FREE) and collect the same information. Among the many, a few good sites to visit are:
A habit I picked up a few years ago when I approach a book study is to listen to the entire book before I begin reading. There are several, okay many, audio Bibles available out there for any variety of prices including versions you can put on your iPod or mp3 player. I personally prefer the free versions that I can find on the Internet. If you enter ‘listen to the bible on the internet’ into your favorite Internet search engine, you’ll find several sites where you can listen to Scripture absolutely free…you can even choose the translation you prefer!
What if you want to know more about a Bible study you’re considering? In most cases, you can use the Internet to locate the author’s website and learn more about the author’s background, training, and doctrinal beliefs. You may also find reviews of the study or opinions from other believers that have taken the study. These can be valuable resources as you, with the Lord’s guidance, consider how to spend your study time.
If you still want to dig deeper, the Internet is an inexhaustible resource. I would caution you, however, that not everything on the Internet is true and accurate. Be mindful of the source of information and weigh everything against the absolute truth of Scripture. And never, ever, ever enter into any study of the Scriptures without inviting the Author to guide you first. Do not let the Enemy get a foothold!
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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.
