ย โHow to get started reading the Bibleโโweโve all googled it before. No matter how far youโve come on your faith journey, reading the Bible can be hard! Weโre right there with you. We see these Scripture meditations as a way to read Scripture in a digestible way. Letโs start together, one verse at a time!ย ย
You Donโt Have to Be Perfect
Maybe we started off the year strong, but now the halfway point is creeping up, and weโre realizing just how many Bible readings weโre behindโ not to mention workouts skipped ๐ซ .To be honest, itโs easy to become apathetic, debating whether failed goals are worth continuing.
But, what if it doesnโt matter when you started or how consistent youโve been, but that you tried at all? Not that you did it perfectly, but that you attempted.
In Philippians 3, Paul reminds us: weโre not going to get it right on our own anyways. No matter our qualifications or efforts, we wonโt be made perfect or complete without the work of Christ.
So, while we try our best to keep goals, it wonโt work out every time. What really counts is being obedient to the call Godโs placed on our lives. Sometimes that means pressing on as well as we can.
Philippians 3:12-14
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Observations from the Text
- We canโt be perfect or complete on our own (v. 12)
- Christโs death and resurrection make us perfect (v. 12)
- Our past failures shouldnโt keep us from stepping into what God has for us (v. 13)
- โThe prizeโ is union with Jesus! (v. 14)
Prayers of Response
Jesus, I praise you for my imperfections. They show me how much my hope rests in you.
Defeater of sin and death, thank you that I donโt have to _________ on my own.ย
Prayer Requests
Lord over the cross, I pray that I wouldnโt be held back by the shame of _________.
Gracious Father, give me the freedom and endurance to pursue ___________ which youโve called me into.
Prayers of Readiness
Holy One, I lay down my perfectionism and my need to ________. I take up the perfection of Christ.
God, give me endurance today as I _________. Help me remember youโre my highest prize.
This page has our stockpile of Scripture meditations that we believe help us connect with God in our everyday lives. Check it out for more relevant explorations of biblical wisdom!
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Versionยฎ, NIVยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.โข Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The โNIVโ and โNew International Versionโ are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.โข
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