Charles R. Swindoll - Gods Word for You: An Invitation to Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs

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Gods Word for You: An Invitation to Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs

Copyright 2018 by Charles Swindoll. All rights reserved.

Content taken from Searching the Scriptures by Charles R. Swindoll, published in 2016 by Tyndale House Publishers under ISBN 978-1-4143-8066-7.

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Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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F OR MORE THAN SIXTY YEARS I have cultivated a love for the Bible and have pursued an understanding of it. My purpose in writing this book is to help you do the same.

First, Id like to offer an explanation of how this love affair started. As early as my late teens, I was drawn to the truths of Gods Word and captivated by its wisdomin large part because I was reared by a mother and a father who believed in God and respected the Scriptures. They used the Bibles counsel as a guideline for our home, often quoting from its pages as my older brother, Orville; my older sister, Luci; and I were growing up.

Having grown up in that type of environment, I was interested in cultivating a relationship with a woman who had standards similar to mine. When Cynthia and I met, I quickly realized that she was the one, and we found a mutual interest in digging into the Scriptures. We regularly attended Bible studies together in order to establish our home on the rock-solid foundation of the Bible.

Shortly after we were married, I had a sixteen-month stint overseas with the Marine Corps, where I intensified my study of the Bible, thanks to a man named Bob Newkirk, a representative of the Navigators. It became clear to me during that time that I should pursue an even deeper study of Scripture at a seminary. Within weeks after my discharge from the Marine Corps, in the summer of 1959, Cynthia and I were on our way to Dallas Theological Seminary.

It was during that time that I became acquainted with Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, who taught a course called Bible Study Methods. Even though I had been a student of the Bible since my late-teen years, I began to realize how incomplete my approach to the Scriptures had been. Thanks to what I learned in this magnificent course of study from Prof Hendricks, I finally discovered how to engage in a meaningful and reliable process of searching the Scriptures.

For me, opening up Gods Word became like a banquet feast. Because these principles have served me so well for more than fifty years of ministry, I want to pass them on to othersincluding you. As a result of learning them and putting them into practice, you, too, can know the fulfillment of opening the pages of your Bible without feeling fearful or intimidated. You, too, can share confidently with others what you glean from your study of the Scriptures.

This book includes thirty daily readings to help you begin to study and apply Scripture. They will give you an overview of the Bible as well as an understanding of why Gods Word is as vital to us as breathing.

The process of getting Gods Word into your head and heart is like passing a baton in a relay. The aging missionary Paul wrote these words to Timothy: Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others (2 Timothy 2:2). Gods design is to equip us to search the Scriptures on our own and then to pass on the baton to others with great joy and quiet confidence.

Gods Word is indeed for you!

Chuck Swindoll

FRISCO, TEXAS

The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.

PATRICK HENRY

N O ONE CAN DENY the importance of bodily nutrition. Our energy levels, our ability to cope with lifes challenges, and even our mental attitudes are directly linked to our intake of the right foods, eaten regularly and in proper amounts. If we eat an unbalanced diet or skip a meal altogether, we may feel sick or light headed, or we may become irritated, edgy, and even depressed.

The same is true when it comes to spiritual matters. Without sufficient and regular biblical nutrition, our inner lives begin to suffer the consequences. Our souls long to be fed, nourished, and energized by the Scriptures on a regular basis. When we fail to set aside time to digest healthy spiritual food, it isnt long before the consequences start to kick in... and its not a pretty sight. We start to operate out of the flesh rather than under the control of Gods Spirit. We become shallow and selfish, more demanding, and less gentle. We react impatiently, rashly, and angrily. These are telltale signs of inner malnutrition.

In order to make sure our souls are properly nourished, we need to prepare nutritious spiritual meals for ourselves. Delicious meals served in fine restaurants never just happen. They take time and a great deal of effort. The result is reliable: the meal is succulent, and those who enjoy it are satisfied and grateful. Chances are good that everyone who shared the meal will return again and again.

This is precisely the pattern we need to follow when we come to the Scriptures. Before we dive into the Bible, we need to make the necessary preparations. Its not enough to have a pastor or a teacher feed us once a week; we need to be able to prepare our own spiritual meals on a daily basis. Are you ready to dig into the Word of God?

What is your background with Scripture? Is there someone who taught or modeled studying the Bible? What tends to hold you back from digging into the Word?

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

JOSHUA 1:8

May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping though the corridors of the kingdom like children through the marketplace, chattering about everything but pausing to learn the true value of nothing?

A. W. TOZER

W EVE ALL BEEN IN A HURRY at some point and grabbed fast food instead of planning and cooking a balanced meal. We barely stop to enjoy the food as we wolf it down on the go. It may satisfy our hunger for a while, but it provides little nourishment. Spiritual fast food presents the same problem. A quick glance at a verse or two on the way out the door doesnt give us long-term growth or satisfaction. Our spiritual food needs to be carefully prepared so it will sustain us and refresh us and satisfy the deepest longings of our souls.