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In this episode, I have the privilege of hosting Amanda Nolan to talk about her new song "Broken Pieces," her faith and music story, her favorite Scriptures, and the habits that keep her time in God's Word fresh.

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What is your natural response to the love, power, and glory of God? Do your lips exclaim hallelujah? Do you sing with joy? Do you praise with a heart of gratitude? That's what Brandon Lake's song "Gratitude" leads us to do. And it's reflective of another song in Scripture.

King David was in a literal wilderness season when he wrote Psalm 63. Let's consider his song together in light of his circumstances.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Follow the cross-reference
  • Complete a word study
  • Consult an outside resource
  • Meditate on Scripture
  • Make a list
• The free one-page PDF Episode Guide to guide your study - Episode 460 Download
• Choosing Psalm 63 because our theme verse matches the lyrics of our song - Psalm 63:4
• Following the cross-reference to 2 Samuel 13-19 to read about David and Absolom and what led to David's wilderness experience
• Considering the head space David may have been in when he wrote Psalm 63
  • Weary - 2 Samuel 16:14
  • Weary and discouraged - 2 Samuel 17:2
  • Hungry and thirsty - 2 Samuel 17:29
• Reading Psalm 63 with the background knowledge of 2 Samuel 13-19
• The ark was not with David in the wilderness - 2 Samuel 15:24-26
• God's steadfast love is better than life - Psalm 63:3
• A word study on God's steadfast love - Bible Project Video
• Hallelujah means "praise ye YAH (Yahweh)" - GotQuestions.org Article
• Making a list of the methods of praise we see in Psalm 63

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Let this be an encouragement to you. Don't lose heart, my friend. This life is filled with many afflictions -- some of which feel like they might pull us under. But you're not alone. Just like Steven Curtis Chapman sings in his song "Don't Lose Heart."

   

Paul offers his own words of encouragement in his second letter to the Corinthians. Let's explore God's Word together.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Read and keep on reading
  • Make observations
  • Complete a word study
  • Follow the cross-references
• The free one-page PDF Episode Guide to guide your study - Episode 459 Download
• The KLOVE blog post where Steven discusses the story behind the song "Don't Lose Heart" - KLOVE.com article
• Mary Beth Chapman's book "Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope" - Amazon Paid Link
• Unpacking our feature verse and making observations - 2 Corinthians 4:1
• The new covenant ministry of Paul (and followers of Christ to this day) - 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:18
• Following the cross-reference to Exodus 34
• Wrongly seeing afflictions as a curse an

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It's true -- God really does love you. But what kind of love is the Father's love? This is the question I explored in Scripture in this episode inspired by Crowder's song "God Really Loves Us."

Continue soaking in John's first epistle as we look at it from a different starting point.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Repetition
  • Read in context
  • Historical context
  • Mark up the text
  • Consult an outside resource
• Episode 457, where we talk about studying 1 John, seeking what it has to teach us about being a child of God
• God's love is distinct from humans because he is distinct from humans
• God's love is a reflection of His character
• Beholding the manner of God's love - 1 John 3:1
• Reviewing the historical context around John's first epistle - "The Message of John's Letters" by David Jackman - Amazon Paid Link
• Deducing the theological issue of the day by what John teaches on
• The literary structure of 1 John - read it more like a spiral staircase
• An outside resource about God's love - "God's Love: How the Infinite God Cares for His Children" by R.C. Sproul - Amazon Paid Link
• Featured verses for this episode - 1 John 4:7-8
• God is the source of all genuine love as defined and displayed by Him
• God is not a composite of his attributes -- all of His attributes are true of Him all the time and true of each attribute
• We cannot pick and choose the attributes of God we like
• Interacting with 1 John to learn about love
  • Love is given - 1 John 3:1
  • Love is perfected - 1 John 2:5, 1 John 4:12, 1 John 4:16-17
  • Love saturates - 1 John 2:15
  • Love sacrifices self - 1 John 3:16
  • Love acts - 1 John 3:18
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As believers, our position in Christ and the family of God changes everything. We have been transformed; who we were before is not who we are now. But did you know what we will be is not who we are now? I was inspired by Ben Fuller's song "Who I Am" to study what Scripture says is the evidence and responsibility of a child of God.

Join me as we plumb the depths of 1 John this week.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Listen to an audio version of the text
  • Start with God
  • Mark up the text
  • Meditate on God's Word
  • Define words
  • Explore a theme
  • Repetition
  • Make a list
• The goal of the podcast is not to "mix it up" but instead discover and meditate on God's Word -- even if you stay in the same place for awhile
• Companion episodes to this week
  • Episode 447 - "Then Christ Came" by MercyMe
  • Episode 455 - "Perfectly Loved" by Rachael Lampa
• Looking for what God is concerned about before looking for how Scripture speaks to your concerns
• Reading with an antenna up for repeated words or themes that rise to the surface
• The Greek and English definitions of the word "abide"
• Measuring your life against God's definition and adjusting accordingly
• The characteristics of a child of God in 1 John
  • Practice righteousness - 1 John 2:29
  • Anticipate further transformation at the coming of Christ - 1 John 3:2
  • Don't practice sinning - 1 John 3:9
  • Contrasted with the children of the devil - 1 John 3:10
  • Love each other - 1 John 3:10, 1 John 5:1, 1 John 5:2
  • Know God - 1 John 4:7
  • Believe that Jesus is the Christ - 1 John 5:1
  • Love God and obey His commands - 1 John 5:2

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In his song "Good Lord," David Leonard sings about looking back to see all that God has done, which provides the foundation for his declaration about the goodness of God. This is a celebrated practice throughout Scripture.

This week we soak in a Psalm of Remembrance and learn the value of remembering and rehearsing the goodness of God.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Listen to an audio version of the text
  • Read aloud
  • Repetition
  • Make a list
  • Start with God
  • Follow the cross-references
• Looking for the songwriter's purpose - Psalm 78:1-4
• The types of Psalms found in Scripture
• Psalm 78 as a didactic psalm - intended to instruct
• Reasons to teach our children/others the truths of Scripture - Psalm 78:5-8
• Following the cross-references to the historical narrative summarized in Psalm 78
• Three times the psalmist highlights the people testing God - Psalm 78:18, Psalm 78:41, Psalm 78:56)
• How when we test God in our hearts, it often comes from a false narrative
• The root of the testing was unbelief and a lack of trust in His saving power - Psalm 78:21-22
• Another reason the people tested God -- they did not remember His power or the day when He redeemed them - Psalm 78:40-42
• A warning to remind us that remembering what God has done is not enough - Psalm 78:35-37

 

Why did they test God? Because they did not remember His power or the day when He redeemed them.

 

 

More Than a Song Playlist

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There is comfort and conviction in the idea that we are perfectly loved by God. We can learn about God's perfect love in Scripture and then use Rachael Lampa's song "Perfectly Loved" to remind us of what we've studied.

Let's contemplate this area of Scripture together using a meditative practice.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Pray
  • Repetition
  • Read the text aloud
  • Listen to contemplative music as you meditate
  • Slow down
  • One word
  • Meditate on God's Word
  • Consider the opposite
  • Follow the cross-references
  • Pray Scripture
• Following the Lectio Devina workflow in Logos Bible Software
• Stretching yourself by trying something new but giving yourself grace in the process
• Start by asking God to guide your time in His Word
• The next step is the "lectio" part of Lectio Devina (which means Divine Reading) - lectio means "reading" in Latin - 1 John 4:15-19
• Write down words or phrases that jump out at you - I wrote:
  • ??because as he is, so also are we in this world??
  • fear has to do with punishment
  • love gives us confidence
  • love perfected WITH us...interesting word choice...WITH
  • we love because he first loved us - my blog post I promised to link to
• Take the next step of meditating on the passage and the words and phrases that jumped out at you - my thoughts included:
  • It's all about abiding - 1 John 4:15-16
  • My love is perfected for what purpose? - 1 John 4:17
  • Chasing cross-references - 1 John 3:1, 2 Peter 2
  • God's perfect love provides relationship and rescue
  • What does "perfect" really mean? -

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One of the main reasons listeners give for not reading the Bible for themselves is distraction. I'm right there with you. I can't tell you the number of times I pick up my phone to do something, and my notifications send me off on the trail of distraction that leads to forgetting what I wanted to do on my phone in the first place. Sean Curran's song "All Praise" reminds us to fix our eyes on God. This is to turn our attention to Him and His ways.

Let's explore three Scripture areas that tell us what to fix our eyes on.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Make a list
  • Meditate on Scripture
• Passion Conferences and the longevity of them - Isaiah 26:8
• A response to the public recitation of God's Word
• A previous episode on fixing our eyes - Episode 331
• Fixing our eyes on Jesus - Hebrews 12:2
  • Noting the amount of unseen and unknown things people of faith persisted in - Hebrews 11
  • Seeing with Spiritual eyes - Hebrews 11:3
  • Making a list of things to do - Hebrews 12
  • The results of Jesus as our example
• Fixing our eyes on the commandments of God - Psalm 119:6-7
  • Making a list of reactions to God's Word - Psalm 119:1-8
  • The results of walking in, keeping, and seeking God's Word in your life
• Fixing our eyes on eternal, unseen things - 2 Corinthians 4:18
  • The veil of the Old Testament - Exodus 34
  • The veil of the New Testament - 2 Corinthians 3
  • The light of Christ causing us to see - 2 Corinthians 4:6
• Jesus' teaching on how we gain sight - John 3

 

Your marching orders are to fix your eyes on the example of Christ, fix your eyes on the life giving Word of God, and don’t get distracted by the things we can see, but rather fix our eyes o

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It's a new year, and God longs for you to sit with Him in His Word. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He wants to unveil the mystery of His plan for His chosen people. God wants you to desire Him above all else. And He wants you to look like Him. This week we'll fill your toolbox with Bible Interaction Tool Exercises you can put into practice this year. Rather than being inspired by a song to study, I found one that reflected my study.

Join me in the lyrics of Psalm 73 (both by Asaph and ForeverBeSure), and let's put these BITEs into practice this week.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: 
  • Read in context
  • Repetition
  • Meditation
  • Follow the cross-references
  • Read in various translations
  • Make a list
  • Start with God
  • Historical context
  • Define words
  • Share with a friend
  • Listen to an audio version
  • Pray
  • Pray Scripture
  • Read the text aloud
  • Remember, the people described in the Bible were REAL
• "Hinds' Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard - Amazon Paid Link
• Hannah Hurnard's struggle with reading God's Word and how she overcame it
• Using each BITE to study Psalm 73
• Using "Psalm 73" by ForeverBeSure to reflect on what you've studied 

Additional Resources

• Lyrics and sheet music for "Psalm 73" by ForeverBeSure - ForeverBeSure.com
• My new favorite Bible Study Software - Logos Bible Software Affiliate Link

This Week's Challenge

Download the list of 15 Bible Interaction Tool Exercises and pull out Psalm 73 and apply these BITEs. Give yourself permission to do this over time, or pick and choose the BITEs you haven't tried before.

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Purchase your copy of A Seat at the Table today!

Change your music. Change your life. Join my free 30-Day Music Challenge. CLICK HERE.