The Bible I Read

Greetings Dear Reader,

I thought I would share some things about the actual Bible I read.  It is as old as my eldest Son and much more worn.  It is the Bible I had in Bible College and was a gift from some people now departed.  It is a New American Standard translation.  I can recall lectures and learning as I read and turn its pages.

None of that is as important as the way in which it has been a companion through so many victories and failures.  I can count eighteen other physical Bibles from where I sit that are mine.  One is the Bible I was given when I first found faith in Jesus.  I have an electronic Bible that is excellent and free.  Containing dozens of translations and many commentaries, dictionaries, and writings makes it an invaluable tool. It is e-Sword produced by Rick Meyers.  The link will take you to his web site and can freely enjoy this amazing labor of love.

None of them are as precious to me as the one that I read daily.  It that physical Bible that helps me understand why daily reading of the Word of God is so important for me.  I do this privately and try not to make a big deal of it.  Nothing changes that it is the words that make it matter, and the Spirit behind those words.  I am not saying that the translation is the best because even though it is good it is not the best.

The thing that matters is that we read.  Faith comes from hearing the word of God.  Jesus knew the Old Testament intimately and so I should as well so that I can understand what he says.  I have said this before but studying the Bible is negligible compared to really reading it.  So many people claim to have studied it when what they have done is read what others have written and never really pursued the actual story.

The story is what matters.  The way it wants to get into me and change who I am so that I can live my part in it.  When others comment on the weaknesses of Bible I wonder so often if they have really read it.  They usually arrogantly say they have but I challenge this: Really read the Bible.  Really give it a chance to be something more than just another book.  This it what I did so long ago and it saved my physical life and who I am. 

To my eternal shame I have not always lived what I have learned but that does not make the lessons any less valuable.  We do not say that Shakespeare was a hack because we see bad actors perform one of his plays terribly.  Yet we blame the failures of Christ’s followers on God and his story for us.  The Bible I read says that this is exactly why we need to read it.  We need to see that we are all in need of a kind of healing and reclamation from who we are.  We have a part in a fantastic story whether we embrace it or not.  I would much rather live the adventure.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – Final Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Deeper faith is attainable but it is not free.  God promises that if we lack faith he will help our unbelief.  He wants us to find him through faith.  He works out our relationship with him through faith.

If you think about all the things that people try to debunk in the Bible they are all things that require faith.  We demand sight where God demands that we have faith and then we wonder why our faith is weak.

Everything I am is subject to what I believe.  My Grandfather used to say that “you do what you believe.  Everything else is just religious talk.”  If we believe we will act.  More importantly we will act out of faith.  I have failed to live what I believe in ways that have hurt others and the cost is not yet counted.

If I hope to have deeper faith I must use my faith to follow more closely what Christ calls us to do.  I must realize that faith is the engine that runs our ability to love, be kind, give, and care.  If I try to do it without faith my strength comes from pride and God resists the proud.  He gives grace to the humble.

By faith I follow.  By faith I live.  Lord I believe please You help my unbelief.

By Faith – Michael Card

By faith one was commended

For the sacrifice he made

Another out of holy fear

Built an ark the world to save

Another left his homeland

And as a stranger he'd reside

But none received the promise then

And so, in faith, they died.

Others conquered kingdoms

Quenched the fury of the flames

Some made strong in battle

Some were raised to life again

But many more were martyred

Midst the crowds loud clamoring

By faith they would not bow the knee

Nor kiss the emperor's ring

Faith understands and offers

It assures and calms our fears

It can shut the mouths of lions

And make sense of scars and tears

We persevere in hope

And with conscience clean and clear

We walk this fallen wilderness

With Salvation's Pioneer

Being sure of what we hope for

Seeing what is yet unseen

A universe from nothingness

New life where none had been

The known made from unknowable

And hope for the comfortless

Who hear and hold on firmly to

The faith that they possess

So fix your eyes upon the Champion

As you seek to run the race

Understanding that He cheers you on

As you long for His embrace

So hold on and do not grow weary

Of the faith that you profess

Remembering that you are ringed around

By this cloud of witnesses

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – Reading

Greetings Dear Reader,

A long time ago and what seems so very ancient to me now I used to read my Bible through once a month.  I was single and had the time to do it.  A friend, Laura, mentioned that she is going to be in a program soon that requires an intense level of Bible reading.

I was reminded of how often I hear people talk about the Bible who do not really know that Bible.  One of the things I have done recently is re-intensify my Bible reading.  I am not back up to pace I once had but I am headed in that direction.  I wrote about faith being our shield but its counterpart is our sword, the Word of God. 

If I want to think like Christ I must know what he knows as much as possible.  I must follow more closely in knowing what God has to saw.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – A Journey

Greetings Dear Reader,

Faith is a journey and not a destination.  There will come a time when faith is no longer necessary.  It will be translated to sight.  My belief will be realized.  Faith culminates in a destination.  This means that there is no point this side of that destination where faith is no longer necessary.

We can come to the place where faith is natural and a common response but I know that I must always be willing to go deeper into that faith.  Just as I think that I have strong faith something comes along to show me I can trust God with more. I can give more of myself to his guidance and his will.  Following Christ is using faith to get somewhere. 

I cannot claim to understand why God wishes us to seek him in faith but it is what he chose; therefore it is the path.  You will notice that I do not indulge in discussions of hell and destruction for those who do not follow in faith.  That is not what matters.  God has asked us to follow his Son, Jesus in faith.  He has asked us to trust that he is good and has good things in store for us.

Through the ages foolish men (the wrong kind of fools) have used faith and following to twist things to their own ends.  This is not what God intends for any of us.  The Father wishes for me to see his love through his Son and to act in faith on that love in everything I do.

The journey to Father only works if we journey in faith.  The path, the challenges, and the joy in the journey are all subject to the faith we exercise along the way.  As I conclude this writing on diving deeper in faith I do so realizing that there is no formula or script.  It is the choice that in each moment I decide if I am following Christ or not.  I decide if I believe that God is good and that he loves me.  Deeper faith is simply more consistent following in the journey.  It is very simple but very difficult.  It is all that works for me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – The Right Kind of Fool

Greetings Dear Reader,

Last week a colleague listened to my conversation with a student who habitually lies to me and does not follow through.   The student was lying to me again and I knew it.  I called him on it.  I asked him why he lied to me.  The student said, “Because most of the time you believe me.”

I explained to the student that I did not believe him but that I was rather giving him another chance to do what is right because I believe he can.  I watched the student break and confess that he has never had someone really believe in him before.  After the student left with a promise to show up to class and to do his work the colleague approached me.

He confessed that he has been thinking for weeks that I was just a fool when it came to the way I deal with students.  I immediately responded that he is correct.  I explained that as someone who wishes to follow Christ I must be a fool but I must be the right kind of fool. 

Deeper faith requires that I look foolish to others at times.  It also requires that I be wise and gentle in my foolishness.  I must be kind and loving and appear at times to be unenlightened.  Then again, if the thing in the balance is another’s ability to see and follow Christ should I not be willing to appear a fool for that end?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – Satisfaction

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the things about faith that I do not understand is how something that requires uncertainty can be so satisfying.  When I know that I have acted in faith there is peace.  When I trust my faith to see me through something I worry less. 

With that in mind I must be sure that acting in faith does not become an excuse for abandoning wisdom.  I must not violate my faith in Christ by refusing to listen to others who are impacted by my choices.  Faith must guide me but I must not abuse it.  I think the key to knowing which is which is that inner peace.

If I know I am doing what is right and I have peace about it I must act in faith.  If I question either of those I must listen to counsel and keep seeking the answer.  Once again it still requires faith but it does satisfy.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – Visible Faith

Greetings Dear Reader,

“Indeed faith, if it is not occupied with doing good things, is lifeless and alone.  One may say you have faith but I am occupied in doing good things.  Evidence your faith apart from the good things you do.  I will evidence my faith by the good things I do.”  

No matter how deep my faith is I cannot take it out and show it to you.  I can only evidence my faith by the good things I do.  Those good things must be done out of faith and seasoned with humility.  James, the physical brother of Jesus, wrote the above to explain that we cannot hope for others to see our faith if we do not live it out in caring for others.  Deeper faith requires deeper commitment to the good of those around us.

If I am not good to others then my faith is no real faith.  James goes on to be very clear that faith unaccompanied by good action is dead faith.  Simple belief has its value but if I am to follow Christ more closely I must do something.  I must forgive.  I must give.  I must love.  I must be kind and patient.  I must see others as better than myself.  I must not judge and reject others.  I must make peace.  I must see physical needs in others and be moved to action.  I must not care what a person’s sin is as much as I care that they see how much God loves them. 

I can only evidence my faith by what I do.  I will fail.  I will act wrongly.  I can also choose to not do wrong and make doing what is right my occupation.  How can I hope to show my faith to others if I do not work out that faith in practical connective action with others? 

I also wonder if this does not have the added impact of making my faith more genuine to me.  If I see and feel the impact of working out my faith and the lives of others will the natural byproduct not be a deeper faith.  If I reject the opportunity to do good for someone else I should not be surprised if it weakens my faith.  Faith needs hands and feet to sustain it.  When I act outside of the things Christ has called me to do I should not be surprised when my faith weakens.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – Hope

Greetings Dear Reader,

The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”   This is a common rendering of the original language though there is one that I prefer because it seems to make faith carry the weight it is meant to carry.  “Now faith is the mental foundation hope.  Faith is the convicting proof of things we do see or understand.”

I make my own choices.  I choose what I am going to believe when I do not see the answers or I do understand the situation.  When I count on my own understanding to follow Christ I am choosing to follow poorly.  This does not mean that God requires us to follow mindlessly.  It does mean that when I do not understand that faith is the right choice.  It means that when things seem hopeless it is my faith that is to give me hope.

So many people I have spoken to about faith and the lack of it give experiential stories of how someone or a group of people betrayed the tenants of faith and following.  This became the stepping stone to walking away from faith.  I know that I have seen those I respected betray what we hold dear as Christ followers.  It would have been very easy to reason my way away from faith.  I also know my past failings have caused others to do that very thing.

The problem is that faith is the foundation.  Once we step away from it we have nothing on which to build hope.  We have no bedrock on which to construct our hope, understanding, or following.  So often we get it backwards.  We count on things to prove God to us so that we can have faith.  Seeing is not believing.  Believing is seeing. 

I cannot hope to have real hope if it is not built on a foundation of faith.  I think that people fail so that we will learn not to base our faith on them or their example.  Christ wants our faith to be solely because of him.  I know that when I despair over the things that are dear to me but unrealized my only solace is in my faith. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – Shields

Greetings Dear Reader,

Faith is imaged by Paul as a shield.  I have been pondering how often we use other things as shields instead of faith.  How many times have I used the wrong thing to protect me from the wrong enemies?

The shield that Paul speaks of in Ephesians is a tower shield.  The Greek word refers to a large four cornered shield shaped like a door.  The Romans knew how to use these very effectively.   If this is the image of what I am to use as protection from my enemies it bears some pondering.  It is also significant that Paul tells us that this action of using a shield of faith is “above all” his other instructions.

We cannot hope to stand without the protection of faith.  We try to endure the world with other things as our protection.  We try to withstand evil with politics, opinions, and debate.  We try to make laws to put forth our particular moral views.  As a follower of Christ my protection is my faith or better, my faith is my protection.

How can I hope to withstand the evil in the world without it?  If I do not have a deep faith then my protection is lessened.  Since Jesus is both the author and completer of our faith it is in following him that faith is deepened.  When I count on anything outside of Christ for my protection it will surely fail me.

I have done this too often.  I have looked to men, books, and traditions to bolster my faith.  The shield can only be made stronger by the armorer.  The creator of faith is Jesus.  If this sounds disjointed I apologize but it is hard to not be simplistic here and the simplicity sounds well, too simple.  I suppose that is why faith is also to be like that of a child.

Deeper faith means a larger stronger shield.  I can only obtain that by following Christ more closely  and more consistently.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

Diving Deeper – Riding the Wind

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the aspects of faith that is so challenging for me is living in the unknown.  Things rarely unfold as I imagine they will.  They often unfold in ways more beautiful and amazing. 

When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus he explained to the man that we cannot see the wind or where it comes from or where it is going.  He said that everyone who is driven by the Spirit of God is the same way.  I long so much to know what is next that I forget that I do not need to know.

On a daily basis I need only to handle what God places is front of me next.  Deep faith is actually moment by moment acting in faith to what is happening.  Even if things never develop as I imagine them or wish them it is the faith that matters not the unfolding of events.  This does not mean that I do not hope for things.

What it does mean is that I need to trust God so deeply that the failures of others do not impact that trust.  It means that not getting what I wish does not impact my faith.  It means that I live in wonder knowing that Christ will make all things right as he promised.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."