Spiritual Survival Guide
2: Read This If You’re Confused About Faith
physical, not something you can put under a microscope.” Sometimes it means “how I feel about things.” The Bible takes a slightly different ap- proach: the word spirit is used to describe how God is active, as “breath, wind, power, guidance, and creative force.” PRAYER. We’re going to say more about prayer later on, but for now think about prayer as conversation with God. From our side of the conversation, it can be helpful to think of Christian prayer as coming down to four words: Thanks!
a negative connotation, as in “She thinks she’s so holy! As if she’s perfect!” But, biblically speaking, God’s call for us to “be holy” isn’t something that sets us above other people. It’s God setting us alongside and apart for a spe- cial purpose. When we say that God wants us to be holy, we’re saying that God has wonderful plans and purposes for our lives. ETHICAL/MORAL. These two related words have to do with answering the questions, “How should we live? What would God have us do? Given that God loves me, what’s the right response on my part?” DISCIPLE. This is a kind of biblical, churchy word that basically means to be a learner, student or follower. One writer describes the practice of discipleship as a “long obedience in the same direction.” For Christians, the one we learn from, the one we follow, apprentice ourselves to, and obey is Jesus.
Sorry! Help! Wow!
If you’re having trouble knowing how to simply talk to God, then you might want to try starting with each of those words and seeing where it takes you.
Think About It. Talk About It.
1. What has your own experience of reading the Bible been like? a) life-changing b) confusing c) boring d) fascinating e) mixed—encouraging and inspiring but also frustrating f) to be honest, I’m not much of a reader g) I’ve never actually tried to read it
“God, thanks for … And I’m sorry that … Please help by … Wow! You’re amazing because …”
SIN. Sin is a tricky word because it covers a huge range of things, and because it makes us uncomfortable. Basically, from a Christian point of view, sin describes everything that separates us from God. Sin can describe specific actions, but it can also be a quality of how we are. It can describe both the bad things we’ve done and the good things we’ve failed to do. REPENTANCE. This doesn’t mean thinking of yourself as a worm, or as unworthy of God’s love. It means turning around, doing an about-face, and having a fundamental change of mind and heart. HOLY. Sometimes, when applied to people we know, this word can have
2. What do you think of the idea that the Bible is more like a big love story than a long list of rules and regulations? 3. Do you find it helpful to think about a variety of ways to read the Bible? Which of the six different suggestions do you find most appealing right now?
4. What other “spiritual” words do you think could use some explaining?
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