Study God's Word in 2024

Planning to grow in God's Word and putting that plan to use in 2024 is of utmost importance. Yesterday I wrote about doing that and then mentioned some devotionals I found helpful in 2023 and a couple I will be reading in 2024. If you missed that blog post you can check it out at this link, https://liaministries.blogspot.com/2023/12/plan-to-grow-in-gods-word-in-2024.html

As I warned in yesterday's post, don't let daily devotionals be the only Bible study you do. That's not Bible study. You can't grow in the knowledge of God's Word through devotionals. That would be like trying to maintain a healthy diet on only eating candy. It's tastes good, but it won't sustain you.

We have to be people who read God's Word daily. One way to accomplish that is by reading through the Bible in a year. When picking up a Bible it can be intimidating and you start thinking, I can't read that entire book. Yes you can, and taking it one day at a time is a great way to accomplish it. Pick the translation of the Bible you enjoy and follow a reading plan. You can find them on the Bible app, inside some Bibles, or your church may have a year-long Bible schedule to follow. Determine right now that starting tomorrow, New Year's Day, you are going to start reading the Bible daily. If you miss a day, make it up the next day. This is too important not to do.

I've read through the Bible a number of times using different reading schedules and Bible translations. If you have already read through the Bible, do it again. Try reading it chronologically. I enjoyed that. I think it's important to read through the Bible using different translations. I've never read through the entire Bible using the NASB translation. Martha bought me the NASB MacArthur Study Bible for my birthday, so I'm going to read through it in 2024 using the reading schedule it provides.

If you don't have a study Bible, I encourage you to buy one. It's more than worth the investment. I look forward to digging into my new NASB study Bible. I really enjoy the ESV Study Bible. I love the ESV translation, and it has copious study notes, articles, and resources. I highly suggest that one. When you open God's Word, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. He is our Teacher.

With a study Bible, I encourage you to take time and slow down and study the Bible. Pick a topic like grace, mercy, forgiveness, the Messiah, Holy Spirit, covenants, etc., and start looking up what scriptures say about each topic. Get a Bible commentary if you don't have one. There are many good ones out there such as the MacArthur Bible Commentary, Believer's Bible Commentary, Matthew Henry Bible Commentary, and more.

A great study to do is the Book of Psalms, and a great way to read and study it is reading five chapters a day corresponding with the day's date. For example, on Jan. 1, read Psalms 1 then skip 30 books to Psalms 31, then skip 30 more and read Psalms 61, then Psalms 91, and then Psalms 121. The next day start with chapter 2, then 32, 62, 92, 122, and so on throughout the month. On Jan. 31, you could spend more time in Psalms 119, which is the longest chapter in the Bible.

Taking time to read and study the Psalter is a great way to learn the heart of God and better understand the Old and New Testaments in one book. Martin Luther once said, "The Psalms are a Little Bible, wherein everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended." John Wesley said, "The Psalms is a summary of both testaments."

To strengthen your prayer life, as you read Psalms, pray them. You will be praying many of the prayers Jesus prayed and you will be learning how to pray the Word.

Dietrick Bonhoeffer said, "The Psalter is the prayer book of Jesus Christ in the truest sense of the word. He prayed the Psalter and now it has become his prayer for all all time ... we understand how the Psalter can be prayer to God and yet God's own Word, precisely because here we encounter the praying Christ ... because those who pray the Psalms are joining in with the prayer of Jesus Christ, their prayer reaches the ears of God. Christ has become their intercessor."

Take 30 minutes a day to read God's Word and pray and work your way to one hour. I can hear some of you now, "Ken, I don't have that much time." Really? You have time to watch TV. What's more important? A TV show or God's Word and your relationship with your Creator?

Find a time each day that works best for you. Mine is early in the morning before my day starts. I begin with devotionals and then prayer and reading God's Word. At other times of the week I will take time to study the Bible to see what God is saying about different topics and issues.

We aren't done. Be sure to check out tomorrow's blog for more tips and advice for growing in God's Word in 2024. If you have questions, please email me at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com.

Plan to grow in God's Word in 2024

Do you have a plan for spiritual growth in 2024? If not, start praying and planning for one now. It’s not too late. Always plan on spiritual growth. It’s like anything else, if you aren’t intentional it won’t happen. God isn’t going to snap His fingers and spiritual growth all of a sudden takes place. He’s not a genie in a bottle that you rub and He grants your wishes.

Spiritual growth takes commitment. It’s like an athlete. If you want to excel on the field or court, you are going to discipline yourself to workout daily, eat right, practice hard, listen to your coaches, study the game plan, etc. if you want to be a great musician you are going to take lessons, practice daily, study, etc. The same goes for spiritual growth. Don’t put it on the back burner. Put it front and center and intentionally plan to grow in God’s Word throughout 2024 and therefore grow closer to God.

First of all, don’t depend on your pastor to do all of your work. He’s very important and we need to be in church every Sunday listening to the message God has placed on His heart. But if that's all you do, you will starve spiritually. Do you only eat once a week? Of course not. You'd starve to death. It's the same with the spirit. We must feed our spirit daily with the Word of God.

Devotionals are good to read. But let me warn you right here, don't let devotionals be your only source of Bible study. For me, devotionals are a good starting point. I use them to crank my spiritual engine every morning.

Here are some devotionals I recommend:

- I receive a daily devotional every week day in my email inbox from Max Lucado. He is such a talented writer. You can sign up for them at his website, https://maxlucado.com/daily-devotional

- My friend Debi Head Parnell writes a daily devotional on Facebook called, "Jesus and Java." Debi is also a talented writer. You can find Jesus and Java on FB at https://www.facebook.com/groups/733451830057403
It's a FB group, so you need to join it, https://www.facebook.com/groups/733451830057403

- This year I read two daily devotional books, "Lead Like Jesus Leadership Development for Every Day of the Year" and "Voices of the Faithful." These were both good, but "Voices of the Faithful" had the most impact and I highly recommend this devotional. It was written by missionaries with the International Mission Board with Beth Moore writing monthly intros. Wow! I don't think I've ever said this about a devotional book, but this one is life transforming. God touches your heart as you read first-hand stories from the mission field. The stories inspire and challenge. You will laugh and you will cry. These are missionaries who put their lives on the line in remote places around the world to tell people about Jesus. They have given up everything to serve Jesus wherever He sends them. Look on Amazon and thriftbooks.com. It was published in 2005. You will not regret buying this devotional book. My good Brother and friend, Jim Lanley, has three entries in it from his nine years as an IMB missionary in China.

"Lead Like Jesus" isn't deep, but it gives good, short insights to the book's title, leading like Jesus. Each day there is a snippet of a leadership topic, a corresponding Bible verse, and a prayer. A friend gave it to me years ago, and I've enjoyed reading through it this year. It was published in 2008. You can also find it on Amazon.

In 2024, I'm going to continue to kickstart my day with Jesus and Java and Max Lucado's devotionals. In addition, I'll add "Voices of the Faithful Book 2" and "A Year with C.S. Lewis." I'll let y'all know how those are. I already know they're going to be great, especially "Voices of the Faithful Book 2." Jim has four entries in this book.

That's enough for this blog entry. Tomorrow I'll share some more tips on putting together a spiritual growth plan. 

There is still time for year-end donations

Praise God for another incredible year of ministry at Love In Action. During this year we have seen a number of people give their lives to Jesus, follow in baptism, and go through discipleship. Lives were transformed by the power of Jesus Christ, the homeless and poor received hope and help with vital needs, and some of the homeless came off the streets throughout 2023. To God be the glory!

We praise God for all He did this year, and we cannot thank Him enough for everyone who donated financially. The fact is, we cannot do everything we do without financial support. As needs rise, so does the need for finances. Thanks to those who donated throughout 2023, we were able to meet vital needs for thousands of people in Dothan and throughout the Wiregrass.

God has even bigger plans for 2024 as we will finish the renovations to our kitchen and increase our community outreaches. That means even more people living in poverty will receive hope through the sharing of the Gospel and help with vital needs like groceries and hot meals. We are praying for even more financial support this year to reach these goals.

What are our goals for 2024? Glad you asked.

• To increase the number of people we provide food for each month from 5,000 to 8,000.
• To double the number of hot meals we serve each month from 2,000 to 4,000.
• To double the number of community outreaches we do each week from three to six.
• To expand the Samaritan Clinic to offer more health services to our homeless friends.

All of this will help us reach thousands of more people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Dothan and the Wiregrass. We are praying for a harvest of souls who will surrender their lives ot Jesus, follow Him in baptism, and become disciples who make disciples.

Please prayerfully consider an end of the year financial donation to help us finish 2023 strong and get a great start to 2024. Together we can share the Gospel, meet physical needs of the homeless and poor, and make an eternal difference in the lives of people throughout our community.

Please mail your tax-deductible donation to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. You can also donate securely online via PayPal and with the Venmo App and Cash App. Please visit the donation page on our website to donate and for more information, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate

Love In Action International Ministries, Inc., is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit Christian organization. All donations and gifts are tax deductible. Our federal tax-exempt number is 63-1274627.

Thank you and may God bless you in every way throughout 2024.

Starting Seminary - Step of Faith (part 2)

 

I was a little nervous about going back to school. It had been 32 years since I'd taken a college course, and this is grad school.

Could I keep up with everything else I have going on? My schedule at Love In Action is extremely busy. In addition to all of the ministry that we do each day, there's the studying and preparing for our weekly "Sunday Morning with Love In Action" on The Joy FM. There's the recordings of the "Love In Action Minute" on The Joy FM.

We are an international ministry, so when our part of the world is sleeping, our Brothers and Sisters in Asia are awake. There is the business side of ministry that needs to be done as well as websites and social media, and more.

I'm taking two classes this semester - Discipleship & Spiritual Formation and Biblical Theology. The first week my professors went over the syllabus for each class. Wow! All of the reading, quizzes, papers to writes, discussions to post, and a weekly small group to join had me wondering if I made the right decision.

I really knew I had. It was just overwhelming at the moment. Thankfully, I have a praying wife and two professors who are praying for us students. I prayed and felt much better about everything. Now I'm already in a rhythm. I've been staying ahead so far. I know it's early, but I'm feeling good about everything.

I don't know what kind of grades I'll make. Of course I hope I pass and make good grades, but I'm not going to stress about it. I'm not here for the grades. I'm here for the Holy Spirit to teach me what He wants me to learn.

As I work toward earning a Graduate Certificate in Theology, and perhaps a master's in theology, I'm just wanting to learn more about God through His Word. If my professors like the papers I write and the good grades come, then great. It's like I told the good folks at WBS, I'm not going there for a piece of paper. I don't need it for career advancement. I already have the best job in the world. I just want to go deeper into God's Word.

From what I've experienced so far, that's exactly what's happening. I thank God for His grace and mercy in making all of this happen. I'm thankful for my wife's support and encouragement. I'm thankful for Harvest Church and my friend who not only gave me $500, but he's also praying for me.

I'm thankful for WBS. It's an excellent seminary with professors who truly care and can rightly handle the Word of God. I'm thankful for all of the prayers and encouragement from so many. I'm thankful for our small staff and volunteers at Love In Action who step up when I need to be in class or study. I'm humbled by it all.

I thank God for the life He's given me and for His call on my life. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Starting Seminary - A Step of Faith (part 1)

 

I'm only two weeks into my first semester at Wesley Biblical Seminary, but I'm already thankful for making the decision to pursue a graduate certificate in theology. It may turn into a master's in theology, but we'll see how it goes with the certificate first.

It's been 32 years since I last took a college course. The year was 1991 and that was my senior year at then Troy State University. They have since dropped the "State" from their name. I graduated Troy with a Bachelor of Science in Print Journalism and Public Relations on Aug. 9, 1991. Whew! Seems like a lifetime ago.

I considered off and on for years about going to graduate school to earn a master's in journalism or business, but never did. Costs were too high. Later as I started serving Jesus in the ministry, I would look every now and then at seminary, but once again cost was the prohibitive factor.  

I pretty much gave up on the idea until this spring. I really felt God telling me it was time. I teach a lot - Bible studies, sermons, discipleship, systematic theology. I felt God telling me it was time for me to learn and grow more in His Word so I can grow personally and lead others even deeper into His Word.

My first question was, "But what about the costs?" Being president and lead pastor of a ministry to the homeless and poor doesn't earn a big paycheck. You don't get into ministry to get rich.

I earned a rather nice salary the last eight years of my newspaper career. If anything, that would have been the time to pursue seminary. But it wasn't. However, I knew this was the time and the direction God was leading me, so I started looking at schools and seeking guidance.

My friend and one of the best Bible teachers I know, Dr. Bill Ury, said I should take a serious look at Wesley Biblical Seminary (WBS). He said for what I was looking for, WBS would be a perfect fit.

After much prayer and research, it came down between WBS and Liberty, but I felt the Holy Spirit's leading to go to WBS. It seemed every conversation was God-ordained and things kept lining up. And, the costs were affordable. I will say that Liberty was also affordable. However, any extra costs on our budget is a challenge for us, so even applying was a step of faith.

Martha encouraged me all the way, so I took the step of faith and applied and I was accepted. The next step was paying for the semester. I told the finance director that I would not be taking out a loan, because I don't believe in going into debt. I told him, "If God wants me to do this, and I believe He does, then He will provide every penny."

I qualified for a $500 scholarship with my GPA from Troy.  Then the financial director told me about a scholarship I could apply for that would be even better than that one. I had to write an essay and have three reference letters. Those letters made me cry when I read them. They were so humbling. 

As it turned out, I along with another WBS student, received the scholarship. It pays for half of my tuition for two semesters. Praise God! But, there was still half the tuition left. No worries. God would take care of it, and He did.

I was talking with a mentor and good friend from my journalism days and told him about my schooling. He loves Jesus and was excited. He said, "The Lord just told me to send you $500 for your seminary." Praise God! Another blessing from God!

Then just two days before tuition was due for this semester, WBS received a check from my home church, Harvest Church Dothan, that paid the remaining balance of my tuition. Praise God! Hallelujah! What can you do but praise God and cry tears of joy?

I had already purchased my books, which were a lot cheaper than my days at Troy. I paid under $300 for nine books. One text book would nearly cost that much back in my Troy days.

I'll end this blog entry here. As a newspaper editor I told my reporters to get in and out of a story. I'm having a hard time getting out of this one, so I'll make it a two-part blog.

In part 2, I'll write about starting classes.

Harvest time

I was reminded on my walk this morning that despite how hot it is, harvest season is coming soon. Cotton in this field was looking pretty. It’s our Alabama snow.

The most important harvest is ready now. Jesus says in Matthew 9:37-38, “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Are you a laborer for Christ? We need more who are willing to obey our Lord’s Great Commission (Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:18-20) to go proclaim the Gospel and make disciples. We need more who are willing to provide for those of us who can and do “go proclaim the Gospel” and “make disciples of all nations.”

As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 10:14-15, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Come on! The harvest truly is plentiful. Let’s go and be used by our Father to reap the harvest.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” - Galatians 6:9

Zooming for Jesus

 

A discipleship group started with an email from a woman named Melissa in Illinois, although at the time I didn't know she lived in Illinois. 

I received an email from Melissa asking me about our Love In Action School of Discipleship. I explained what we teach and when and invited her to join us. She emailed back that she lives in Illinois. Being the observant person that I am, I quickly understood commuting weekly from Illinois to Dothan, Alabama, might be a little tough.

I had never considered teaching discipleship classes on Zoom, but God spoke to my heart about it, so I asked Melissa if she would be interested in taking discipleship classes on Zoom if I could get a class together. She said yes. I posted on Facebook about it, and soon we had a Zoom class.

That was a year ago and this group of precious disciples of Christ are still going strong. We have met on Zoom every Tuesday night for a little over a year now, and it's been life-changing for all of us. We have completed the following courses: DM2 (Disciples Making Disciple Makers), 50 Commands of Christ, and Creation to Christ. We are now in "Bible Doctrine," which is a systematic theology class.

I love this group more than I can put into words. Everyone is from southeast Alabama except for Melissa. We have another Melissa who is from Headland, Lynn from Cowarts, Renee from Enterprise, and Josh and Rochelle from Daleville. We've recently had Benjamin from Dothan join us. He switches between our Zoom class and our class on campus that is on the same course, depending on his work schedule.

It's amazing how close knit a group can become through an online class. We truly love and care about one another, and we have all gone through good and tough times together this past year.

In addition to studying online together, this group prays for one another. Rarely does a week go by when someone doesn't ask for an update on personal prayer requests from the previous week. 

God has brought together a wonderful family. "Illinois" Melissa has a passion for the lost and hurting and is one or the sweetest people you could ever meet. She has a big heart for children, and took her passion for children to an orphanage in Africa on a mission trip earlier this year.

Lynn is a dear friend and a faithful volunteer at Love In Action. She is in our Zoom class and the class that meets on our campus that's at the same level. She also teaches two DM2 classes at Love In Action. She is a disciple making disciples.

Renee and I worked together at the Enterprise Ledger back in the 1990s, so when I saw she signed up for the class I was excited. I hadn't seen her in a long time. She's a precious woman of God with a big heart for Jesus and is not shy about telling others about Him. She even witnessed to a couple of NASA astronauts recently. Outer space ... the next mission field. LOL

I didn't know our "Headland" Melissa, but what a blessing she is. She wants to learn more and more of God's Word and be a doer of His Word, and she is. She has also volunteered at Love In Action since starting our discipleship classes.

I didn't know Josh and Rochelle prior to starting our Zoom class. They moved to the Wiregrass from Utah, and I'm so thankful God brought them here. They not only are involved in our Zoom class, but they also volunteer at Love In Action on Saturdays. It's been a joy getting to know them and their family. Their son Ace is an outstanding lacrosse player and will be competing at the Div. 1 level as he begins college this fall.

Benjamin is the one who attends via Zoom or on campus depending on his work schedule. He is also a faithful volunteer at Love In Action, in addition to working three jobs. I don't know how he does it, but he does smiling the entire time. If you ever need someone to pray for you, Benjamin is the one to call. This Brother can pray!

Mine and Martha's lives are richer because of this wonderful group of Brothers and Sisters. I look forward to everything God has planned for us. We will finish Bible Doctrine this fall, and then go through a "Seeker Study" and apologetics.

There are other classes I will add to the curriculum, and as long as they want to study on Zoom, we will continue meeting weekly. I look forward to us all growing together in Christ and growing closer together as a family.

Thank you Melissa, Lynn, Josh, Rochelle, Melissa, Renee, and Benjamin for loving God and His Word like y'all do, and thank y'all for loving Martha and me. We both love y'all so much and are forever thankful God brought all of us together. Thank you Illinois Melissa for that first email.

Being a Great Commission Christian is the best life ever, and living this life with y'all makes it even better.