All Scripture is God-breathed. A perfect God did not inspire an imperfect book.

Today, dear Lord, help me to be deeply spiritual, but perfectly normal.

In your Bible study, I can’t stress enough the importance of tracing words in a Bible concordance.

If you are studying a certain word, just trace it all through the Bible. For instance, study the word, grace. You will find it occurs approximately 100 times in the Bible. When you have looked up all the times the word is mentioned and placed them in categories (ex. God is a God of grace; grace is a gift; etc.), you will have a better grasp of the meaning of grace.

When studying your Bible look for the beautiful pictures. Often comparisons and contrasts in pictures illuminate Bible truth.

Think of the pictures used to illustrate the value and power of God’s Word.

The Word is compared to a song (Psa. 119:54). God’s Word gives the lyric, melody, harmony and rhythm to life.

The Bible is also compared to a seed (Luke 8:11). The seed of the Word, planted in the human heart, can transform it from a wilderness of weeds to a beautiful garden of blessing.

And, the Word of God is compared to a sword (Heb. 4:12; Eph. 6:17). Our spiritual sword is sharper than a physical sword. A physical sword is dead and lifeless; our spiritual sword pulsates with life. A physical sword cuts from the outside in; our spiritual sword cuts from the inside out. A physical sword stabs living people and leaves them dead; our spiritual sword stabs dead people and leaves them alive!

Look for the pictures!

“God marks across some of our days, “Will explain later.”

- Vance Havner

Many of our days bring experiences, trials and heartaches we do not understand. On those days, we just have to trust that one day, He “will explain.”

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall  they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"   II Timothy 4:3
Exegesis: drawing out of Scripture what it says. Eisegesis: Reading into Scripture what you want it to say. There's a whole lot of eisegesis going on!

Purim

Then [Queen] Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days.” When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” Esther 4:10-14
Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim. This is the celebration based on the book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. The book of Esther tells the story of a young woman of Jewish birth who becomes the Queen. As queen, she employs wit, wisdom, and wiles to save her people from certain death at the hands of a cruel advisor to the king.
Each year during Purim four primary customs are observed. These customs are called mitzvot (which means ‘obligations’.) The four are:

1. Listening to the public reading, usually in synagogue, of the Book of Esther in the evening and again on the following morning (k'riat megillah)
2. Sending food gifts to friends (mishloach manot)
3. Giving charity to the poor (matanot la'evyonim)
4. Eating a festive meal (se`udah)

While Purim is not quite as simple as I’ve indicated here – you get the basic idea, I am sure… and while we are not obligated or commanded to celebrate Purim in the Christian church – each year at Purim I am reminded of two important things: first, it is never a bad idea to read sacred Scripture, give food to others, tangibly help the poor, and eat festively; and second, perhaps you and I are here in this place for just such a time as this.

Prayer
God of all mystery and grace – Open my heart to hear your voice, open my life to share with friends and strangers alike, open my arms to embrace laughter, and open my eyes to see your plan… not just your plan for my eternity – but your plan for my today… your plan for my each and every moment of “now”. Amen.