Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (86 page)

What else do you think we should learn from Uzzah’s experience?

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Romans 8:28–39

TIME COMMITMENT:

At least one day

“Meditation as popularly taught by the Eastern philosophies tells you to empty your mind—the exact opposite of what the Scriptures say. Biblical meditation means filling your mind with the truth that God has revealed. . . . The greatest changes that God has brought about in my life have come through the process of meditation—just allowing the Word of God to filter and percolate through my mind and into my life. I’ve learned that first-rate Bible reading calls not for snapshots but for timed exposures” (pp. 116, 117).

F
or this session we’ve selected an encouraging passage. There’s only one question on which to meditate. Today read Romans 8:28–39 and take an advance look at the question. But as before, wait at least a day (or more if you wish) to let your mind dwell on this single passage. When you’re ready, come back and answer the question.

Paul made many wonderful promises in this passage. And then he made the observation that “we are more than conquerors” (v. 37 NIV). Your question is: What do you think it means to be “more than conquerors,” and how should such a concept affect our lives?

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Jeremiah 38

TIME COMMITMENT:

45 minutes

“Purposeful reading looks for the aim of the author. There isn’t a verse of Scripture that was thrown in by accident. Every word contributes to meaning. Your challenge as a reader is to discern that meaning” (p. 119).

A
t first reading, Jeremiah 38 tells an interesting story. But a purposeful examination of the chapter might reveal much more than a cursory reading. Read the chapter once to get your bearings. But then see how much additional information you can glean by using some of the suggestions for reading purposefully. (It may help to use some other Bible resources as needed.)

The passage is a bit long for a close examination of all the subjects and objects, modifiers, prepositional phrases, verbs, and so on. But do any of the literary features stand out to you? (Present tense vs. future prophecies? Important connectives such as “but” or “and”? etc.)

More than providing purpose through grammatical structure, this chapter lends itself to examination for purpose through literary structure. For example, this is a key event in the
biography
of Jeremiah. How does the passage fit into what you already know about the prophet?

From a
historical
basis, the story takes place during the rise of power of the Babylonian Empire. How is that important to the events taking place?