IT STARTS WITH BEING A FAN
Why is it so hard to do a deep dive into the Bible? Maybe it isn’t hard for you, but I find it challenging and a little bit intimidating for me. There are names that I can’t pronounce and a string of lineage that goes on for eons. I am not familiar with the geographic locations where most of the accounts took place, and nothing is in chronological order. How in the world are we supposed to be able to keep track of everything? Maybe, if I was a devoted fan, then it wouldn’t be so hard.
It starts with being a fan
My brother-in-law and niece are huge Star Wars fans. They have all of the movies, and they have watched all of them countless times. Every year, there is a huge celebration called Dragon Con near where they live. They love going to Dragon Con and seeing people walking around in costumes of their favorite characters.
Extended hours go into making these elaborate costumes, and my niece and brother-in-law enjoy participating in all of the festivities. They create their costumes and take lots and lots of pictures. I would consider them to be Star Wars experts since I am not proficient in Star Wars trivia.
But, much to my surprise, my niece and BIL aren’t Star Wars experts at all. There is a Star Wars trivia contest you can enter while you are at Dragon Con. I thought that one of them would for sure be near the top percent in this area, but they didn’t last long at all. Turns out, there are a lot of people who are even bigger fans than my niece and BIL.
Back Story
Because the thousands of participants who attend Dragon Con each year are fans, they watch the movies over and over again and study up on all of the events. The original Star Wars movie didn’t start at the beginning, so there were subsequent movies that told the back story. The back story is where you learn why the characters acted the way they did. This is where you learn where they lived, who their families were, and the events that shaped their personalities.
Engaged fans know all of this information. They have spent countless hours researching the characters and reading about their lives. They can even recall and verbalize their words from certain movie scenes. The engaged fan probably has groups or friends that discuss each movie’s different nuances and share the secrets they just discovered.
Devoted Fan
There are a lot of fans in this world and I bet each of us can relate to one of them. For some people, sports would be the first thing that comes to mind. They have a particular sports team that they root for each game, wear jerseys, and talk about the game while standing around the water cooler. For others, it might be a television show or NetFlix series they are obsessed with watching.
What takes someone from being a fan, or an engaged fan, to being a devoted fan? You can be a fan, talk about your subject with friends, and even wear the clothing, but you also have to sacrifice something that shows your love to be a devoted fan. In most cases, the sacrifice is time. You might spend time researching the subject, watching videos, reading articles, attending group discussions, or going to conferences. You usually have emails that will hit your inbox related to the topic you’re devoted to, and you look forward to getting them.
God’s Word
This brings me to the Bible, the words of God. The ones that I said earlier were hard to read and understand. It makes me wonder if I am a “devoted fan,” would I feel the same way? There is a difference between reading the Bible and taking a deep dive into the Bible. But, doing that would require a sacrifice of time. It would also require the additional help of books, devotionals (the one I am currently doing), study guides, and small groups. There are experts who have already spent countless hours pouring over the Bible, and we can, and should, take advantage of their sacrifice.
2 Timothy 3:16
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Matthew 4:4
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
The Lord doesn’t expect us to know everything that we read. He understands that we will scratch our heads and wonder what the scriptures mean, and how we can apply them to our lives. Just because the words are foreign to us doesn’t mean that we can’t mispronounce a word and still come away with the meaning of the text.
Luke 24:45
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Light bulb moment!!! Maybe if we pray and ask the Lord to help us understand what we read, He will answer our prayers.
If you are reading this post, then you are probably already a fan of God. Now, it is up to us to sacrifice our time so that we can become DEVOTED fans, and put the Lord first in our lives. I wrote a post about creating Devotional Habits that might be some help.
To God Goes The Glory!
Have A Blessed Day!
One thing I have enjoyed using, that has helped with my Bible study, is “Deluxe Then and Now Bible Map Book with CD ROM” from Rose Publishing. It helps me see where places are, when they are mentioned in the Bible. It has overlays so you can see which countries those places are in today. It really helped when studying Genesis!
I am studying Elijah by Priscilla Shirer also. She has an inspiring way of telling the story of Elijah. I have been really moved and am only about half way through it. It helps me to know that you are studying the same thing. Thank you!
Tania, Thank you for the encouragement. I, too, would like to become a more “devoted” fan. The devotional you shared looks good. I like Priscilla Shirer, so I’ve added this to my book list.
Tania, you might like Kyle Idelman’s book Not Just a Fan. It’s about moving from the sidelines and committing to be a follower i got a lot from reading it!
Seamless by Angie Smith helped me understand the Bible. She’s funny and her other Bible studies are awesome too.
Holli, I have this book, but I had a hard time getting into it. I need to give it another try.
Thank you for this post Tania! Guideposts had an offer a few months ago for a Bible designed to help you read through the whole book in one year. I ordered one and will begin using it as part of my devotional time in 2022. It sounds like a daunting thing for me to do, but I am not going to let Satan deter me from becoming a more dedicated fan of God and His word. Have a blessed day!
Ginger, satan (I never capitalize his name because he doesn’t deserve the recognition) will try, but pray that the Lord helps you through your endeavor.
I love the way you compare biblical things to current things. It brings much more to light..
Janet, my hope is to make God’s word practical for our daily lives. I want to be able to apply it in my life, and hopefully help others to see how they can also.
I need to take a deeper dive into the scriptures. I’ve read the Bible through a couple of times but my favorite way is to read however I’m led at the moment. Thank you for your encouragement. You are a blessing!
Eve, when I read the Bible in order, I miss how some events are tied together. I am going to try the book that Mariana recommended.
Yes easy to pray and believe but more complicated to read and understand. I know i myself need to dive deeper in to my daily time and devotion spent with god . Thank you for this thoughtful reminder. Your illustrations are so spot on. I am amaze at all the relatable things you are able to share! May god continue to use you to reach others.
Thanks, Connie! I appreciate your kind words.
I highly recommend this book:
30 Days to Understanding the Bible, 30th Anniversary: Unlock the Scriptures in 15 minutes a dayby Max Anders. It is a game changer. I also have an app, Bible Pronunciations. I know, I’m strange with things like that.
Thanks, Mariana! I just ordered this book, and I can’t wait to start becoming more knowledgeable!