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Many ideas that some people say come from the Bible are not found in it. These ideas are very different from the Bible teachings. They cause people to doubt God's Word. But we cannot blame the Bible. We should blame the wrong use of the Bible.

We do not fully understand God and His works. If we could, there would be no more truth to discover. There would be no further growth of the heart and mind. God would no longer be first and above all. Let us thank God that He is greater than we are.

God is infinite. "All the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge" are in Him (Colossians 2:3). In heaven people will be forever searching to learn how great is His goodness. They will be ever learning how wise and how powerful He is.

As a child, like most other children, I was always asking questions! Why? Because I wanted to KNOW something! As I grew I discovered that the more I knew the more I found that I did not know! And that is how we grow in knowledge. When I graduated from my chosen course, and took up my appointment, I found that now I had to learn again -- the best way to put my knowledge into practice. And do you know what? Although I have well passed the magical "three-score and ten", I still find that there is still so much to learn that I have only touched the surface! Yes, I am going to NEED the whole of eternity in order to have time to learn the things that I want to learn. AND there will be things to learn that I don't even know about now.

What about you?

I see that as one of the joys of heaven -- I will STILL be able to ask questions -- BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW! What a privilege! But do you know the very, very, very best part? I WILL REMEMBER WHAT I HAVE LEARNED!! Oh, what joy!

God bless,

Beryl

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Even in this life God wants to be opening the truth of His Word to His people. There is only one way we can receive these truths. We can understand God's Word only through the light that comes from His Spirit. "Only God's Spirit knows all about God." "The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God's purposes." (I Corinthians 2:11,10).

The Saviour's promise to His followers was "When...the Spirit comes, Who reveals the truth about God, He will lead you into all the truth...He will take what I say and tell it to you." (John 16:13,14).

For us to read the Bible without inviting the Holy Spirit to guide our minds is a bit like a student picking up a text book and feeling that he/she can understand it fully without the aid of a teacher. The student will learn quite a bit, but in order to get the most benefit from the book he/she needs to have a teacher who can explain the deeper meanings beyond the actual words.

I can read the words of Scripture, understand what they are saying, enter into a discussion about what that passage means -- but it is only when I invite the Holy Spirit into my heart and mind that I can be led to those deeper meanings -- what that passage is saying to me -- personally. It is then the the Spirit can convict me of changes that should be made in my life, and lead me into a closer walk with the One Who can, in fact, bring about those changes.

May God bless you in your reading of Scripture.

Beryl

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God wants us to use our reasoning powers. The study of the Bible will strengthen these powers and lift our minds as no other study can. Yet we must be careful not to make reason a god. For it can be as weak as the human mind or body.

We must have the simple faith of a little child who is ready to learn. We must ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. Then we will have a clearer understanding of the truths of the Bible.

As a child I can't remember ever questioning what my mother taught me, or what my teacher taught me, because I believed in them. I knew instinctively that they knew so much more than I knew. It was only as I grew much older that it dawned on me that neither my mother nor my teacher knew EVERYTHING! And they were even known to make mistakes! That is humanity.

The Holy Spirit is a teacher Who never makes a mistake. We can trust Him implicitly. Yet at times it can be hard when we have two voices, both trying to tell us something different.

How can we decide which one is right? We can ask for help in our decision. We can go back to the Scriptures and see what they say. We can pray for guidance. If we truly want the Holy Spirit to guide us -- He will.

God bless,

Beryl

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We are made humble when we realize how wise God is. His greatness and power are beyond our understanding. We should open His Word as though we were coming before God Himself. In Bible Stdy, reason must see a power greater than itself. Heart and mind must bow before the God who spoke of Himself as the great I AM.

Which do you do first -- read God's Word and then talk to the Author? or talk to the Author first and ask for His guidance?

We always need the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we open God's Word. God is the Author, and only the Holy Spirit can interpret God's Word for us.

Anyone can literally READ the Bible, but we need the Holy Spirit to take those words, and apply them to our hearts and lives. Then that will lead us to living the way God wants us to live. The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us of sin in our lives. Often this happens when, with His guidance, we spend time with the Scriptures.

God bless

Beryl

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Many things at first seem hard to understand. But God will make them plain to us if we ask Him for understanding. The Holy Spirit will guide us and help us not to change the meaning of the Scriptures or to misunderstand them.

Sometimes when people read the Bible, it does not help them. It may even do them harm. Doubts come into the mind when the Word of God is studied without prayer. Our thoughts must be fixed on God when we open the Bible. We must be ready to follow His leading, for without God's help our minds may be clouded with doubt. Then Bible study could lead to unbelief.

Yes, it may seem strange that we could read the Bible and be lead astray! But that is a work at which Satan is a master! If we do not, before reading the Bible, ask God to direct our minds, we are leaving open the door for other thoughts to come in. We can see all of God's "DO NOTs" and fail to find the love behind His instruction. We can see the great sins that He appeared to completely overlook -- and fail to see the God of love who was pleading with their hearts and minds, and was giving them yet another chance before He brought destruction upon them.

God is waiting to spend that private time with you.

Beryl

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Satan guides the thoughts when people do not ask for God's help as they study the Bible. They may make mistakes in understanding the Scriptures no matter how well educated they may be. It is not safe to trust what they say the Word means unless they are obeying God.

Those are very powerful words! Never should the Bible be read without asking for the help of the Holy Spirit. When we do not have that help, Satan can so easily lead us astray. The devil knows more about the bible than we do! Just check out the story of his tempting Jesus in the desert! He tried to quote Scripture out of context in order to tempt Jesus to sin, but Jesus had not only studied Scripture during His growing years -- He had also given His life into the hands of His Father in heaven, and sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must do the same.

God bless,

Beryl

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In most cases the real cause of unbelief is the love of sin. When we are proud and sin-loving, we do not welcome the teachings of God's Word. If we are not willing to obey God's Word, we are ready to doubt. We must have a sincere desire to know the truth and a willingness to obey it. If we study the Bible with a willing heart, we will find good reasons to believe that it is God's Word. We will understand the truths that will being us salvation.

Christ said, "Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority (John 7:17). We should not question and find fault with the truths we do not understand. We must walk in the light that we already have and then we will receive greater light. By the grace of Christ we must do every day that has been made plain to us. Then we will be able to understand and do those things we now doubt and question.

Here we find the basis of much of the unbelief -- we do not like the truth, and so we look for anything that will give us an excuse to disbelieve! That is our fallen human nature! God is fair and honest. He invites us to test Him, and try Him, and He assures us that if we do that honestly, we will find the truth.

God bless,

Beryl

Wow, I have been absent for almost a month. Sorry about that. Much of the time I had no real access to the internet, but had a wonderful time as we took our health programs up through the vast north-west of Western Australia. We did a Health Age Assessment for just under 900 people, and had some great conversations with them. So, now, on with our study of "Steps to Christ"

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We all may find out whether God's Word is real and His promises are true when we study the Bible for ourselves and see if God keeps His promises. God tells us to "find out for yourself how good the Lord is" (Psalm 34:8). We must not depend on the word of another, but find out for orselves. God says, "Ask and you will receive" (John 16:24). He will keep His promises. They have never failed: they never can fail. As we come near to Jesus we rejoice in His wonderful love. Our doubt and darkness will fade away in the light of His presence.

Spending personal time with God's Word is the best way to grown spiritually. In the quietness and solitude we can reflect on God's dealings with mankind during the ages. In the Old Testament we can feel the agony of a loving God whose chosen people are continually turning their backs on Him, and feel the pathos as He lets them go. But we also see a God Who is a forgiving God, willing to take the people back into His fold, regardless of what they have done. We see His patience, and we can thank Him for that same love and patience being showered out on us -- still imperfect, but still loved with a Divine love.

God bless,

Beryl

So glad to see you back, Beryl!!

Thank you, Gail, and it is nice to be back, too -- although I loved every minute of being away. We have a busy 2 months ahead of us, although mostly these will just be day trips away, with the one exception of a week that I will spend in Wiluna which will involve health work with the Aboriginal population, plus ministering to our own church members on the Sabbath.

For the last 2 years this outreach has been just part of an experimental program funded by the Commonwealth Government, with plane travel provided by one of the mining companies. As a result of changes that have taken place, the Federal Government has now authorised this funding to continue for the next five years.

I am now planning for that program, and finding ways in which I can involve our own Aboriginal people who are already in a Health training course at our Mamarapha College (adult Adventist Aboriginal college here in Western Australia), so that eventually this work can be carried on by their own people.

Your prayers are welcome.

Beryl