While I know I’m not the Proverbs 31 woman yet and I’m surely not wise enough to be called a counselor, I am pretty old. I am a grandmother! So there’s this command in Titus 2 for me to be a teacher of younger women. I really want to at least try to be a Titus 2 older woman. I know God’s Titus 2 wisdom is infinitely greater than mine, but still, He calls me to be a vessel for His truth to the younger women I love. Younger Christian women are, perhaps, my greatest source of encouragement in this part of my life. I love the way that so many are dedicated–really given totally– to putting their families around the throne for eternity. I’m going to take the next few installments of “Bless Your Heart” to talk from the person that I can hardly believe I am (old) to those who are twenty and thirty-somethings—those of you who still have time to get life right…those who can make some major choices in your homes and lives that will make you happier when you’re 55, like me.
So here’s the first and most obvious suggestion. No, this is not a suggestion. This is more important than food or sleep. May I implore you to study the Word? Young women often ask me how I “got into” speaking at ladies days. They ask for suggestions to help them become teachers of ladies classes or seminars. Here’s how: Study. Then study some more.
There is simply no shortcut for Bible study. It’s a great temptation to search for pithy ways to say fluffy things, to repeat the one or two lessons that you’ve presented over and over in various places, or to use borrowed material. But you will never have even a fraction of the influence on others if you use any of these shortcuts as you will if you study. If you are not deeply into the Word, your best efforts will come across as presentations rather than the bread of life that feeds hungry souls. I know this, not because I have always done a great job at Bible study. I know this because I have often failed and regretted presenting a lesson that could have been better…meatier… and could have resonated more deeply and in more souls.
Just make a promise to yourself now that you are going to get into the Word in some way every day. You can do the Digging Deep study that’s on this site. You can outline every chapter of the New Testament. You can choose a topic and get out the concordance and make notes on all related passages. You can write materials for teen girls. You can do character studies. You can do word studies. You can listen to sound gospel preaching and teaching from websites like www.westhuntsville.org or www.housetohouse.com, among many others. You can order materials to study from www.apologeticspress.org or do research from a virtual spiritual gem of mine at www.christiancourier.com. You can purchase great books from www.publishingdesigns.com or www.winklerpublications.com or from tuckersbooks.com, among many other outlets. You can write your own spiritual scripture-based blog.
Just do it. Just promise yourself that you are going to help yourself to peace and wisdom and future happiness. No matter what age you may be, if you have not been studying daily, you have already wasted too much valuable time. Further, the more you know about the Bible, the more there is to know. It’s an all-you-can-eat spiritual buffet that’s necessary for life, never consumed, never gets old and never fills you all the way up. Ultimately, you’ll find yourself in a post-death situation that renders all other information besides the material contained in that one book eternally and utterly useless. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t over-plan and under-commit to the plan. Don’t wait till you have the “right” tablet or computer program. Don’t give up if one time of day or study plan doesn’t work well for you. Don’t let babies or jobs stop you. Don’t let a missed day turn into a missed month. Don’t be afraid to ask for accountability. Especially, don’t be afraid to ask God to help you find the time and make the effort. It’s worth it. It’s worth it in the end. But it’s also worth it on the first day that you start your regime. So do it. Every day.
