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Tips for Getting the Most from These Devotions
ОглавлениеDevotional readings, or meditations on Scripture, need no special guidance; just jump in and start reading. But a few comments might be helpful.
First: Notice that each of the four biblical texts or “books” tells its own “story” of something that was important to the founding, the character, and the future viability of the earliest Christian church. So reading the devotions in order and noticing the underlying narrative framework will enhance the conversation that you have with the biblical authors.
Second: Remember that you are an important member of that grand community of Christians that stretches across time from Jesus up through today. Bring your personal story to the text’s story—its portion of the great story of God’s salvation history—and let the two stories meet, interact, conflict, merge, connect. The biblical text may seem unsettling at times, even impenetrable, and occasionally hard to apply to your situation. That’s okay. Maybe the next reading will be just what you need. And maybe the one that didn’t work for you today will be meaningful tomorrow. You don’t have to “get it” every day. The meditation offered on the biblical text is certainly not the only way to reflect on this piece of Scripture. Be ready to follow your own insights.
Third: When reference is made to another biblical “book,” that source is referred to in abbreviated form (example: Matt 1:5); when reference is to another verse in the same “book,” only chapter and verse are used (example: 3:16).