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Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians – Part 4 – Bible Study, Memorization, and Meditation

/ Bob / Leave a comment

In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

Our first area of spiritual discipline is Bible Assimilation. We must spend time reading the Bible; listening to the Bible; studying the Bible; memorizing the Bible; and meditating on the Bible. In today’s lesson we dealt with Bible study, memorization, and meditation.


There is no excuse for a Christian in this digital age to not be able to find the tools necessary to study the Bible. Online sites and apps like YouVersion, Bible Hub, Blue Letter Bible, and BibleGateway provide digital resources that would outgun the libraries of many if not most pastors of the pre-digital age. You can look up any passage of scripture, read it in one of scores of English translations, check out the Greek or Hebrew meanings of words, find other passages that related to your initial passage, read commentaries by countless theologians giving you their interpretation of the passage, and that’s all on the first page of a Bible Hub search. If you own a computer, tablet, smart phone, or have access to one of these from a friend or public library you can study the Bible with all of these resources and so many more. Study the Bible!

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. – Psalm 119:11

When you memorize scripture you store it up in your heart so that the Holy Spirit can bring it to the forefront of your mind when you need direction in the midst of a moral dilemma; or when you need confirmation that what you’re doing is right; or when you need encouragement in the midst of a struggle. The Word of God is powerful, but it’s useless sitting on a shelf in the heat of the moment – it must be in your mind and in your heart. Memorize scripture!

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. – Psalm 1:1-2

Meditation is pausing to think deeply about a particular passage of scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, looking to God for understanding of the meaning

and the application of the passage. We must learn to stop all of the activity in our day to day lives and, in silence, simply think about what the Bible is saying. It’s nothing mystical. It’s nothing new-agey. It’s taking the time to ponder the incredible Word of God – verse by verse and passage by passage. Meditate on God’s Word!

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 28, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians – Part 3 ~ Bible Listening and Bible Studying

/ Bob

In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

Our first area of spiritual discipline is Bible Assimilation. We must spend time reading the Bible; listening to the Bible; studying the Bible; memorizing the Bible; and meditating on the Bible. In today’s lesson we only dealt with our listening to of Bible, but we also began to look at how to study the Bible.

Listening to the Bible being read is a wonderful way to take in God’s Word.  We listen each week as we come together for worship and Bible study and we can listen throughout the week to audio Bibles, podcasts, Christian radio, and wide range of digital sources via our smartphones, computers, and tablets.  We can listen as we drive, as we work, and during any activity where we normally listen to the radio or a podcast.  

We also began a look at print and digital resources for studying the Bible.  We only scratched the surface, but I would strongly suggest that you get a good study Bible.  I shared a link in today’s class to the Lifeway list of Study Bibles.  Because Lifeway is the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention you can feel safe in knowing that a Study Bible you purchase from them will be doctrinally sound.  That link is lifeway.com/en/shop/bibles/study-bibles .  

Other digital resources are at your fingertips.  You know what I mean.  Begin exploring the Word by exploring your devices for ways to read, listen, study, memorize, and mediate with the Bible.  Those devices are used daily for darkness.  Let’s use them for light. 

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 21, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

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Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians – Part 2 – Reading the Bible

/ Bob

In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

Our first area of spiritual discipline is Bible Assimilation. We must spend time reading the Bible; listening to the Bible; studying the Bible; memorizing the Bible; and meditating on the Bible. In today’s lesson we only dealt with our reading of the Bible.

Bible reading is just that – reading. It’s not a time to spend studying or laboring over the text. It’s a time of refreshing reading of God’s story as found in the Bible. The story is all about Jesus and if we will relax and read the Bible thinking about where Jesus fits in, the Biblical narrative becomes a story of the ages – literally.

So reading is an enjoyable activity, but it is also part of the discipline of Bible Assimilation. It is one of the ways that we bring the Bible into our lives. And if it is a discipline, there must be a disciplined approach to reading God’s holy word.

You need to find a time and place to meet with God for your time of reading. It’s a daily appointment that you have to schedule into your life and, like any appointment with a doctor or the boss, you need to keep it. You need a reading plan. We discussed some in this session, but you need to choose a plan that works for you. You need a readable Bible. For some that might mean the King James version and for others The Message or The Living Bible, etc. Remember, you’re reading – not doing deep study.

The main thing is to start reading. It is a dangerous thing to call yourself a Christian without knowing what the Bible says. We hire lawyers to read contracts because we don’t want to sign our name on that contract without knowing what it says. And yet, we declare ourselves to be Christian – bearing the name of Christ – without knowing what the Bible actually says. We need to start reading.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 14, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content are included below and can also be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

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Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Fit for Life: Spiritual Disciplines for Committed Christians

/ Bob
In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we read that we are to train, that is discipline, ourselves for Godliness. Physical training we are familiar with in our body-image culture, but while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Furthermore, we are told in Philippians 2:12-13 that we are to work out our own salvation knowing that it is God Who is at work in us for our sanctification and for His will.

We are saved not by what we do, but by the One in whom we put of trust.
For by grace have have been saved through faith. And it’s not because of anything we have done; it is the gift of God. So we can’t brag about what we’ve done that’s so good or so important. And we sure can’t count on the good things we’ve done to save us. The deal is that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
That’s where spiritual discipline comes in.

Just like a marathon runner has to train to endure and be successful in the race, so we must train to endure and be successful in the race that we call life.
It is sheer folly to think that we can live as Christ wants us to live by just schlepping through the week and showing up on Sunday to check off the box that says we went to church. But that’s how a lot of Christians approach the Christian life. God wants us to live for Him – every day – in every way.
The Holy Spirit – our personal trainer for this race – will not force us to follow his coaching,
but when we do, we can learn what the abundant life that Jesus promised us is all about.

It’s going to be an exciting time as we learn how to grow in Godliness and grow in our relationship with Jesus.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday,
May 7, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by
Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available below.

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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The “I Am’s” of Christ

/ Bob


God said to Moses, “I AM.” Jesus said to some questioning Jews, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” But Jesus didn’t leave it with just the simple and true statement – I AM. He went on in the book of John to lay out 7 “I Am’s” to give even more illumination into Who He Is.

As we concluded our series on living Godly lives in an ungodly world, we looked at 1 Peter 2:21-23  and determined that we must, as followers of Jesus, follow His example of how to live a Godly life in a hostile environment.  

21For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you.  He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 22He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 23He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.  He left his case in the hands of God,  who always judges fairly.  (1 Peter 2:21-23 – NLT)

Since He is our example and since we are to follow in his steps, it seems logical and necessary to see Who He said that He is.  The “I Am’s” of Christ found in the book of John are just that. 

1. I Am the Bread of Life (John 6)
2. I Am the Light of the World (John 8)
3. I Am the Gate (Door) of the Sheepfold (John 10)
4. I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10)
5. I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11)
6. I Am the Way, Truth, and Life (John 14)
7. I Am the True Vine (John 15)
Bonus – I am the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:11)

This past Sunday morning we looked at the first four. Next week we will look at the last last four.


This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday,
April 23, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .
Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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How Do We Live Godly Lives in an Ungodly World ~ Part 5

/ Bob

In this, the final lesson in this series, we look at the foundation of what it means to truly live Godly lives in an ungodly world. We look at what it means to subject yourself to the authorities that control the affairs of this world – what it means to live holy (separated) lives. We see what it means to live in a way which is obviously different from the world around us.

It’s counter-culture. It’s counter-intuitive. It’s abnormal in an abnormal world – a world in which up is down, wrong is right, and what seems logical defies all logic. In short, we as followers of Christ, must follow his example of how to live in this world which He created but which has wandered far from the design plan of the Creator.

No matter what happens in the world around us, we must not let the world shape us into its mold, but we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds – transformed by thinking with the mind of Christ. How do we live Godly lives in an ungodly world? We do it by living Godly lives no matter what happens in the ungodly world around us.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, April 16, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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How Do We Live Godly Lives in an Ungodly World? – Part 3

/ Bob

How Do We Live Godly Lives in an Ungodly World ~ Part 3

In order to live Godly lives in an ungodly world, we Christians have to first understand that this world is not our home. We are resident aliens just passing through this planet. We are chosen by God, saved by God, and kept by God so that we can carry out His plan to bring light into a dark world.

Therefore, we have to set our minds on things above, not on this things of this world. We have to have a paradigm shift from following the world’s way of thinking to following God’s way of thinking. We have to know who we are in Christ and, as we read in 1 Peter 1:3. we have to prepare our minds for action and, being sober-minded, we must set our hope fully on the grace of Jesus Christ.

Next week we will focus on how to avoid conformity to the world’s way of thinking through holiness.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 12, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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How Do We Live Godly Lives in an Ungodly World ~ Part 1

/ Bob

In John 15 and in John 17 Jesus uses the word “world” over and over again – and it’s not good news for the world. The world He is talking about involves the worldly ideas, beliefs, practices, and common behaviors of the general population. Satan is the evil one who seems to have his way in the minds and hearts of the people at large and Jesus knew that the world that Christians would face would not be tolerant of their fundamental beliefs.


In this session we looked generally at the ways of the world as opposed to the ways of the Kingdom. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12) in our opposition to the sin that has beset our world, but we do need to know where we stand in relation to the worldly ways that are brought on by that sin.


In James 4:4 we read that friendship with the world equals hatred toward God. To be a friend of the world, you will automatically be an enemy of God. Next week we will begin looking at some practical, scriptural responses to the world’s ways as we seek to Godly lives to the glory of the Father.



This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday,
March 12, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by
Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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Are We Living in the End Times? ~ Part 2

/ Bob

In the Olivet Discourse, found in Matthew 24 & 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus shared some signs of the end times. Other passages of scripture like 1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and 2 Peter 3:3-4 give general descriptions of end times which look very much like our culture today.

The fact is that we have been seeing “End Times” events and signs since Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Those signs may be more prevalent today and situations may seem more dire, but are they signs of the end of the age?

As we look at the “signs of the times” we can easily come to the conclusion that the return of Jesus is imminent. However, since no one knows when that time will come our response cannot be a chicken little reaction to the signs, but rather a preparation for what will come sooner or later. And while I believe it will be sooner rather than later, the timing doesn’t matter – it’s time to prepare.

To that end we must recognize the signs and recognize that Jesus could return at any time. Furthermore, we must keep watch; be alert; pray; and keep working for the Lord. Our urgency to reach the lost must increase daily as we anticipate the time when those who don’t know Jesus will run out of time.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 5, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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