Day 2: Surprise! I Got You A Library

Can you remember a gift that someone gave you that was really meaningful? I love presents, and the best kinds of presents are the ones that show how much the giver knows you. They know what you need and how much they love you. Those presents are the best, and today we're going to talk about a very special and meaningful gift that's just for you. Welcome to Day 2 of 7 Day Start. I hope you took a few minutes to pray today, and if you haven't, let's just pause right now and do it. Remember, yesterday Pastor Zach shared a very simple way with us. As we continue through this week, we want to help you build simple and repeatable habits for your spiritual journey. If you've never seen the movie Beauty and the Beast, it's one of my favorites. The Beast is under this magic spell, transforms him into a monstrous animal, and the only way to break the spell is to learn how to love someone and to get them to love him in return. Years of isolation leave him with a cold heart, and he's uncaring until he meets the beautiful Belle. As he falls in love with her, he wants to give her something to show her how important she is, and knowing she's a book lover, the Beast decides to give her an entire castle library. Now, I won't spoil the ending in case you haven't seen it, but this act of giving begins to turn Belle's heart and shows her how much the Beast knows her and cares about her. Did you know God has given us the same kind of gift? Because he knows us, he knows what we need, and loves us so very much that he's given us a library, too. This library isn't full of shelves and leather-bound books. You can actually hold it in one hand or access it all on your phone. We call it the Bible, and we may think of it as just one book, but it's so much more than that.

It's full of dozens of books written by different authors and different time periods and perspectives. And although these authors have different styles and concerns and reasons for writing, amazingly, this library that we call the Bible tells us the unified story that points to Jesus. What's more, we believe this library and all the books in it are revelation from God for us. It's a library that's meant to be read and re-read for an entire lifetime, through the power of its stories. We can learn what God is like, we can learn how to live like Jesus, and we can find guidance for every day. That's why it's essential to build a daily habit of reading the Bible. But if you've never read it before, or only a few stories and passages, it can be really daunting to know where to start or how to find meaning. And that's okay. You're not alone. There are a few tools out there for free that are going to help us understand the Bible together. First, on your phone, there's the Bible app. It's got everything from free audio Bibles to reading plans and daily verses. It's a great resource to carry this library around right there in your pocket. On your desktop, Bible Gateway is also great. These resources will come from a lot of different English translations, and they all serve a different purpose. But if you're looking for accessibility and readability, try starting with either the New International Version, NIV, or the New Living Translation, NLT. Secondly, if you want insight on how to approach the Bible and its collection of books and stories, download the free Bible Project app. It explains the overall story of the Bible, how it points to Jesus, and the different styles of writing that you're going to come across as you read.

It also has animated explainer videos for every single book of the Bible that would help you understand their context, audience, and message. Finally, be sure to pick up a study Bible from your favorite translation. These have the text of the Bible as well as study notes that provide you with context and insights to apply these words to your life. I like having a paper Bible, but there are apps for this too. The NIV has its own with study materials that you can access. We've provided links to all of these and some more tools, so be sure to take advantage of them. Now, let's take a second and we're going to work with a familiar passage. Break it down together and find truth in it. application. Before we begin, let's pray just this simple prayer together. It's essential that we don't just read to read or check off reading our Bible like an English assignment. These pages are full of truths that can shape and change your life and your heart. So it's essential that we allow God to speak to us through them. Let's pray. God, thank you for your incredible gift of the Bible. As I read today, I ask your Holy Spirit to speak to me through these words. Show me your truth and teach me to follow you in Jesus' name, amen. All right, grab your Bible and let's turn to Mark chapter 12. Now this is gonna be in the New Testament, which is in the last half of the Bible. So open it up about the middle, your fine Psalms go a little bit farther and there's Mark.

Now in chapter 12, I'm gonna be reading from the New International Version. So your words might be a little different if you have a different version. We'll put the text on the screen too. Starting in verse 28, one of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, of all the commandments, which is the most important? The most important one, answered Jesus, is this. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Now this passage is known as the Great Commandment. So let's walk through a simple structure that we can use to study the Bible daily. Can you remember the word soap? You know, the thing you use to wash yourself with. You got it. All right, each letter stands for something. S stands for scripture. So take a moment and read the passage over a couple of times. Don't rush through it. See if any details stand out to you. The text is also below me if you don't have a Bible.

So let's pause the video and do it. ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Okay, O stands for observation. Now this means you understand who's talking, where they are, and what they're doing. And how this passage fits into the surrounding story. If you remember English class, ask yourself the classic five why questions. Who, what, when, where, why? So what do we see? Well, let's break it down. First, we see it's one of the teachers of the law. This would have been an expert in Jewish religion that spent their time studying the Old Testament. Now he notices Jesus debating with someone and asks him a question. According to my study notes, this would not have been an uncommon question. There were a lot of commands in the Old Testament that Jews were expected to follow. In the rabbis of Jesus' time period, they debated which commands were the most important and which ones still mattered to their day and how to best follow them. They would have called this binding and loosing. Jesus responds by quoting two passages from the Old Testament law. A good study Bible, or the apps that I mentioned, will have what's called cross references.

Now these are places that you can go and see what Jesus is quoting. These are great to check for even better context. In this case, Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6. The most important command is to love God with our whole being. And the one right after that comes from Leviticus 19. Love your neighbor as yourself. That brings us to the next letter in our acronym. So let's stop for a second and remember, S is for scripture, O is for observation, A is for application. How does this apply to my life? What is God calling me to do with this passage? It's pretty clear that we're to love God with everything we have. That means our hearts, our minds, and wills are devoted to him alone. If you truly love someone, you would do anything for them, right? And we'll talk more about the ways that you can love God on day four of this study. Now the second is similar. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love them sacrificially, considering them and their needs even above yours. Ask yourself, hey, what's a practical step I could take today to better live this out? How could I show someone today that I value them? I value what they need over what I need.

How could I be a reflection of God's sacrificial love? Finally, the letter P stands for prayer. So to finish up your time in the word, we encourage you to pray. Ask God to guide you as you live out his will that's been revealed to you through your time in the word. After all, it's one thing to know what to do, it's an entirely other thing to actually do it. So whatever you learned, ask God to empower you to live it. That's what the Holy Spirit helps us to do. So let's pray together. God, thank you for revealing truth to me. I pray that you would help me to see opportunities to love people like you love them. Let your Holy Spirit's power fill me, transform me, transform my words, my actions. God, teach me to be more like you and to love like you. In Jesus' name, amen. Remember, it's a library, so don't feel like you have to start at page one and go straight through right away. There are some books that are easier to start with than others. Our recommendation is we start with John in the New Testament to help you understand more about Jesus and his story. Proverbs is another great one in the Old Testament. It's full of wisdom to help you live a better God-centered life. So take a little bit of time each day

and allow God to speak to you through this special gift.