Bible Lessons (#202 of 365+)

In the 1984 movie The Karate Kid, young Daniel LaRusso wants to gain power and strength over his bullies. He asks Mr. Miyagi to teach him karate and the old man agrees to do so. Daniel soon
becomes frustrated that he’s wasting precious time and energy polishing Mr. Miyagi’s classic car instead of learning useful fighting techniques. Mr. Miyagi only replies, “Wax on, wax off.”

It isn’t a natural human response to open a Bible when one experiences struggles and hardships. The typical initial response is to cry, yell, curse, throw something, or simply withdraw from others. It takes wisdom and discipline to seek God’s lessons in the midst of pain. Joni said reading the Bible during those times opens up the opportunity for God to speak to us on a deeply personal level. She cited the following verses as examples of how the Lord has taught her valuable truths in the midst of her own difficult circumstances:

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens” (Psalm 68:19)

““We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me” (2 Corinthians 12:7)

Joni explained, “The only way we can gain a right perspective on our headaches and hardships is to spend time meditating on such verses.” Or, as wise Mr. Miyagi would say, “Wax on, wax off.”

Our culture is immersed in so much “busyness” and noise it’s almost as if it’s on purpose, so we won’t hear our own thoughts or the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I wish I had a little garden where I could kneel in the cool earth and plant vegetables and flowers. It would help to keep me away from the computer or the television long enough to meditate on the precious jewels in the Word the Lord uncovers for me every day.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Dear Lord, thank you for being my Teacher and Counselor. Show me how to be still and listen to you. Amen.

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:1-11)