DAILY TEXT, Monday, July 29, 2024, He saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Jesus (Matt. 3:16).

DAILY TEXT, From today Monday, July 29, 2024, He saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Jesus (Matt. 3:16).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2024

Monday July 29, 2024

He saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Jesus (Matt. 3:16).

Have we thought about what it must have been like to listen to Jesus when he taught? He had the habit of quoting from the Holy Scriptures, and always from memory. When he was baptized and anointed with holy spirit, it seemed that memories of his life in heaven before coming to Earth came back to him. In his first recorded words after his baptism, as well as in some of his last words before he died, he quoted from Scripture (Deut. 8:3; Ps. 31:5; Luke 4: 4; 23:46). And, during the three and a half years of his ministry, Jesus often read from them, quoted from them, and explained them (Matt. 5:17, 18, 21, 22, 27, 28; Luke 4:16 -twenty). Even before he began his ministry, he had the habit of reading the Word of God and listening to others as they read it and talked about it. Surely in his house he heard Mary and Joseph quoting from the Scriptures (Deut. 6:6, 7). Furthermore, Jesus went to the synagogue every Saturday with his family and paid close attention to reading the Scriptures (Luke 4:16). w23.02 8 paras. 1, 2.

LET'S UNDERSTAND WHAT WE READ

What does Luke 10:25-29 teach us about our reading of the Bible?

We want to understand what we read in the Bible because if we don't, we won't be able to get the most out of it. Let's think about the conversation Jesus had with “a man expert in the Law” (read Luke 10:25-29). The man wanted to know what he had to do to obtain eternal life, and to answer him Jesus made him think about the Word of God. He said to him, “What is written in the Law? What do you read in it?” The man gave the correct answer. Quoting from Scripture, he said to love God and neighbor (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:5). But then he asked: “And who really is my neighbor?” With these words he showed that he did not truly understand what he had read. And as a consequence he didn't know how to put it into practice correctly.

Why does praying and reading slowly help us better understand the message of the Bible?

Having good reading habits helps us better understand the Word of God. There are several things we can do. First, we have to pray before we start reading. We cannot understand the Bible without Jehovah's help, so we ask holy spirit to help us concentrate. Then let's start reading, but not at a rush, but at a pace that allows us to assimilate the information. It can also help us to read aloud or play the recording of the Bible while we read it. This will help us get into the story, and thus the information will be recorded in our minds and hearts (Josh. 1:8). When we finish reading, let us pray again to Jehovah to thank him for his Word and ask him to help us put into practice what we read.

What are the advantages of asking questions and taking brief notes while reading the Bible? (See also images).

What else will help us better understand what we read in the Bible? Ask us questions about the story. For example, who are the main characters? Who is speaking? Who is being addressed and why? Where and when is everything happening? These questions will help us think and focus on the main ideas. We can also take short notes. Putting something in writing forces us to organize our ideas. And that helps us better understand what we have read and engrave it in our minds. What could we point out? The questions we asked ourselves, what we researched, the main points, how we can use what we read or simply how the story made us feel. If we do this exercise when reading the Bible, we will feel that Jehovah is speaking to us personally.

What quality do we need when reading the Bible, and why? (Matthew 24:15).

Jesus mentioned an essential quality for understanding the Bible: discernment (read Matthew 24:15). What is discernment? It is the ability to see how ideas are related to each other and the difference between them. It also means seeing beyond what is obvious. And, just as Jesus said, discernment will help us see that certain events fulfill Bible prophecies. Furthermore, this quality is essential to get the most out of everything we read in the Bible.

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