"Personal Application"

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:4

When you read the Bible, don't just read it from a historical point of view. Don't read it as a story or an account that just happened to someone else. Read it with you in mind. All the accounts that were written, all the events that took place, all the things that happened to it's characters were written for personal application as well.

Take the story of Peter walking on water. We all "walk on water"- living in victory above the circumstances of life. Then there is a point in our lives where we may take our eyes off of Jesus, when we do we start sinking no longer walking on top of them. How does this account in the life of Peter further apply to me? It shows me, through example, that if Jesus will lift Peter up when he called on Him, He'll do the same for me. That's one of the messages from the Lord that He was wanting to get to us. "When you fall, if you call, I'll be right there and save you."

When you read the story of the prodigal son, through this example the Lord is saying to you and me today that if we wander away, if we will repent and return He will receive us. He won't reject us, He won't turn His back on us, He won't condemn us, He won't scold us for doing it to ourselves and getting ourselves in that mess.

The story of David at Ziklag. When David and his men returned home, they discovered that the enemy had been there and stolen everything and had taken their families prisoner. The loss was so heart wrenching that David's men talked about killing him. David encouraged himself in the Lord- even in his time of deep grief and pain- and went to God for counsel. God told him what to do. God had not abandoned David- even in his greatest time of need. This was written for our benefit so that we would have a something to give us hope in our times of grief and sorrow. God shows us through this account that He is faithful and will be there for us.

The Bible is full of these examples from Genesis to Revelation. And they each one could easily have mine and your name of them. So when you read them, apply them personally to your life. If God showed mercy, if He showed grace, if He gave strength, if He gave victory, if He saved, those whose names are written on it's pages, then you can trust and know through them that this is the same thing He will do for you and this is your answer in those times.

Have a great day. The things that happened to them happen to me today, so the way God responded to them is the way He will respond to me- He shows me that through their example.