Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-06-14

it and reread it and reread it. 1t re-
that, for our threefold enemy will
rise up and say mo" when we at
tempt to read the Book.
The world will say "YOu are too
busy" or you will think ''There are
too many important things requiring
my time to use it reading the Bible"
Many look to the preacher to give
them their spiritual food. The Lord
does give his people pastors but the
pastors study can never take the
place Of ones own individual study.
The world will do what it can to op-
pose the reading of the Book. The
world has a subtle ability to fill our
lives so full of seemingly important
things, will bring so many crowding
that we need heart determination to
make time for Bible reading.
The flesh will also oppose it. We
become SO tired physically. 1t is a
remarkable thing that one can sit |
down with all interesting book and be-
come so absorbed in it as to read far
into the night and not feel sleepy.
But how quickly the flesh wants to
sleep and how the head mods when we
would read the Bible for an hour or
two in the evening.
The devil also will hinder if he
can. He will suggest the difficulty of
understanding what we read, will say
%ho Ss 0Jn
minds and do all he can to bring dis
couragement. But if we are to come
to an understanding of the truth and
keep our souls strong and healthy, we
must read and reread the Book itself.
Not books about the Bible, nor ex-
positions by man, but the Bible itself.
In the second place, we must have
a heart determination to allow the
Book to mean what it says. We must
permit it to define it's own terms. We
must make it explain itself. It will
answer questions concerning the words
and terms it uses. We go to the Bible
unconsciously prejudiced. We think
we know the truth and naturally sup
pose what the Billie says ought to
dSICC WILL Jul I11OoSAts IL IL NOSH
not agree we are in danger of fore.
ing into it our own ideas rather than
let it mean what it says. We come tG
it too often for confirmation instead
of information. I do not mean tina
one shall determine to accept all i
says at once, nor to believe all it say:
! at once but mean that we shall al
n ! nd r,
e define it's own terms whether tina
:, agrees with us or not. And soon W.
|. will find that we agree with it. Il
this way much confusion will be avoid
ed. In the third place.. there must b
heart determination to allow it t
speak to oneself. IF am to study tn
>, Bible proftably I must allow it t
speak to me and not try to dodge. w
are all more or less adept as spiritui
"a dodgers. The incident, recorded
nd the fourth chapter of st. John is
on very human picture. Our Lord Ell
cages the woman in conversation. Sh
is hesitant about it because it is
III strange thing for Jew to speak
a Samaritan, but she enters into tt
COuVOISdClOI 0ACuue1AJ JUL AIc1o So'
a little deeper into her history unit
finally he puts his finger on the so
spot. She tries to escape the issue
attempting to sidetrack him. The n
ment he gets his finger on the so
spot, she says "Our fathers Worship
in this mountain and We say that
Jerusalem is the place for worship
That sounds religious and interestir
but it is a mere subterfuge to avo
the issue. We will do that in O
minds to dodge what the Book says
us personally.
It is difficult to allow the Book
speak to our own hearts but Bill
study is valueless and indeed dang
Gus unless it is allowed to bear fir
in our lives. It cannot be studi
merely as literature. This then is
needed preparation for profitable Bi
study-a heart determination to re
the Book-to allow it to mean WI
it says and to permit it to speak
our own hearts.