REAP Journal - Adult Edition by Youthworks

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Your daily work-out: How to use your REAP journal

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:7–8

What is the Bible? The purpose of your REAP journal is to help you study the Bible. What is the Bible? In short, it is the story of God’s relationship with us in this world. It is the story of his profound grace, mercy and love towards us. Through this story he reveals to us his deepest desire: for us to enjoy him. And this is to enjoy the very best thing there is. God’s desire is given full expression by more than 40 authors who wrote the Bible in three languages over a period of 1500 years. All these authors, inspired by God himself, reinforce God’s great concern: that we might know him personally. The Bible will reveal to you just how much God loves you in Jesus, and through his Holy Spirit you will grow in knowledge and power to live as his follower.

Getting the most from your work-out If you go to the gym and want to be ﬁt and healthy, you’ll soon discover the program that you need to undertake. If you want to train to be a concert pianist, you will soon discover the scales and regime that will help you attain that goal. How do you train to be godly? The clue is found in 1 Timothy 4:13– 14 where Paul says, ‘Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you’. Devote yourself. This is the same concept used in 1 Timothy 3:8 where Paul says to Timothy that deacons are not to be indulging in (devoting themselves journal | iii

to) much wine. To be devoted to the Scriptures is to be given over to the word of God completely; so much so that we ought to be booked for ‘D.U.I.’ every day because it is clear that we are under the influence of the Scriptures. Be diligent. We need to be disciplined in allocating time, which is why Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:15, ‘Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them’. Australian golfer Greg Norman hit on average 1000 practice balls every day for 30 or so years—that was in excess of 11 million balls, excluding putts! That is the sort of diligence that we need to give ourselves to when it comes to bringing our lives into line with the Scriptures and to training ourselves to be godly. Persevere. In the course of a year, the Bible Reading Program takes you through large portions of the Old and New Testaments. (In the adult version, it’s the whole Old Testament once and the New Testament twice.) At first you may find it challenging to read four or five chapters a day. Like someone beginning to run long distances, build your stamina by adding chapters. Begin by reading the passage that is in bold. When you feel you can read another passage, go ahead. Over the course of a few months or a year, you’ll find that you will be reading all the passages listed. Why not think of it as spending time with a great mentor? ‘I’m sitting with David today, what will I learn from him?’ ‘I’m sitting with Zephaniah today, what will I learn from him?’ Time spent with great ones passes quickly. So be encouraged to persevere!

How to use your REAP journal What follows is a step-by-step guide to this particular discipline: STEP 1: All you need is a pen, your Bible, your REAP journal and a diary. Find the Bible reading corresponding to today’s date from the Bible Reading Program. Turn to the chapters in your Bible, asking God to teach you and reveal Jesus to you. Be practical. When you are reading the Scriptures and thoughts come into your mind that distract you, write them in your diary (or record them on your smartphone or tablet). It might be a reminder to catch up or pray with someone from church—just write that down. Or you iv |

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might think of another passage or lesson that your reading takes you to—just write that down, too. Writing these thoughts down frees you up to concentrate on the Bible reading for the day. And you will remember important things you need to do later in the day. STEP 2: As you read the passages, underline or highlight anything the Lord

impresses upon you as a personal word to be applied. You might not be accustomed to marking your Bible but this is a great way to get the most out of your time with your Lord. After all, by underlining and highlighting parts of your reading, you are in effect agreeing with the author; you’re agreeing with the Spirit of God! STEP 3: When you see what Jesus is teaching you (a lesson of life for you

personally), record what he has just shown you in your journal. This is where REAP comes in. REAP stands for:

Read (your Bible) Explore Apply Pray Use these words to head up four paragraphs on each page of your journal then: • Read the day’s passages and record the key verse from each one. This will be the verse that stands out most for you. • Explore the text and summarise the passages surrounding the verse you have written down. • Apply what you have learned—record your answer to this question: ‘How will I be different today because of what I have just read?’ • Pray Write out a prayer in the light of what you have read and pray it. When you take the time to slow down and read with a receptive heart, the word of God will produce fruit in you (Mark 4:20); the Lord will give you words of encouragement, direction and correction (2 Timothy 3:16). journal | v

STEP 4: Record the date at the top of your journal entry. Give your journal

entry a title—something that encapsulates what you have just written. Then turn to the Bible reading program and complete your entry by underlining the Scripture verses you have read, and writing in the title and page number. This will be a great source of encouragement for you in the future as you review what God has taught you. It will also be a great resource when you want to ﬁnd what God has to say on a subject. And for the preacher, this can be a helpful resource for sermons. STEP 5: Conclude your daily devotional time by praying your written prayer and praying for other matters that are on your mind and heart.

What if I miss a day? There is no need to worry. As year passes to year you will ﬁnd that you will eventually read every page of the Bible numerous times. So, if you miss a reading this year, you will in all likelihood read it next year. There is no need to do ‘catch up’ readings. A helpful thing to keep in mind is the REAP Program is not your master: it is your servant. And you will be well served if you simply read the readings set for the day you are in.

I’m new to reading the Bible If you are a newcomer to Christianity, why not try the following reading schedule for the next 31 days? This will effectively introduce you to Jesus. For your ﬁrst month you suspend the normal reading schedule and do the following plan. The readings are shorter and focus on the life of Jesus.

Passage 1.

Luke 1:1–38 ..................................