Some Bible references that I've selected

• Psalm 15 -- what constitutes a good person
• Psalm 16 -- trust in God
• Psalm 18 -- trust in God
• Psalm 19 -- the happiness of following God's laws for us
• Psalm 22 -- trust in God in the darkest of days (the Crucifixion, note prophecy in verses 7-8 and 16-18)
• Psalm 23 -- God's care for us
• Psalm 27 note verse 10
• Psalm 32 -- confession and forgiveness and release -- write some more on this one soon!
• Psalm 37 The psalmist worries about how well wicked people can do for themselves, and how they grow and take over the world. But he sees behind that the transience of materialism -- that those who build riches for now are aligned against God's word and law for all eternity.

  While it may be possible to find for yourself success for now, and to build your own power base, in the long term only the blessing of the LORD persists. Those who grab power for themselves can construct only the flimsiest of structures against the power of the Almighty, and he laughs and shakes them off.

  Although it may not seem like it (when you see twisted brokeness succeeding, growing triumphally, around you) it is only if you let righteousness be in your heart and mouth that you will live past the end of the wicked.

• Psalm 42 -- trust in God, longing for him -- verse 3 may strike an echo within you
• Psalm 46 -- trust in God
• Psalm 51 -- repentance and forgiveness
• Psalm 56 -- trust in God
• Psalm 62 -- God alone is our rock
• Psalm 63 -- watching all night for God
• Psalm 73 -- the fall of those who seem to do well in the world
• Psalm 81 -- rejoice in God's deliverance, for he gives more than we deserve
• Psalm 84 -- note particularly verse 6.
• One part of the Bible that has long held me in particular awe and fascination is the prophetic Servant Songs of Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-7, Isaiah 49:1-6, Isaiah 50:4-9, Isaiah 52:13-53:12), describing Christ the Suffering Servant. Like singing in tongues, they appear to be a projection of the uncreated into the world of creation, from outside -- or scar-like slits cut in the pumpkin-lantern surface of reality, allowing the real light to shine through from the Centre.
• Other passages of Isaiah I've noted particularly are Isaiah 40, Isaiah 49:13-17, Isaiah 54:5-15, Isaiah 58:1-12, and Isaiah 61:1-8.
• Ezekiel 18:23 and Ezekiel 18:31-32 show that God has something better for us than the annihilation or punishment we so often feel we must deserve -- he has forgiveness, to answer our repentance as he has promised to.
• Ezekiel 36:25-38 talks about replanting us, as a garden that has gone wild and is then re-planted so beautifully that all who pass it remark on its beauty.
• Joel 2:28-32 talks about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all of us.
• For me, Micah 6:1-8 is one of the most central prophetic declarations in the Old Testament. Hosea 6:1-6 is related, and is contains some important prophecy.
• If you're feeling that everything's going wrong at once, or that something that's happening to you is a major disaster, you could look at Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 to see how troubles fit into the overall scheme of things.
• Lots of bits of Proverbs: a good book to flick through perhaps think about one of its running themes such as the `fool', the `good poor person', the person who has control over their own tongue. I have made a selection of proverbs specifically for such purposes.

  I have found something a bit like cognitive therapy based on the Proverbs to be possible. You take some phrase describing a good way to be (eg in control of your own temper) and simply force yourself to think of it again and again, at any time, not just at prayer-time as such, until it really does become part of your way of thinking of things.

• [Job]: If you're going to work right through a book of the Old Testaent, this is probably the one to go for, especially if a lot of things have gone wrong for you in succession. Reflect on Job 1:21, perhaps for a long time, certainly deeply; tie it in with Ecclesiastes 3.
• Matthew 5 contains the Sermon on the Mount with the the Beatitudes, that turn upside down our idea of being blessed / happy. It also contains the instruction to love your enemies, in verses 43-48.
• Matthew 6 contains various instruction by Jesus, including how to pray (the Lord's Prayer). He then goes on to talk about how little the things of this world should be worried about, as God takes care of us. If we put all our care into getting earthly things set up for ourselves, that is where our heart will be, and we will by pulled down by it.
• Matthew 7 is an important collection of very direct sayings of Jesus.
• The great Summary of the Law is at Matthew 22:35-40.
• Mark 15:33-39 Will you let him carry your sins through that experience, or will you attempt to carry your own (imagine your way through it, trying to enter into the experience, to think what it must have felt like for Jesus).
• Luke 5:29-39
• Luke 6:20-49 all very important.
• Luke 7:36-50 about full repentance, full forgiveness.
• Luke 8:4-25 -- Several important passages. Luke 8:4-15 important to those at the start of spiritual growth with temptations remaining from what they have left behind! (This means you -- whoever you are!)
• Luke 9:18-36 -- In particular, Luke 9:28-36 is good for deep meditation -- imagine yourself being there as one of the disciples.
• Luke 9:51-56
• Luke 9:57-62
• Luke 15:3-7 (or perhaps all of Luke 15:3-32).
• Luke 20:17-38
• Luke 21:1-4
• Luke 21:20-25
• Luke 22:39-46
• Luke 24:1-53 -- I get that trembling feeling, and believe afresh!
• John 1:1-34
• John 3:1-21
• John 3:30 for deep meditation (I actually fell unconscious while meditating on this passage!)
• John 4:13-14
• John 5:19-24
• John 6:30-63
• John 7:37-39
• John 20:24-29 for imaginative prayer -- think yourself into being Thomas the Twin, and putting your hands into Christ's wounds, and feeling overwhelmed by sudden rush of belief, relief and love that you then feel.
• John 21:20-25
• Romans is quite a good book to work your way through all of. (I've done this in a study group once. You might want to find some sort of devotional (ie not heavy theological) commentary to help you to follow it in all its details. These can often help you to get more out of it than a reading of the text alone. Note that when you start using a heavy, theological commentary, you may find it quite an assault on your natural faith, since it will typically question things that you have assumed for granted! Don't let theology work against your convictions (although you may use it to give them something to push against as an exercise, but I think that is best done in interactions with people you find difficult!))
• Romans 2:1-16 about not judging others (for we do the same things ourselves) and about the true fairness of God's judgement upon us -- read this in conjunction with a passage about mercy, such as Romans 4:2-8!
• Romans 7:14-25 describes a major inner struggle, that I think everyone must go through somewhere within their consciousness. This struggle is not one that you just go through as you become a Christian, but one you face day in, day out, throughout your life as a Christian. Note: be careful to avoid dualism here -- look that up in a book, or ask a priest or other trained Christian -- I will write something about it eventually!
• It leads on naturally to Romans 8:1-15, describing how, when we guide ourselves by the spirit rather than by the flesh, we attach ourselves to God's Spirit and thus take up his offer to make us his heirs.
• Romans 8:16-27 describes how this is brought about, and how even while we are waiting for its fulfilment, we are already in a state of grace although still in the same world.
• Romans 8:28-39 describes the firmness of God's promises to us. Hold firmly onto this passage, no matter how rough the going gets! (In fact, the rougher it gets, the harder you must hold onto it.)
• Romans 9:1-11:36 is fairly heavy going -- perhaps think of it as for a second lot of reading -- about how God's ancient people strayed from Him, but how the Good News is now for all.
• Romans 12 contains some details for practical Christian living. Romans 12:2 sees to me to be a reference to the trends and fashions and changing social norms of this world -- think of the people who listen to whatever popular music is the latest thing, rather than even developing a taste for a particular style -- they must keep up with their fellows, and choose what things to buy according to which are most popular.
• Romans 16:20 is an assurance and a grace.
• In Galatians 2:16-21, Paul talks about it being Christ living in us that matters; our own living cannot justify us. You may have heard of the heresy called Pelagianism: it is the belief that we can do things that please God of our own virtue and strength without God first inspiring us.
• The same theme continues in Galatians 3, going into how our keeping of the Law cannot justify us, although it was a starting-point in our move towards receiving the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Galatians 5 discusses our freedom and how we are to use it, then in Galatians 5:16-26 contrasts the results of following after ``the flesh'' (our instinctive wants) with those of following after the Spirit.

  This is something I have some ideas forming about... how it seems that we are asked to deny our survival instincts... the instincts which keep us alive as children are not needed (in their unbridled form) when we have matured... and yet so many people continue to live by them, or to develop them into an extreme form and end up as what seems to be monsters.

• 1-Corinthians 12:12-27 explains how we have many different roles, in one Church.
• 1 Corinthians 13 is the well-known passage about no deeds being worth anything without love
• 2 Timothy 2:1-5] And [2 Timothy 2:11-13 -- exhortations on the worthiness of striving onwards.
• Hebrews 1:1-2:18 -- how special Christ is, and how he makes us his children.
• Hebrews 6:1-6 is a difficult passage on sin after Baptism. I'd be interested to hear what you have to say on it. But don't read it in isolation: see also passages such as Hebrews 14-16.
• James 2:1-10 If you treat people unequally according to their status, you might as well forget all the rest of the following of Christ.
• 1 Peter 2:10 We are being built, on Christ, into the Church.
• 1 Peter 5:6-8 An exhortation to humbleness and vigilance.
• 1 John 1:8-10 This seems much simpler, and closer to the heart of God's love for us, than the toughness of Hebrews 6:1-6. If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive them. The passage about sin after baptism puts what some call ``the fear of God'' into me, but this passage, while not being mealy-mouthed, is so much gentler. And after all, the fear that I sometimes feel is a consequence of doubt, and 1 John 4:18 points out that perfect love casts out fear, and that God loves us first 1 John 4:19, not depending on how good we are -- we do not, we cannot, earn his love.
• 1 John 4:7-10 is very central.
• Revelation 1:7-18 is a description of Christ addressing us from His Glory. It is one of those passages that gives me a tingling feel deep inside, particularly after having seen a photograph apparently showing Christ thus, taken when the camera was pointed at the miraculously peaceful interior of an aircraft being battered by a storm.
• Revelation 21:1-4 tells of the coming of the New Jerusalem; it continues Revelation 21:5-7 with a promise of faithfulness, and an offer of the water of life.
• Revelation 22:16-17 invite us to take the water of life without price. Think on this, and ask yourself ``Dare I take what is so freely offered? What is there to hold me back?''

John C. G. Sturdy

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Last modified: Sun Jun 10 22:27:50 GMT Daylight Time 2007