This post by kathylarkman was originally published at GRACE PLACE
God has brought across my path Jen Wilken, author and Bible study teacher. She is passionate about Bible literacy. God is using her to help women over the world to take hold of the importance of becoming a woman of the Word.
The following are some quotes from Jen Wilken which I found helpful to begin seeing the truth of knowing God through the Bible, and how it will grow in awe of God which will change us more every day! Look online for books she has written.
“For years I viewed my interaction with the Bible as a debit account: I had a need, so I went to the Bible to withdraw an answer. But we do much better to view our interaction with the Bible as a savings account: I stretch my understanding daily, I deposit what I glean, and I patiently wait for it to accumulate in value, knowing that one day I will need to draw on it.”
“When women grow increasingly lax in their pursuit of Bible literacy, everyone in their circle of influence is affected. Rather than acting as salt and light, we become bland contributions to the environment we inhabit and shape, indistinguishable from those who have never been changed by the gospel. Home, church, community, and country desperately need the influence of women who know why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God. They desperately need the influence of women who love deeply and actively the God proclaimed in the Bible.”
“If we want to feel a deeper love for God, we must learn to see him more clearly for who he is. If we want to feel deeply about God, we must learn to think deeply about God.”
“Sanctification is the process of learning increasing dependence, not autonomy.”
“The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.”
“If we want to feel deeply about God, we must learn to think deeply about God.” “The Bible does tell us who we are and what we should do, but it does so through the lens of who God is. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self always go hand in hand.”
“The second thing I got backwards in my approach to the Bible was the belief that my heart should guide my study. The heart, as it is spoken of in Scripture, is the seat of the will and emotions. It is our “feeler” and our “decision-maker.” Letting my heart guide my study meant that I looked for the Bible to make me feel a certain way when I read it. I wanted it to give me peace, comfort, or hope. I wanted it to make me feel closer to God.”