Take and read

Encourage believers to read the Scriptures regularly and to stay
in the word of Jesus.

When I was in my first year of seminary, the professor of history of philosophy gave us as part of the rehearsal to read the work of St. Augustine’s “Confessions.” St. Augustine describes his inner struggle before conversion. He was sitting alone in a garden when he heard words being repeated from the house next door. These words were: “Take, read; take a read! ” St. Augustine describes this: “… I got up and couldn’t explain it, just by God telling me to he opened the Scriptures and read the place I would find first. “Take, read; take a read! ” 1″ If you abide in my word … you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8.31).
Jesus addresses the words to the Jews who believed in him. The Jews believed him, but still, we see that it is not enough to believe them, but it is necessary to stay in his word due to the adoption. The word of Jesus into our lives is the knowledge of the truth – “if you abide in my word, you will know the truth ”(John 8:31). Knowing the truth brings us to freedom – “the truth is you he will deliver ”(John 8:31).
What does it mean to stay in his word? Above all, adopt it, accept it into your life, and thus strengthen your faith in him. “You know the truth.” truth means knowing things, situations as they really are, if they are good, knowing them as good, if they are bad again, to know them as bad. We can tell the truth to ourselves; it helps us make easier decisions for good and reject evil. “The truth will set you free.” Does freedom go? It is freedom from sin. Sin makes man unfree. Jesus did it. He expresses the words, “Everyone who sins is a slave” (John 8:34). Today in society, he says the exact opposite. I’m single; that’s why I do what I want. I can sin because I am free. But am I really free right then? Not. The subject of freedom is love. Love manifests itself in my personal attitude. In an attitude towards God and people. It is to God that I realize and lives in the constant presence of God, and towards people, we can express it to those we know: “What you don’t want people to do you, don’t do them to them either. ” But we see that to real freedom. I will finish myself only when I know the truth, and I will know the truth only when I will remain in the word of Christ.

But how to stay in Jesus’ word, how to adapt it, get it into your life?
We will use sports terminology – coaching. Take, for example, figure skaters, how much effort and hard training is behind them until they get to the competition, not to mention when they win that competition. Or children in school learn to read by reading, count counting, singing by singing. Guys may laugh now when I say smoke
they will learn to smoke … so I could move on. If we want something
perfectly mastered, we have to deal with it every day. That’s exactly the way it is with the word of Jesus. Day in and day out, we need to deal with it gradually penetrated us. To think about him, I will say it so slang – “to taste him”. I don’t want to say now that we shouldn’t do anything but sit at the Scriptures and read, no. Let’s try to find five, ten, maybe twenty minutes a day.

Parents, old parents take their children, grandchildren, and read a short passage together and explain how to translate it into concrete life. That way, we will be able to remain in Jesus’ word, then we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free, and we will truly cease to be slaves of sin. The words, “Abide in my word” (John 8:31), are heard from Jesus today. How? “Take, read; take a read! ” says St. Augustine.