Gò0dNews for Couples
by Ric and Mary Joyner
y wife and I wanted to introduce ourselves and Biblestudycompany.com to you. Ask yourself this question: “Am I a disciple of Jesus Christ?” If you answer; “Well of course Ric, I have known the Lord for several years and or I grew up in a Christian home.” Sorry, but that doesn’t make you a disciple of the word of God. We were on the “hamster wheel” of Christianity, attending church, buying the latest book, or chasing the next “move of God”. We drifted away from our Savior and each other. Why? Because we weren’t studying
the word of God ourselves, but instead we expected to be “fed” by someone. Scripture is poignant about our personal study of God’s word. 1 John 2:26-27 says, “These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him” (NASB). As a couple, my wife and I started studying scripture together and separately. We call ourselves “pew-sitters”. Who were the disciples? People like us. Our mission is to go from pew-sitter to disciple.
32 // October 2018
As Christians with many ups and downs over the years, we almost lost our marriage. Today our marriage is healthy, strong, and we are walking in “one flesh”. Yes, this is a real thing. But what changed for us? Our approach to the Bible changed. We no longer study Scripture for knowledge ‘about’ God, but with asking “How do we respond to You?” The truth that God is our creator and that He made each of us for a purpose grew. As we became serious about handling His Word correctly, He gave us more “mind openers” (Luke 24:44-46). Our goal now is to live a praiseworthy life to God, His agenda not ours. This is being a disciple of Jesus Christ (Matthew 12:47-50). We started in Exodus. When the children of Israel were attacked, we were strangely attacked! We asked God tough questions that we had trouble grasping. He answered! Our “flesh” resisted studying (Gal 5:15). We both felt awkward. Praying at the table? No problem! Studying Scripture? Hard! But God gave us the grace to push forward. The disciples had an excellent teacher and we do, too. He is called the word of God! The presence of the Lord and scripture invade our lives! Our prayers were aligning with His will and they started to get answered! God brought people into our lives that needed Him. What an adventure! Nothing in our prior Christian walk has matched this depth of joy. We even started a podcast to discuss these items. We are looking to fellowship with people who want to live a praiseworthy life to God. If you are one of those, give us a shout.
About The Author
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Am I a Disciple?
Ric and Mary Joyner have been married for 38 years and have four kids and four grand kids. They are the founders of Biblestudycompany.com. They may be contacted at r@biblestudycompany.com.