Scripture and Writing: Week 7

Source: www.modernekklesia.com

For those of you who can't join us in person, we offer the next best thing -- a blog version of our lesson, so that you can do it at home. This series is called: Scripture & Writing.

This week's lesson prepared by Pam Williams

 

 

 

WHY WE WRITE

 

Devotion: “God, Gladys, and Marlene” by Pam Williams

 

Majoring in English did NOT make me want to write. Other than term papers, I wrote very little. In fact, college discouraged me, since my grade in the one required creative writing course did not help my GPA one bit.

 

So, why did I start writing? God nudged me to write while reading a series of books by Gladys Taber. She wrote about her home and her pets. Her down-to-earth writing style sparked ideas for my first stories. Like Tabor, I write to share my experiences.

 

Until I read Marlene Bagnull’s book, Write His Answer I never deemed writing a ministry. Bagnull helped me realize that it is as vital as preaching or teaching or serving the poor. I write as a way to serve God.

 

However, the real reason I write is that God called me to write. According to Ephesians 4: 7 and 12, God gives each person a special gift for building up the Church. Encouragement is my gift and writing is the tool God gave me. Mother Teresa described exactly how I feel about writing, “I am like a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”

 

Prayer: Lord God, help us, as we contemplate why we write, to see our gift as a tool you can use to minister to others. In Jesus name. Amen.

 

Scripture Reading: 1 John 2:12-14

“I write to you, my children, because your sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One. I write to you, my children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong. The God’s word lives in you and you have defeated the Evil One.”

 

 Meditation Questions:

 

1.     On Joe Bunting’s blog, “The Write Practice”, Joe gives 4 reasons for writing:

a.     We write to be fully alive. Writing draws us in and helps us make art out of everyday moments.

b.     We write to make a name for ourselves that will live on.

c.      We write to change the world.

d.     We write to discover meaning and to help others find it.

 

2.     What are some of your reasons for writing?

 

3.     In our scripture, John lists his reasons for writing to this community. What are they?

 

4.     According to the following scriptures, why do we write?

• Psalm 102:18 - so people not yet born will praise God
• Habakkuk 2:2 - so God’s answers are readily available.
• Luke 1:3-4 - so others will know the full truth about God
• 1 John 1:3-4 - so others will enjoy fellowship with the Father and Jesus; for the pure joy of it
• 1 John 2:1 - to help others avoid sin
• 1 John 5:13 - so others may know that they have eternal life
• Jude 1:3-4 - to encourage others in their faith journey
• Matthew 28:19-20 (Great Commission) - to share God’s message of salvation through the written word; to uphold the truth

How many of us doubt our writing abilities or wave off suggestions that we publish our work? Prolific writer, Lee Roddy says: “If it is God’s will for us to write, then it’s logical that publication should eventually follow. After all, an unfinished manuscript cannot change lives. Even a finished one cannot minister in a drawer or filing cabinet. Only in published form can [our writing] go where you and I will never go, to people we will never meet. Only in published form can it make a difference in eternity.”

 

Homework: Write 100 words on why YOU write.