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What Are You Reading In God’s Word?
Years ago, my friend Jerry Kittredge asked me a question. “What has God shown you today in His word?”
On that day, I hesitated. Stammered. Paused. Stalled. Then admitted, I didn’t spend a moment in God’s word.
Truth is, I will find time to do whatever is important to me.
This week, I’ve read Jonah over and over again. Each time God has spoken to me in a different way. Today I was deeply touched by Jonah 3:1, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.”
Today God showed me His grace through an Old Testament prophet. What has He shown you?
If you hesitate, stammer, pause, and stall, then admit you haven’t spent a moment in His living Word, its not too late!
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[...] What are you reading? March 30th, 2007 I read this on the lifechurch.tv blog this morning from Craig Groeschel and I was reflecting on my ‘07 thus far. This year, for the first time in many years, I’ve dedicated myself to reading through the Bbible in a year. After pretty intensive reading programs in seminary I had gone to a more eclectic approach to reading the Bible. A coworker was starting a Bible reading plan — so I joined him… a couple thoughts… [...]
Man…Thank you so much for this post. His word is so precious and powerful and yet so easy to neglect.
There is no substitute for getting into the word and letting the word get into me.
I have also found that I personally need to listen to preachers such as yourself during my day… in the car, on the computer.
I have also learned as a speaker, when I am nervous, just before I speak, instead of going over my stories and Jokes or intro in my head, I will read the verses I am going to use. It always seems to solidify my message.
Thanks again
Man it’s easy to get so busy working at the church, that you forget who that work is for. We are eight days away from moving into our new church and with so much still left to do we have been working 16 hours days. I have been praying a lot but to be honest, in the last two weeks my time in the Word has slipped. I’ve been so busy that I didn’t even realize it. Thanks for the reminder Craig.
Craig,
It really is startling how vital God’s word is to us and yet, how often I really don’t consider it an essential priority, like food is to my physical health.
Romans 12:2 is what God has used to speak to me today (though I would have stammered had the question been asked in person, :).
I really love the portrait the verse paints, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The picture of a dirty, clogged garment being thoroughly cleansed throughout really hits home since that is how I usually feel after reading God’s word during stressful times.
After all of the passionate discussion this week about things that matter, it’s certainly encouraging to come back to God’s word and realize the simple truth that Christ is Lord and God is good.
Thanks for the blog accountability, Craig. We all need a nudge now and again.
1 Kings 13 for me. Two things jumped out at me:
1) God’s voice supercedes all others.
2) The enemy will do everything to cause us to disobey God’s voice (not all angels are good ones - vs.17-19).
I encourage all of you who read this blog to stay true to God’s voice today. Stay true to the calling He’s placed on your life. Do not deviate one step from the path He’s shown you to take. God is good!
Malachi 4:4-6
But I’m curious, how do you pick what you are going to read that day? Do you have a system? Do you just let your Bible open to a random page and read what’s there?
I’m a technology junky. I have my Bible on my pocket pc, and I go to the verse finder and pick everything at random.
WOW what an insight!!! Sounds like something I’d post on my blog :~)
Craig, what a great post, we need accountability about reading the bible. If you ask believers what two things do they struggle the most with, most of the time they will say, praying and reading the bible. that always blows me away because that is saying i struggle with learning and knowing my father and communicating with my father. Its no wonder America looks the way it does, because believers dont know or fear God. i have been reading through the old testament and it has just blown me away, They feared God. one example, in ezra the people of israel took wives from the surrounding people whose practices where detestable to the Lord. when ezra heard about this he tore his tunic and robe and then pulled out some of the hair from his head and beard. Then he fell on his knees and spread out his hands and repented for the people…we dont fear God like we should. all this saying i have been learning alot about fearing God.
Suzanne,
For several years I read a “through the Bible in a year” Bible. It gives you an OT section, a NT section, a small part of Psalms and Proverbs each day. That was very helpful.
This year, I’ve been taking a book of the Bible and spending more time in it.
For me something I have been pondering and reflecting upon 1 Peter 1:12 which talks about the Gospel we have been given and how the angels long to look into it.
What I have been thinking about lately is how much I take the gospel for granted sometimes, and yet the angels long to understand and take part in such a great work that wasn’t for them. How I don’t always remember to truly thank God for what he did, how much it cost him, and how humble I should be that I was given a chance to repent when I SOOOOO didn’t deserve it, in fact I truly deserve punishment and death… It’s humbling to think when the angels screwed up they got kicked out of heaven, when I screw up he sends His Son, comes down from heaven to take my punishment…
Me again. Just wanted to post a link to help any and everyone who might be struggling with “what/where on earth do I read in the Bible today?” Check out the deliberate People website at http://www.deliberatepeople.com/dp/resources/. This was started by Phil Joel, a former member of the Newsboys, after hearing a message his pastor delivered on how important it was to be meeting w/God on a daily basis. Phil was so moved by the message he decided to leave the band and focus on helping the Church do just that. You can download, for free, a 12-month Bible reading plan along with some helpful tips about having a productive devotional time with God daily. Hope this inspires/helps.
I just finished up Job again (one of my favorites) and now I’ve skipped ahead to Isaiah. One thing that really stands out to me is that we aren’t always get what God is doing (Isaiah 55:10). Many people think that the lesson of Job is to stick it out and everything will be okay in the end, but I think that misses the point. I think Job missed his 10 kids and would have done anything to get them back… that’s just my opinion, but I think that’s how I’d feel.
Personally, I think it’s more about learning to go through the “junk” of life and keeping faith that it’s part of something bigger.
Our relationship with God is a lot like a marriage (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that God uses that analogy in Scripture)… I can pick up flowers for my wife, but if I’m disappointed because she’s not in the mood for sex later then I’ve missed the point. I’ve got to learn how to pick up flowers for her, how to listen to her, do the stuff she loves to do just because I know that’s part of a good relationship.
In the same manner, I’ve got to learn to pray, read, love God for the sake of the relationship we’ve got, not for the miracles, answers to prayer or anything else that He might give me or save me from. That’s what God’s been teaching me through the story of Job.
Kyle-
Thanks for the Deliberate People website. I was just thinking today that I need to get a guide for a daily devotional and this is perfect!
interesting…I’m in the minor prohets too, just finished Amos and Obadiah, and Jonah is up next week. Jonah 2 (The Message) is my favorite chapter in the Bible…I read Jonah a few times a year.
The Lord had me meditating on Ezekiel 22 today. What powerful and prophetic scripture! Our Lord is a loving God, but he can also be a tough task master if he wants to get our attention.
“I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout all countries, and remoive your filthiness completely from you.” (Ezekeil 22:15, NKJV)
After I read that scripture this morning, I realized that God did exactly what He said he would do through Ezekeil!
I wonder how many disciples truly understand the power of God? When God says all things are possible with Him, He really means it!!! I believe we all need to start thinking about doing the impossible. What better testimony for Jesus could there possibly be?
God bless LC.tv and it’s growing community of brothers and sisters.
Agape,
steve
Great question. I shared during a chapel service this morning from 1 Peter 4:8 where Peter talks about how “love covers a multitude of sins” (NLT). This phrase doesn’t mean that we love others by winking at their sin but that because we love as Christ loves, we don’t gossip about other peoples’ failings. When we gossip about the sin struggles of others (or alleged struggles), we harm the body of Christ. When a part of the body hurts, the whole is affected. Therefore, we have to become safe people and live the faithful Christ-walk so that others can know and experience the truth of who Jesus is and what He can do for us no matter how sinful our pasts or deep our struggles.
Peace.
Well I had always struggled with just trying to plow straight through the Bible. What has helped me, is Bible study workbooks. I know you are generally supposed to do them in a group, but I just ordered a Beth Moore study off of amazon and did it that way. I had NO idea what all the Bible had for me to learn (is that silly?) especially in the Old Testament. It has definitely been an eye opener. At first it was difficult to get in the habit, but now I find myself sitting in my classes wanting to get home and do my lesson for that day, and somedays I even do two!
Right now I am reading through Luke in prepration for Easter week messages. One thing that is jumping out at me is the way things never change when it comes to people. No matter if it is in the time of Christ or today the issues are the same. People get caught up in events not even really knowing what is going on, people standing on the sidelines protecting their traditions and positions of power, some believe and attempt to understand but miss the point. Today, or the time of Christ nothing has really changed.
I have been trying to read the NT from a position of not knowing the whole story, but trying to put myself in the position of disciple of Christ during His life here on earth. It helps gain some perspective and forces me to think about how I react to certain things and believe the way I do.
See you on the 28th or 29th in OK. Great message on baptism tonight.
God Bless
I noticed that every time I tell my girls, “I love you, ” they respond with an “I love you!” I wondered, “when did they begin responding to me in this way?”
I remember a day when my girls were tiny babies and I was so deeply in love with each one of them, I whispered, “Mommy loves you so much and that will never change!” (I said “mommy” so that they would know who I was :O).) I loved them before they could ever respond, much less love me back.
Quickly I realized, God loves me like this!!! Before I ever spoke a word to Him, He loved me! He started whispering, “I love you and that will never change” before I ever knew He was my Father!
God is whispering this to you today, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew and approved of you as My chosen instrument, and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; and I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
Too tru! Too tru! Thanks for the challenge. It’s easy to mistake the study of theology for spending time in His Word.