Word vs. World

The other day, I was wrestling with my to-do list. Everything on it was important and I was having a hard time prioritizing, so I did the “fun things” first, leaving the most daunting task for later. The easy things seemed fun and I felt proud of myself for being so productive! The only thing is, I still had that really important thing- that giant- looming over me. This is where I kicked into super, ultra-productive mode, finding new tasks that weren’t even on my list! Surely the shower drain needs to be rid of all that nasty hair, right? Does someone need me to run to the store to get them something? Ice cream? Anything? I avoided that giant task like the plague. It showed me what I’m really made of and I had to laugh at how driven I was, suddenly. Avoidance is a powerful motivator, it turns out! Finally, I submitted to the task at hand and once I tackled that giant, I had this amazing feeling of accomplishment. I was free at last!

This got me thinking. Up until recently, I treated reading my Bible like that one big thing on my list that intimidated me. Maybe it was due to fear of not being able to understand it. Perhaps it was the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to start or how to read it the “right” way, in the proper sequence. When do I read it? In the morning? Not without coffee! At night? Add to that the fact that we have so many options today- physical Bible, online Bible, countless devotionals, Bible plans, multiple versions, so many choices! I found myself paralyzed. Oh, and let’s not forget that deep knowing that I might read something that challenges me. Offends me. Compels me to start doing something I’m uncomfortable with or stop doing something I enjoy. 

I knew I needed to be in God’s word. And the reason I knew is because God has an awesome sense of humor. I’d go to church and hear over and over the importance of reading my Bible. I’d go online and listen to a podcast and hear the same theme. There was no getting away from it. Still, I dragged my feet.

 I’d like to tell you that I reached deep down inside myself and mustered up the ambition to start reading my Bible. That my love for God made me run to his word. But, the truth is, it wasn’t until a close friendship ended abruptly that I threw myself (rather awkwardly) into God’s word. My motive wasn’t all that pure, either. I basically said, “OK, God, I have a lot of free time now, so I’m going to read my Bible.” Really charming, right? 

Then it was just a matter of figuring out what plan I wanted to follow. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Throw in a lack of self-discipline, multiple distractions, and a smidge of ADD and you have a recipe for zero follow-through. I knew I had to set myself up to succeed and be purposeful about it. I decided to do the “Read the Bible Chronologically in 90 Days” because reading it in a year sounded like too long of a commitment. Sounds insane, right? It kind of is. 

God started speaking to my heart right away. The word “saturate” came to me. I was to saturate myself in God’s word. Let it wash over me. Soak it in. At first, I found it a little frustrating because spending 45 minutes per day on average in the Bible didn’t allow time for searching the history and customs of the times. I had so many questions, but  God just kept impressing me to “saturate”. Then a supernatural thing happened: I started noticing that the way I looked at things changed. My attitude changed. Everything was brighter. Worship music made more sense because “Hey! I just read about that the other day! That makes sense to me now!” God was changing me from the inside out for my good and his glory! Though I knew I wanted to go back later and dig deeper, I trusted God when he said “saturate” and he delivered, like he always does! 

I couldn’t believe it! I had been missing out! I had bought into the lies that I wouldn’t be able to understand the Bible. But as I stepped out in faith, God showed up. He taught me corrected me and even made me laugh (God has an awesome sense of humor)! The Bible is no boring read, I promise you. It has everything you can imagine. Hollywood’s got nothin’ on it! It’s got action, suspense, romance and mystery.

Lest I try to run PR for God (he doesn’t need me to), selling Bibles via a devotional, let me just say this: God wants to meet with you and his word is where you’ll meet him. He uses it to refine us, define us, and mold us more and more into his perfect image. We are already image-bearers of God, but left to our own devices, without direction, we are prone to wandering. Add to that a culture that ranges from off-the-mark to straight-up in-your-face depraved and it doesn’t take long to figure out why we need a road map like the Bible!  What culture says about God is often distorted and inaccurate. See, God created all of mankind in his image, but the world constantly tries to make God in its image. 

For example, much of what the world applauds as “art” is actually blasphemous trash. Sound harsh? It needs to be! Truth is, we either stand with God or we don’t. When we look to other fallible humans to tell us the standard, we miss the mark big time. I guess the question is, who do we answer to? If we answer to God, then a lot of things this world offers are off-limits. It sounds like a complete drag, but that too is a lie. What I’ve found, and what you’ll find too, I believe, is that once we get God’s word deep down in our hearts, once we realize that walking with him is not a bore but the adventure of a lifetime- it transforms us! Where there was selfishness, now there’s selflessness! Where there was anger, there is forgiveness. Where there was offense, there’s grace. The idols we have clung to - the things we thought made us feel good, temporary pleasures that leave us wanting more (like my easy-to-do items)  give way to genuine peace, which can only be found in Christ!

Though the analogy is decent, the fact is, that reading the Bible should never be a to-do item, checked off our list. It’s so much more important than that. It’s an opportunity to meet (for me, over coffee each morning) with the creator of the universe. The one who made us and knows us and knew us before we were ever born. The one who created us to be the unique, quirky, individuals that we are. You are the one he loves! Sit with that for a minute. YOU are… the ONE God loves. He desires to have a relationship with you. He calls you to his word because there you will learn his true character. The Bible is all the things mentioned above, but most of all, it’s God’s love story to us! It shows his pursuit of mankind from the very beginning, despite the betrayals, disobedience, running, and hatred he was shown. He never gave up pursuing people then and he’s not giving up now. He wants to spend time with you and speak to you personally. Just you. 

The best part is, it doesn’t matter if you stumbled upon this devotional “by chance” (not likely) and have never picked up a Bible if you, like me, had multiple Bible collecting dust or you’ve been reading your Bible for years. We all need to meet God there. It’s the one book (more like a library of books, actually) that will always teach us something new. It’s not a one-and-done- it’s a lifelong journey of learning and loving Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. 

Let’s pray. Father, I lift up every person who comes across this devotional. I trust you have brought them here even now, to meet with them and lead them to you, whether it be the first time or the thousandth time. God, please give every one of us a never-ending thirst for your word. We want to know you more. This world is getting darker and darker. We want to draw near to you and your marvelous light. Lord, I pray for a revival in our country. We are paying the price as a nation, for being Biblically illiterate. How can we fight the lies of the enemy if we aren’t rooted in truth? May we be wise with our time, giving our first fruits to you, trusting that you will honor that time spent with you and that all you have for us is good. Direct and guide us, Lord. You tell us to draw near to you and you will draw near to us. Please take away all excuses, distractions, and idols that hinder our walk with you. We want to know you more. There is nothing greater than knowing the One who died to save us. May we not view it as a burden. In Jesus’ name, amen.