God’s Word
“Every
word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not
add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” - Proverbs
30:5-6
Dr. Chuck Swindoll, in his introductory notes to the book of Romans,
shares a story about a pastor named Donald Barnhouse,
who started his ministry at Tenth Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Barnhouse stepped into the pulpit on his first Sunday morning
and preached from the first verse of Romans chapter
1.
The next Sunday
morning, he stood up and preached on the second verse of the same chapter – but
didn’t even finish that verse. So the next Sunday morning, he picked up where
he had left off in the second verse and moved on into the third verse.
For 42 months –
three and a half years – Barnhouse never preached on
a text outside of Romans.
God’s Word is so
rich – so full of truth that you can read and meditate on just one verse for
hours. Yet it’s easy to just jump in and out of your devotional time, checking
your box and forgetting what you just read, isn’t it?
Don’t turn your
Bible reading into a race against the clock – trying to get as much in as you
can. Take it verse by verse, absorb it slowly, and let incredible truth change
your life!
Prayer Challenge:
Pray that God would
use His Word – every word of it – to transform your life.
Questions for Thought:
What have you been
reading and learning in the Scriptures this week?
What’s one way you
might be able to modify your devotional time to get more out of God’s Word?