What Are You
Getting from 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
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?