Delighting In Him
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(Psalm 37:4)
PRAISE REPORT:
Renewed Relationship with Scripture
Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
"Though I was raised a Christian and read many scripture passages growing up - even memorizing some (though by force through my school) - I didn't quite grasp that the Word WAS GOD. I knew this...but I didn't experience it...until I recently joined a Bible Study in which we were reading through the entire Bible, cover to cover. I had never done this before - only reading the particular passage given to me for assignments, or during a sermon.
Whew! I thought. What a dedication! Could I do it? Could I commit to reading every single day? Well, I did. And suddenly, the Bible came ALIVE! Though the characters, stories, miracles - yes...but it was more than that: the words took on deeper meanings; it was as if I were suddenly reading between the lines...they spoke to a part of my brain (or was it my heart) that I did not previously have access to, and I suddenly remembered the passages I'd heard in bygone Sunday school days, making connections, drawing conclusions, cross-referencing...it was...FUN!
What was once a rather dry and tedious requirement of reading scripture suddenly became a delight; I started waking up earlier in the morning so I had extra time to read my Bible before going to work. I listen to my Bible App which has a dictation mode when I take a bath or go to sleep...when I used to read devotionals that referenced scripture, I'd skip over them, thinking I'd gotten the gist of the message in the commentary. But now I eagerly research each passage, exited to see how they relate and connect to the interpretations presented by the authors of my books.
My praise report is over my renewed relationship with His Word, which has deepened my relationship with Christ, who IS THE WORD. I am thrilled that these words on a page that were once just flat, dead print have come alive to me, dancing their way poetically into my soul.
Praise God for the Living Word - the Bible, and His Son! Praise God for my Bible Study, and for the strength and perseverance He gave me to dive in. "Knock and the Door Shall be Opened unto You." Thank you, Lord for fulfilling that promise, opening the doors of our Word unto me. "
Learn more about the 31 Days of Praise
Go Deeper: Read Study and Reflection on 31 Days of Praise! Day 1
Submit a Praise Report to: promisebiblestudy@gmail.com