Have you ever lost something and then it just shows up? For me this week, it was a shirt that got tucked away in Mia’s drawers. I was so excited when she handed it to me, but I actually didn’t even know it was missing. It just went away and then it showed up.
I’m not sure about you, but Scripture does this for me at times. Sometimes in my studying, I read something, and it doesn’t stick with me in that specific moment. Then when I’m talking to someone about something relevant, it just appears. When this happens, I am always pleasantly surprised, just like I was when I was handed my shirt yesterday.
Jesus told us to “...love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). When I’ve read this Scripture before, I often didn’t think much about the mind. Of course I want to love God with all of my being, but we so often associate love with the heart. Hello Valentine’s Day, right? In Jeremiah 17:9 though, we’re told “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” That’s pretty clear. Our hearts, our feelings, and our emotions can and do deceive us. But, when we wear our helmet of salvation and use the sword of the Spirit (aka God’s word – see Ephesians 6:17), we can then “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5) and really work towards loving God with our whole being. To do this it requires discipline. It requires getting into the Word of God regularly, and it requires us to change our priorities, which in turn will help change us.
If you can’t get into Scripture or understand it when you read it, remember it’s 2024. We have so many resources at our fingertips. We have podcasts, online sermons, churches on almost every corner, and every version of Bible out there in the palm of our hands (Check out the YouVersion Bible App). Reading the Bible in a year has become such a trend, and it's intimidating. But you don't have to read the Bible in a year. You just need to read from it often, throughout the year.
Friends, this is our time to lean in and grow in knowledge of God. In that, we can learn about His character and His goodness, but most importantly His plan for redemption that each and every one of us are offered and have to choose. It may not feel like it’s sinking in, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised when it shows up in everyday life. I believe that it’s impossible to read the Bible and NOT be changed. His Word is transformative. I’ll leave you with Hebrews 4:12 today. It reads, “For the word of God (aka Scripture) is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” So good, right? Let’s focus this week on the power of God’s word and becoming a changed person through it. Additionally, let's continue to practice loving God with our hearts, our souls, and our minds, friends.
Have a great week!
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