If you are participating in the Bible in 90 Days challenge, today you are on Day 46 and should have read through the end of page 552 in the Bible in 90 Days Bible or through Proverbs 20:21.
How’s it coming? And how is this experience shaping you?
This week Terrell shares his experiences in reading the Bible in 90 Days. You might know Terrell from We Are THAT Family, where he and his wife Kristen have shared some of their very personal struggles in a powerful He Said/She Said series.
Here’s what he has to say about reading the Bible in 90 Days…
I’ve been a sporadic Bible reader for the past twenty six years, in spite of attending Bible College and Theological Seminary. There just never seemed to be enough time. I was consistently inconsistent.
I could tell you that at one time or another I have read every book in the Bible. I could share how The Message paraphrase sparked a small flame of devotion to God’s word after I rededicated my life to Christ in 2005.
Quite honestly, though, there is no power in any of the previous testimony. It’s like a fighter with a weak chin. One hard upper cut to the face and he’s on the mat. The fight is over. Sadly, I am not alone in my weak, watered-down pursuit of God.
This type of pursuit is really no pursuit at all. It’s more of a religion of convenience. God is there if I need him, but most of the time I do pretty well on my own. In August of this year I began to realize (I believe from the Holy Spirit) that God wanted more than this from me. More than apathy. I started getting up every morning at six a.m. to read God’s word and think about what it said and how it applied to me.
I began to hunger for God to have more of my life. (My pet peeve is when people pray “God I want more of you.” It should be “God I want you to have more of me.” Okay, I feel so much better now that I have that off my chest. Whew!) Not surprisingly, he answered my prayer. I fell deeply in love with the One who became a sacrifice for my sin.
When I was introduced in early December to the concept of the Bible in 90 days, I wondered if it was even feasible for me to complete such a large task, after all, I told myself, “I enjoy reading a chapter or two at a time and really letting it sink down into my heart.”
Amazingly, when you read this post, I will be over half-way through the Bible. Every day has its challenges and I sometimes have to finish my reading later in the day or on my iPhone (there are a lot of great, amazing, Bible apps by the way).
What have I learned? The words in this book are alive and real. They penetrate into the very core of who I am (Hebrews 4:12). I have a hunger pain in the deepest part of my being to be consumed by God. I LOVE JESUS!! He is so good, so real. Some days I could just read His word all day.
Do I sound crazy? I am crazy. I willingly want to do whatever He asks of me. I feel like the disciples who walked with Jesus, after His resurrection, on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:32, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us.”
I pray that your are experiencing this same phenomenon because the world already has plenty of “weak chin” Christians.
So what do you think? Is your heart burning or are you just making it through? And why do you think that is?
Please check in today either by linking to a post on your own blog or by leaving a comment. Even if your comment is a simple three-word progress report, please leave one. Just knowing you are part of our group is encouraging to the rest of us.
If you are looking for more insight, please consider listening to Jack Modesett Jr.’s week 7 audio message. His audio series is excellent.
And, of course, don’t forget to join us for our Tweet-Up tonight from 8-9 CST. Just follow me and use the #B90Days hashtag. Tonight we’ll go through the reading, day by day, and discuss passages that spoke out to us. Have your Bible nearby so you can share any observations you made.
I’d also like to get your input as to how this process is working or not working for you as I plan the next online session. We’ll discuss that tonight, as well.
I hope it’s been a good week for reading and listening for you. And I pray this experience is growing you away from being a ‘weak chin’ Christian.
Please, comment and link away….
Powered by MckLinky
Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…
Leave a Reply