“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT)
You can always find words in scripture that speak to you. Many times, when something is heavy on my mind at bedtime, I wake up to read a devotion with a scripture that addresses my concern. This is not a coincidence. Other times, I will pray and ask God to lead me to a scripture. Jesus tells us in Luke 11:13, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” God wants us to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.
For the past 4 years, I have been doing a daily Bible reading plan where I will have read the entire Bible in one year. The first two years I did The Bible Recap. Last year, I randomly choose a different plan. Last week I shared how the Holy Spirit can reveal new meaning or insight to a scripture. Because God’s Word is living and active, it speaks differently each time I read it. He reveals Himself in different ways in various stages of my life.
With the celebration of my grandson’s first birthday this past weekend, I am reminded of how God specifically spoke to me the day of his birth a year ago. I was in the book of Isaiah. My son and his wife did not want to find out the gender of their baby. My daughter-in-law was in labor the morning of the October 22nd. On that day I was in Isaiah 66. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read verse 7. It said, she will be in labor and give birth to a son. I underlined it and sent it to my son saying, , God told me you are having a boy.
This year I am back to doing The Bible Recap. I read Isaiah 66 on August 1st. I think it is pretty cool, how God led me to a different Bible plan last year that would speak to me on October 22nd. Now as I read that scripture, I am reminded of how God spoke to me that morning. I had written a notation next to it; Mallory in labor 10-22-21.
All scripture is inspired by God. His Word is His voice on paper. What a gift for us. It is our instruction manual on how to live our life. I heard someone say one time, if you want to hear God speak than read your Bible out loud. How simple is that? With the YouVersion app, you also have the option to have the Bible read to you. When it is difficult reading, I will choose to do that. It keeps my mind from wandering.
It may also help me to understand it better. You can’t skim over words when you are reading them out loud. The heading before 1 Corinthians 2 reads, God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit. It is comforting for me to know the Holy Spirit imparts this wisdom to me whether I am reading or listening to His Word.
We grow in Christ not by immersing ourselves in as many “spiritual” activities as possible but by reading and trusting our Bibles. God’s principles are unchanging. As we mature in our faith, God gives us more understanding of His will for us as well.
Our hearts can’t help but go astray when life gets so busy that we neglect reading scripture. We can’t know God’s heart if we don’t know His Word. The secret for us to live the vibrant life of Christ is when we dwell in His Word and in worship. How do you keep this a priority in your life? I know there are days where I may rush through my morning meditation. On these days, I switch the radio station to praise and worship music. It helps me to recenter my day.
Father God,
Forgive me when I rush through reading Your Word. I praise You for how You can speak to each of us differently through scripture. Open my eyes and ears to better understand what Your Word says. Help me to grow no matter my age or stage in life. Let Your Word take residence in my heart. I lift those up to You who don’t know where to start. Reveal to them ways they can learn more about the Bible. Put people in their pathway that will help them grow in their faith. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.
October Verse
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”—Philippians 4:13
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