Today's Reading:
- Exodus 18-25
- Psalm 37-40
- Isaiah 37-40
- Matthew 17-18
- 1 Corinthians 9-10
As of today, I've read 200 chapters in my 60-day quest to read the Bible through. That's one-sixth of the Scriptures. I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, it's an hour well spent, and perfectly manageable in my situation. I'm enjoying my 5 course meal every day, and I'm looking forward to the next 50 days.
Trust came through loud and clear again today. Nothing specific, just a general sense of "You can trust God. He's not going to let you down!" Of course, along side that is the occasional reminder that I have been at times untrustworthy, and that sometimes I have let Him down. My spirit, soul, and body cringe together whenever the word convicts me, and in that moment I am faced with a decision to make. Do I let the Word confront me, do I let the Spirit change me? Or do I ignore what I've just read, pretend like I don't know that it's talking about me, and move on to something else? The only problem with making the latter choice over the former is that if I continue to read my Bible, it's going to challenge me again soon. Like, tomorrow.
I remember one morning I was in a rush to get to church, and when I got there, I discovered several things. I hadn't brushed my hair after my shower. I had forgotten to shave. And my starched white collar was turned up around my neck. I hadn't looked in the mirror before leaving home. Had I looked, I would surely have corrected it.
Reading the Bible is like looking closely at our reflection in the mirror. If we are truly concerned about our appearance, we notice the hairs that are out of place. We notice the new pimple on our lip. We notice the line of small black whiskers that we missed with our razor. We see the smudge of dirt, the crusty leftovers of last night's drool, those messy green things in the corners of our eyes. We see the leavings of whatever we ate last stuck between our teeth, and if we are leaning in closely enough, we might even smell our need to brush our teeth. Or shower.
The Bible reveals the awesome holiness of God, and also reveals the standards of holiness by which He expects us to live. And once we read it, we are then responsible for it. What are we going to do with it? Are we going to make the necessary corrections, or are we going to run out the door with our zipper down and toilet paper clinging to the heel of our shoe?
Every morning, I take my Bible and I think to myself and my Lord, "Show me what I need to see today, and help me form up. Please. Help me form up."
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