Catch-up Day
Catch-up Day
Here are eight tips as we process our two-year journey through God's Word together:
Request God's help. As you come to the Word each day, ask God to open your eyes to its splendor. [Psalm 90:14 "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Psalm 119:18 "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."]
Look for God. The Bible is mainly a book about God. So, in each passage we read, ask yourself, "What does this tell me about God?" If you ask and seek to answer this question throughout your Bible-reading trek, you'll come away knowing God better.
Slow down. Some readings will be longer and others shorter. Take advantage of the shorter ones. Read meditatively, reflectively, asking questions, praying for answers, engaging. In Psalm 119:48, the psalmist says he meditates on the Lord's statutes.
Get specific. As you do the reading for each day, look for a "best thought" – a truth you can meditate on throughout the rest of the day, a verse you can memorize, a particularly memorable phrase. That way, you're left with more than a vague feeling of what you read in the morning.
Read with a pen. Why not keep a notebook of insights from this two-year journey? Write down your best thoughts. Record your questions and prayers. It'll help you focus and give you a record of what God has taught you.
Pray the passage. Let your prayers for others emerge from what you read. As you read a passage, pray those inspired words for yourself and for those you love.
Read on mission. As you read the passage for each day, ask, "Who can I share this with?" Allow your reading to overflow into conversations with others. It's a natural way to share Jesus with your non-Christian friends. When they ask, "How's your day going?" tell them, "I saw this encouraging truth in the Bible this morning..." You're just being yourself and answering their question.
Do the Word. Consider how you can live out what you're reading. [James 1:22 "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."]