This is one of my favorite views in my whole house, but ask me how much I actually sit there. My daughter has this fantastic hand held massage gun that melts away the pain in my shoulders, but ask me how much we use it.
All the massage guns and bathtubs in the world do a thing unless you use them. This seems like common sense, but there a whole list of things I could utilize that I don't. Take my closet for instance, there are a lot of things I could put together and refresh that would be super cute, but I spend time scrolling cute tops on Amazon that I don't have.
In the same way, there may be a Bible by our bedsides that we don't really use. But we do look for our new author's next release, or the best graphics on Instagram set to music, but we don't dig into God's word which is able to really reach our hearts. We don't sit with the Holy Spirit long enough for Him to show us the application of the word to our circumstances. I realize this may sound funny coming from a woman about to release a new devotional in March, but we don't need anything more than the Bible itself to hear a word from God.
Reading the words of God is not something we should approach casually. Because we have unlimited access to it, we take it for granted. There is power to be had inside the words of God. He spoke creation into being and He wants to speak new things over us, to recreate. His words do that.
I have a simple challenge for you this week. Read a book of the Bible, a whole book this week. I suggest one of the letters in the New Testament. Each of their chapters is connected to a central message. Hunt for it. Write down verses that stand out to you each day. Turn any that you can into a prayer. Soak up all the goodness in that one book, and then next week, read it again. It will feel like a familiar conversation. New things will jump out at you and you will meditate on the ones that stuck out to you the first time.
Whatever you do, don't skip the step of writing down something that you felt God was saying to you each day. This builds a habit of listening to the Holy Spirit. Get really brave and ask how you should apply it each day; ask God for specific opportunities to obey Him. I guarantee that if you keep asking you will hear from Him.
If you were sitting here with me over coffee, I would tell you to read 1 Peter because that is what I read last week. And then I would get excited and tell you to read James, but not if you aren't serious because James packs a punch in the best way. Then, I would recommend Ephesians because it's instrumental in knowing who you are. So basically by the time you left, you would not have narrowed down your decision at all. If you take this challenge, I'd love for you to let me know what you choose to read!
Whatever you pick, stay with it, expect God. Use the resource at your fingertips, don't waste the access you have to the actual words of God.
Also maybe take that bath and wear an outfit you haven't worn in awhile.
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