Devotional

My friend and I spent the year after our first read through of the Bible searching for Bible study “programs” and other various topical studies of the Bible.  What we found was most everything fell short of that daily reading routine we had become so accustomed to.  It’s difficult to articulate, but it felt like we had hung up the phone with God after a yearlong conversation, and began listening to only the occasional voicemail from him.

Something was missing, and we knew what it was.  We had to return to reading daily.  But, this time we decided to take others along with us.  We gathered together 75 people who would join us this time around.  Over the following year, we would journey together through the entire Bible.  Some would fall behind.  Some would struggle and eventually quit, while a few over-achievers would run ahead and finish ahead of schedule.  I did the best I could to keep everyone pressing on, but I must admit, I began to wonder if the reading of the devotional Bible we chose was having an impact.  Although I solicited feedback from the readers via email, I never seemed to get a sense of impact.  But then again, it wasn’t about me; it was about God.

It would be a couple months after we completed our scheduled reading before the Lord would let me in on part of his plan.  I began to run into various people who had joined us reading, and each would share their unique experience.  Some had heartfelt joy and elation for the Word.  Others became emotional and shared through tear-filled eyes how their walk had changed and how the devotionals had led them through difficult times.  I could only nod in acknowledgment, humbled and awestruck at God’s power, knowing full well it was nothing I had done, but one hundred percent the work of our Lord.

This caused us to wonder.  If we could bring about this kind of impact on a group of 75 people, what it would look like if we got this Devotional Bible in the hands of 75,000, or say …7.5 million?  And so it was that God placed this burning vision before me, and I knew at that point that I was in the game.

“Read your Bible”, “Be in the Word everyday”, “Memorize verses!”  Those repeated instructions would echo throughout my childhood years, and well into my young adult life until I became numb to the message.  As a teenager, my grandparents gave me One Year-Bibles every other year until my shelves were filled.  It wasn’t that I was fighting or arguing with the suggestion. How could I?   I was a Christian and agreed with them in principle.  I knew they were right, but I guess I felt I didn’t have time to read something that long, and well…let’s face it, as dry as the Old Testament sounded back then.

Years would pass before I found myself in a Bible study in my early thirties, searching for something more than just another topical study that required 30 minutes worth of work the night before the study group met.  Don’t get me wrong. The Bible studies were great, but there had to be more.  I felt like we were all reading movie reviews, watching the trailers, discussing certain scenes, and pretending to know the whole script plot without ever seeing the entire movie!  It was foolish to think that’s all we needed.  What we needed was context.  We needed to know where we came from to know where we were.  We needed to read God’s entire plan for our lives.

So, I dusted off a couple copies of those One Year Bibles that had occupied shelf space for the last 15 years and gave one to a good friend and neighbor of mine.  For the next year, we read.  And that year, our eyes were opened to the message that had long since faded from my youth.  My friend and I had so much to discuss each day that we could have held 7 Bible studies a week and still not have had enough time to cover it all.  Like empty vessels, we were absolutely filled and topped off with the Lord’s message of salvation, love and purpose for our lives.  How could I have missed this for so many years?  Why had I resisted for so long?  I’ll save those answers for another day, but I can assure you that nothing can replace the impact and power of digging into God’s word on a daily basis…nothing.