You may or may not be surprised to know that I really don't like reading. For this reason, when I do read, I generally read the Word rather than some other resource. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good authors out there that have spent much time in the Word. Their insights are very helpful! At the same time, these people are not infallible. I have been challenging myself to read some of these resources. Some have been Word-filled and great... others seem to be more of mans wisdom with some scripture attempting to back it up. I have a couple pet peeves... teachers that choose different translations of the Bible to fit their purposes and teachers that try to cram God's Word into the box of their ideas. I was reading one of these resources tonight. While it frustrated me to read some of these things, it also served to push me more towards the Word. It is such a temptation when we have a good idea to try to make God's Word support it rather than reading God's Word and letting it shape our ideas. God, don't let us mar Your truth with our "good ideas". Let us communicate as You have written it. What can we add to Your Word that is not already there? He has given us the divine power for everything pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him which comes through His Word and the Holy Spirit! (2 Peter 1:2-3) May we not grow tired of His Word to the point that we spend more time listening to the "good ideas" of man than we do of the Creator wisdom and of man.
God has continually brought Ephesians 3:14-21 to mind as I work hard at waiting on His perfecting timing concerning many important aspects of life.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Oh that God would strengthen us with His Spirit so that Christ would be at the center of our attention. Oh that He would open our eyes to see how great His love is for us so that our love for one another would flow from the abundance of love He poured out on us at calvary. God, we need You to pull the blinders off our eyes to see that You are able to do far more than we can even think of! Help us by Your grace to cast our cares on You in full dependence on You, the One who is able to do far more than we can ask or think.
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