Passion for God's Word Challenge

"My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

                                                       -Proverbs 2:1-6

If you all know me at all you know that I am a VERY busy woman.  I don't even have time to eat lunch it seems at times.  I am currently reading a book called, "Life Management for Busy Women" by Elizabeth George.  The very first thing she talks about in this book is to develop a passion for God's Word.  Develop.  That word got me. Develop tells me that passion is not an overnight and immediate happening, it's a process.  While taking on Elizabeth's challenge I started reading Proverbs and the above passage stuck with me.  In reading those verses I found that I will not absorb God's word, much less a deeper understanding, just by skimming it once.  Look at the steps in those verses:

1) accept and store up his commands (believe and remember)
2)apply it to your heart
3)cry out for insight and understanding (seek deeper meaning)
4)look for that understanding as you would for a great treasure
5)THEN you will find the knowledge of God.

Wow.  Solomon just hand fed us the steps right there!  So I decided to take on a challenge, and since I need some accountability (one of the disciplines which we will talk about later), I am challenging you out there as well!  Let's "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).  Will you join me in a two week challenge? 

Elizabeth writes about ten disciplines for developing a passion for God's Word, which I will begin blogging about tomorrow.  But the first thing she talks about is the word "discipline".  Part of that discipline she describes involves 3 small steps.  Here is a nugget from her book:

"Here's a little three-step method that helps us tend to first things first...no matter how busy we are.


1.  Time is first on the list.  Our time is always well spent when we spend it looking to the Lord through His Word.  You and I must acknowledge this truth and accept it for life.  We must embrace the challenge to cultivate the discipline of daily time in the Bible into our daily routine.  What time?


2.  First time.  Aim at giving the first minutes of each day to the reading of God's Word.  Proverbs 3:9 instructs you and me to 'Honor the Lord with our possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase.'  Then comes the promise-'so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine' (verse 10).  This proverb is speaking of the blessings that follow the offering of a tithe to God of the first crops from the harvest.
      But the same results occur in the spiritual realm.  We are blessed in our spirit and in our practical life when we make it a point to give God the first portion of time from the harvest of each fresh new day, of each new measure of 1440 minutes. 


3. Early time.  David wrote these expressive words from the core of his heart- 'O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for you' (Psalm 63:1).  Many of the great heroes of the faith sincerely sought communion with God early and earnestly in their day.  For instance,

-Abraham rose up early in the morning and went to the place where he met with the Lord (Genesis 19:27)


-Davide wrote of morning worship with these utterances: 'My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up' (Psalm 5:3) I particularly love the translation that reads, 'at dawn I hold myself in readiness for you, I watch for you."


-And our Lord Jesus rose up early, while it was still night, literally a long while before daylight, to converse in solitude with His heavenly father (Mark 1:35)...

Discipline is demanded of the athlete to win a game.  Discipline is required for the captain running his ship.  Discipline is needed for the pianist to practice for the concert.  And, dear reading sister, discipline is called for in developing a passion for God's Word."    Life Management pages 11-12, 21

Getting up even earlier in my day is, for me, definitely a sacrifice.  I am sacrificing sleep (which I don't get much of anyway) and time where I could potentially get some stuff done before the kiddos get up.  But for as busy as I find myself everyday, I know that as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend...the best thing I can do is be in tune with my Lord.  To know His heart more and more each day.  And for some reason, the more time I take for Him, the more my day seems organized and productive.  Because I have invited Him to assist me through my day!! 

So for you busy people out there...take this challenge with me.  Start with time, first time, and early time.  And for the next two weeks, I will post one of the ten disciplines a day, and lets see not only a new passion develop, but what the Lord will do in our lives because of our passion!!  Who's with me?