Incline Your Heart to God
“Maintain at all costs a daily time of Scripture reading and prayer. As I look back, I see that the most formative influence in my life and thought has been my daily contact with Scripture over 60 years.”
Frank Gaebelein, “Character Before Career.”
The daily practice of Bible reading and reflection is essential for our spiritual health and growth. Yet most people don’t read the Bible regularly.
One of the reasons why so few people read and reflect on God’s Word may be because we lack discipline. We lack discipline when we don’t assert our willpower over our more basic desires, i.e., when we don’t do what we know is best.
The dictionary defines a disciplined person as someone who’s established a goal and is willing to achieve that goal at the expense of his or her individuality. Bible engagement requires work and discipline. A healthy faith doesn’t happen automatically. Spiritual health and growth require a lifetime commitment. The number one thing we must do to grow spiritually is meet with God in and through His Word every day. There are no shortcuts. We must show up regularly to read, reflect, remember and respond to God’s Word.
If you’re thinking, That’s easier said than done,’ you’re right. Bible engagement undertaken as a solo affair usually fails. If we rely, as we often do, on our own strength and willpower, we’ll come up short.
So if we can’t muster enough mental discipline to faithfully and consistently engage with God’s Word, are we doomed to fail? No. We can be successful if we’re prepared to ask for help.
Here’s where the rubber hits the road: Bible engagement thrives when it’s a mutual affair, specifically, when it’s a partnership with God. Don’t try to go it alone. The discipline of Bible reading, reflection, remembering and responding will blossom when you incline your heart to God (Proverbs 2:2), ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), look to Him to renew your mind (Romans 12:2), and seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
Content from Bible Engagement Basics, credit Lawson, SU Canada
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