In the beginning was the Word...

I’ve been reading this book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney, & it’s been worth the read so far. Personally, I struggle with being diligent with my Bible reading. I admit that I’m distracted by so many things & that I need to step it up. Gotta discipline myself for the purpose of godliness.

The first topic was actually on Bible intake— makes sense because it really is the starting point. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, & the Word was God.” Know God above all things. At the end of part 1, Whitney quoted another author, whose words served to be a blessing to me & an encouragement for my walk with Christ.

I hope it’ll be a blessing to you, fellow brothers & sisters:

Do not expect to master the Bible in a day, or a month, or a year. Rather expect often to be puzzled by its contents. It is not all equally clear. Great men of God often feel like absolute novices when they read the Word. The apostle Peter said that there were some things hard to understand in the epistles of Paul (2 Peter 3:16). I am glad he wrote those words because I have felt that often. So do not expect always to get an emotional charge or a feeling of quiet peace when you read the Bible. By the grace of God you may expect that to be a frequent experience, but often you will get no emotional response at all. Let the Word break over your heart and mind again and again as the years go by, and imperceptibly there will come great changes in your attitude and outlook and conduct. You will probably be the last to recognize these. Often you will feel very, very small, because increasingly the God of the Bible will become to you wonderfully great. So go on reading it until you can read no longer, and then you will not need the Bible any more, because when your eyes close the last time in death, and never again read the Word of God in Scripture you will open them to the Word of God in the flesh, that same Jesus of the Bible whom you have known for so long, standing before you to take you for ever to His eternal home.

— Geoffrey Thomas, Reading the Bible

Beloved, continue to desire Christ & to know Him so much more deeply, not to please others nor to earn some standing in heaven, but out of your utmost love for your Savior. We cannot do anything apart from Him. We do not deserve anything given to us, which includes salvation. We cannot EARN salvation for ourselves. God, by His perfect grace, has saved us from His wrath. With that knowledge, my life is indebted to Him. He is worth all of my efforts, my time, my sacrifice, my praise.