Another day.

Another bible reading.

Skimming. I’ve read it before.

Half listening. I know what to expect.
Not discovering. I know the punchline.
Does the bible ever fall flat
because you have flattened out
and read its pages so many times?
Does your mind have a hard
time idling on God’s Word,
because the world speeds too fast
around it?


I can’t seem to keep my heart in the place where
the heart of God is – and that is the problem.
This problem, if not addressed, will, before long –
stamp and deliver my heart to destinations I
never intended to arrive at. Frustrationville or
Aggravationmount or some place like that. It
could just as easily bring me to Jealoustown or
Pridebury. Either way, they are places that reek of
self and shame and guilt. Their roads are rocky
and tumultuous. Every time, they leave me with a
stomach turning knots over itself.
I’d rather not.

So, how do you dive into God’s Word, like a fresh
glass of lemonade on a hot day? How do you
dive into it, knowing that you have had it one
hundred and one times, but still, wanting and
needing it? Craving and desiring it? Thirsting and
salivating over it?

1. Let your senses sense what the
sentiment was.
Imagine being the lead role in the story. See
yourself there. Sense your sin and the idea that
you or your family has done something terribly
wrong. Feel the judgement of the Pharisees upon
you. Wonder if God really can and will heal you.
Let your heart beat.
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made
some mud with the saliva, and put it on the
man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool
of Siloam”. Jo. 9:6

2. Take your part in the redemption
story.
Hear the words of Jesus leave his mouth. Feel
the mud in your hand. Experience vision. Look
amazed at what surrounds you. Set your eyes on
Jesus.
Then, see yourself run to the masses to share the
glory of the only one who could heal in this way.
Take a snapshot of the story with your senses.
Know that while this was his story, it is also
your story.
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t
know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I
see!” Jo. 9:25

3. Ask yourself, “What about this
experience is calling me to think,
do or say differently?”
When you take a moment to think of all God has
done, you can’t help but think of all he wants to
do. His will makes your will jump up and down
just at the thought of serving him.
The (once blind) man answered, “Now that is
remarkable! You don’t know where he comes
from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God
does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly
person who does his will. ” Jo. 9: 30-31

4. Believe: He loves you, just as
much as he loved them.
Just because you feel less than, doesn’t mean
that God sees you that way. Believing that you
are worthy of his gifts, love and encouragement,
will allow your heart to receive them. Rather than
keeping up defenses to his Word, you will lay
them down and He will enter in.
The Once- Blind Man: “Nobody has ever heard of
opening the eyes of a man born blind.” Jo. 9:32

5. Avoid boxing God in (and you
might just find your way out of
your box).
When you believe in you heart, what Jesus did
through Scriptures, you’ll find in your mind you
can conceive the great things he wants to do
through your life.
It sounds simple, but simple belief is so often
what it comes down to.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will
do the works I have been doing, and they will do
even greater things than these, because I am
going to the Father. Jo. 14:12
When you approach God’s Word in this way, you
realize you hold living water that is not bitter, old
or common. Instead, you taste the fruit of what
God has done and is about to do. It fills, it
satiates and it refreshes. Like lemonade on a
parched day – it’s a drink you can’t wait to
indulge in, lap up and embrace word by word. It
is peace and replenishment all in one.

May the Lord enrich our soul...