Wednesday, April 10, 2013

My Gold Nugget

Today is day three of our fourteenth week, reading the Bible through in a year.  Our scriptures today are:  Joshua 22-24; Luke 19; Psalm 116.

Each day when I read the Bible, I look for a Gold Nugget to take away with me throughout the day.  It's impossible to memorize the whole Bible, but I can carry a verse in my mind or in my pocket, to remind me of God's daily Word for me.  For example, today I began by reading the Joshua passage, the Luke passage, and the Psalm.  As I read, I asked God to show me what His Word was for me today.  My heart narrowed these three passages down to the one that spoke to me the most--the Psalm.  Then, I re-read the Psalm, again, asking God to show me what His Word for me was.  My heart narrowed it down to verses 8-9:

For you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling; 
 I will walk before the Lord
    in the land of the living.

This is my Gold Nugget for today.  I'll carry these two verses around with me on a piece of paper in my pocket.  I'll take it out and read it from time to time.  I'll pray about what it means to me today.  I'll ask God to let something happen today that illuminates this Word even more.  I'll look for an opportunity to share it with somebody.

For me, these verses speak of a wholeness that's absolutely incredible.  God has delivered me in many ways.  First, He has delivered my soul from death, giving me eternal life and a promised home in heaven.  But God didn't just leave it at that.  He doesn't just save us for the future.  He saves us for today.  He delivers my eyes from tears.  This indicates a present Comforter who nourishes me and cares for me.  But God didn't simply leave it at that.  He also preserves my path.  He keeps my feet from stumbling, guiding me so that I may not transgress against Him.  God saves me in these ways and more.  Why does He do it?  So that I may walk before Him in the land of the living--in the here and now.  Some people's faith is focused on the sweet by and by.  While I do take comfort in knowing that eternity is secured for me by Christ, I'm going to focus on my walk with the Lord today.  

Yes--I get all of that from these two verses.

What is your Gold Nugget today?  How does God's Word speak to you?  I hope you'll really listen each day as you read your Bible.  It's a challenge to read the Bible through in a year.  Sometimes we can get so focused on the massive amounts of reading that we forget to listen to what God is saying to us.  I hope you'll hear God's voice as you read His Word, and that you will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

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