One of the greatest things...

...is God's living word.

A couple of months ago a friend asked me to do something for her. She asked if I would like to read, make notes and share some bible readings with her. In our own time we would read a small bible section on a regular (irregular) basis and then get together a few weeks later to share our thoughts.

We chose to study a selection psalms and got together during half term to share our thoughts. If something really hit us, we would phone each other excitedly and share what God had said that day. We both went through a period of a few days when we just didn't find the time to read a psalm. Eventually I emailed Jacqueline and admitted I was getting behind. She said she was in the same position and that it didn't matter.

The discipline of being accountable to one another spurred us both on to picking up our bible and notebooks again and get back to God's word. Without each other, we may just have given up. By doing this with a friend, there was no condemnation for missing a few days. By half term we had both read MOST of the initial psalms we had selected.

God's word contains many words, but the amazing thing is that you can read the same passage several times and each time it speaks differently to you. Read a novel and you may notice new things each time you read it, but those things were there before. Eventually you will pick up everything in the book. This is NOT true of God's word. The bible is God's living word to us. Each time we open it and ask God to speak to us through it, He answers that prayer with revelation about Himself. Two people reading the same verses can often pick up very different things from God. This is because He is dealing with us individually and has different areas of our lives He wants to deal with, or because He has different aspects of Himself He is revealing to us.

Right now, I'm asking myself... Why do I not read His word more often? Why, if it is so important and exciting to me, do I not read it with more hunger?

Sharing with a friend, without any condemnation, is a good discipline for me. I'd recommend it to others. I joked with an old friend over half term that I was glad we hadn't chosen Psalm 119! When I told Jacqueline, she suggested we read that one next as it breaks down into 8 verse sections. So Psalm 119 it is!

So, today, find the time to pick up God's word, read a short section and just spend a few minutes thinking about what He's saying to you. God is always wanting to speak to us and share His love for us. Will you take the time to listen today?