Monday, January 12, 2009

An engaged mind and receptive heart

Hebrews 2:1 - "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away."

How engaged are you in your personal Bible reading time? Do you find, like me, that your mind wanders and suddenly you realize you have no idea what you read? You haven't tracked the thread of understanding woven through the pages?

More often than not, I am frustrated with the reality that the only thing true about my quiet time is that it is quiet. People often refer to their time in the Word as devotions. As I consider my time reading, I would be hard pressed to describe it as a time of devotion.

Devotion: religious fervor; an act of prayer or private worship; a religious exercise or practice other than the regular corporate worship of a congregation; the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal.1

I have been reading through Hebrews lately, over and over again. I love the book of Hebrews; it was one of the first books of the Bible I studied as a new believer in women's Bible study. Recently, I was only a few paragraphs into chapter 2 when I stopped to pray, pleading with God to give me focus, clarity and understanding. I went back to the start of the chapter. I didn't get any further than Hebrews 2:1. It stopped me in my tracks, "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." Is that what has happened to me? Have I drifted away? Have I lost my passion to tarry with the Lord in His Word? Have I somehow hardened my heart to His voice?

I know two things:

1. I truly desire to be totally immersed in my time with Jesus. I long to plumb the depth of Scripture with an engaged mind and a receptive heart. I long to grow in personal intimacy with Jesus Christ. Psalm 63:1 "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water." Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God."

2. I cannot do any of the above apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. Unless He illumines the Word to my heart, it will simply be words on a page. I cannot even succeed in engaging my mind apart from His empowering and enabling grace. Proverbs 2:5-6 "Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Oh, Holy Spirit, fall fresh on me. Give me clarity, focus and understanding. Illumine Your Word to my heart, today.

Diane

1 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devotion accessed 12 18 08

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