…from Pastor Jonathan /
Over the past few weeks I have been challenged and convicted in the way that I am studying scripture. Many of us began a journey through the scriptures on January 1, some of us are reading through the Bible in a year, or through the Old Testament, or New Testament. These plans focus on us consuming a large volume of scripture over the course of the year to give an overview of the story of God’s redemption of the world. This is a worthy practice, but not the only way to engage with the scriptures.
Recently, J.D. Walt, who writes the Seedbed Daily Text Devotion, has been challenging me to read scripture differently. Instead of plowing through books of the Bible as quickly as possible, J.D. suggests that we should find a passage of scripture to anchor ourselves in, and to read that particular passage daily, to commit it to memory, so that the Word has a chance to work and grow within us. J.D. states:
Anchoring means living with a particular text, usually a passage with some length or heft, for a significant period of time in a simple yet comprehensive fashion—to the end that we have permanently laid claim to the text and the text has permanently laid claim to us.
Anchoring is a way of deep reading. Today’s text gets at the big idea:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Friends, I challenge you today to find a passage of scripture to anchor yourself in—to allow it to grow and blossom inside of your life so that as you take hold of it, it takes hold of you to bring transformation and life to you.
God bless,
Jonathan Smith
For Jesus. For People. For Community.
For more on anchoring in the Word:
https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=02db73c05fa1c7c5736358be4&id=ddc10945a6
https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=02db73c05fa1c7c5736358be4&id=3d1dde7944
https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=02db73c05fa1c7c5736358be4&id=a75fc1b9e7