Sunday, July 9, 2023

A Sprint or a Marathon


 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. (Acts 8:30-31, New Living Translation)

I’ve read through the entire Bible twice, and to be honest, I don’t know how much I got out of it. I read it like I was running a marathon, just to get through it. No stopping to look at the sights, no talking to those around me, no taking pictures. No understanding it.

A few years ago, I started reading through the Bible again, starting out at a sprint, which soon came to a stand-still as life started happening all around me. My goal now is to finish that great Book but to get something out of it. Take my time, research what I’m reading, understand what God is actually saying in those 66 books (or 80 books in some versions of the Bible or even 100 books if you read the Ethiopian Bible).

There are a lot of great stories in the Bible, besides the wisdom of Solomon, the preaching of the apostles, and so much more. Each and every word in the Bible is well thought out and inspired by God. It’s a book to be read, and also one to absorb and be understood.

And not to be raced through, but to be lived. 

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