Here are two passages that express why I continue writing this blog

By Dean Collins

I was asked a hard question this week. Actually, there were four questions, and they all involve you in some way. I have a team of three friends I’ve asked to help me with next steps involving my daily writing. As I consider the questions, I think the fourth one is the easiest. It’s the why question. Specifically, why are you doing this? What is your compelling reason for getting up early every day and writing a devotional from Scripture?

Time is the issue

To be honest, the reason I started doing this is different than the reason I continue. It began with a perspective on time. While none of us have a guaranteed amount of time, I’ve found that most of us don’t actually think about how little time we have until one of two things happens: (1) Someone’s death comes suddenly and earlier than whatever we think appropriate. (2) We hit middle age and realize that if we live an average lifespan according to the actuarial tables, then we actually don’t have much time left to make a difference. It was the second answer that prompted me.

In the balance of my life I wanted there to be a record of my Number One priority for my children and grandchildren. I wanted them to have a record of my love for God and his Word. That was my beginning motive. But now my why has expanded. I want to stir up people to discover the power of God’s Word and to understand that it is living and active and always speaks to our needs. I read two passages of Scripture that clarify my why as it relates to this daily blog. The first is Psalm 19 and the second is Acts 20:27.

In his book Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis said this about Psalm 19: “I take this to be the greatest poem in the psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.” Charles Spurgeon’s view of Psalm 19 was that David was describing the two great books God has given us, the book of nature and the book of Scripture. These two books are described in the first two sections of Psalm 19:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”

Both the beauty of God’s great handiwork and the power of his Word instruct and shape us daily. But in order to receive the benefits of these two great works of God, you must spend time in each of them. And my why for this devotional site is to demonstrate, encourage, and motivate you and others to spend time in God’s Word each day.

God’s wonders are the possibilities

The Word David had was limited compared to all of Scripture that we possess. And yet he found life, hope, strength, joy, and reward even in the Torah. How much more of God’s great story do we have in our hands?! Yet sadly our Bibles sit on our desk or the back seat of the car or in a backpack much of the time. If we dared to pick them up and more consistently open them up, oh, what wonders we would find!

I write to help you understand that it doesn’t take a scholar to understand or benefit from Scripture. All it takes is time and a willingness to read Scripture daily. And read it all, even the parts that make you scratch your head in confusion or might even put you to sleep because of redundancy or detail that we don’t understand. The daily hammering in God’s Word changes us over time but only if we read it.

Consistency is the solution

As the apostle Paul gave his parting thoughts to the elders who visited him in Miletus, he spoke from his heart about his love for them, his call from God, and his determination to continue faithfully to share the gospel throughout Asia and Europe. In his parting words he gave this testimony: “ I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

Paul was determined to share everything God had revealed, not just a little bit or snack-sized portion of God’s counsel. And the only way one can begin to comprehend and share the whole counsel of God is by faithfulness to prayer and to consuming his Word.

The only way one can begin to comprehend the whole counsel of God
is by faithfulness to prayer and to consuming his Word.

After David wrote of these two great revelations from God in nature and Scripture, he closed with a prayer. It’s a prayer you’ve heard before and often from the pastor’s lips before they preach. But like many parts of Scripture this prayer should not be limited to the pastor. And this prayer can proceed or follow our actions and our words. It’s also the prayer I pray for this blog site where I post my thoughts. Let it be our prayer always:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Amen.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭19:1, 7-14‬; Acts‬ ‭20:27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

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