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A few weeks ago I wrote a post about my latest favorite Bible study tools. You can find that here. Although I stand by this list of useful instruments, within a few days of publishing I began to reevaluate how I spend time in God’s word.

As a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, I received a complementary copy of the Third Edition of the NIV Life Application Study Bible. As I thumbed through this beautiful gift, I remembered days of pouring over a Bible with actual paper pages. I thought about reading notes and jotting notes and consulting commentaries and concordances. But I confess it had been a while. I somehow convinced convinced myself that my busy life demanded devotionals on the go. I’ve been reading scriptures on my phone at the gym or skimming a few pages in the carpool line for so long that I forgot how much I enjoy really digging in. So I cracked open this book and breathed in the scent of newly printed pages with excited anticipation. The anticipation of knowing that God would meet me there. And He has.

The notes in this Bible have three features. First, the explanation – a more detailed description to help us understand what the text means. This is where most Bible study notes end. Next, the bridge explains how the passage is relevant to us. The “so what?” if you will. And last, the application, or the “now what?” – suggestions on how we can live out the message of the scripture. The notes, study aids and red letters all strengthened my understanding of the concepts, commands and constructs of God.

I hope you don’t hear condemnation from me if you tend to spend time with God on the fly. I am so thankful for tools that allow us to stay in communication and fellowship with Him no matter where we are or how much time we have. Isaiah 55:10-11 tells us,

As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Any time with God’s word is time well spent. And some days, with kids and jobs and volunteering and relationships, quick and to the point will have to do. But God gently challenged me that if I chose to fit Him around my schedule every day instead of orienting my schedule around Him, then my priorities were out of whack. In Mark 1:35, Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Now, Jesus could very well have been a morning person. But more likely, it cost him something to meet with God in this way. And I’m finding that my time with God is much more meaningful when it costs me a little something too. I’m not any less busy than when I THOUGHT I was too busy before, so I’m not managing to make this extended time happen every day. I don’t think I have to. Being legalistic is not the point. The idea is to be intentional to carve out time whenever I can to really feast on and savor God’s word. So that I’m not only meeting Him, but also getting to know Him better.

How about you? Do you have extended times with the Father? Drop a comment below. I would love to hear how you carve out time or what you do to get the most out of your appointments with Him. And…

show bible I’m having a giveaway! I did a review here of the NIV Quest Study Bible: The Only Q and A Study Bible. To enter to win a hardback copy (a $28 value) to help with your personal study, hop over to the left side of this page and subscribe to my blog! I only post about once a week and I’ll never give away your info. Thanks in advance for being a reader friend! I’ll announce the winner here in two weeks!

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I think it’s possible that my high school single handedly kept white shoe polish on store shelves in Waco, Texas in the early 90’s. How often the windows of our cars were covered in messages and crudely drawn pics was directly correlated to our level of popularity. One Friday afternoon I got in on the fun by decorating the trucks of the boy I was “dating” (the quotes denote loosely used terminology) and his best friend. The next day I parked my car in the high school parking lot and rode a yellow dog to a track meet. Upon returning to the school late that night, I saw what appeared to be mud all over my car. As I climbed off the bus with my friends, one of them said, “I don’t think that’s mud.”

The boy I was “dating” (yes, still with the quotes) and his best friend recruited a little brother and searched pastures until they found an adequate supply of manure to fill a kitchen trash bag. They brought it up to the school and used I’m-not-sure-what to smear it all over the outside of my car. It was disgusting, it reeked and I couldn’t even see through the windshield to drive it somewhere to wash. A few friends – really good ones, I might add – helped me scrape enough off the windshield to see to drive a few blocks to a house much closer than mine to hose off the mess. The boys’ moms, who both adored me, were horrified to learn what they had done and demanded they apologize to me. I’m not so sure that punishment fit the crime.

I hope you haven’t lost your last meal because I do have a point in reliving this prank: Spiritual blindness. God’s word gives us many reasons we are to be in community with other believers. The older (and hopefully wiser) I get, the more I think we need one another desperately to combat spiritual blindness. What is spiritual blindness? Compellingtruth.org defines it as a condition of being “unable to see God or understand His message.” Although this definitely applies to non-believers, it also applies to believers in certain situations. Paul Tripp in his book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change, says it “is the condition of every sinner…Yet few will realize its impact on the way they view themselves, God, others, and their situations. They are like those described in Romans 1, who think they are wise when really they are fools. They assume they think well when the thinking of their heart is actually foolish and futile.”

Spiritual blindness can be deceptive. When blinded to the inappropriateness of our thoughts or reactions to a situation, we are also usually blinded to our blindness. Was that clear as mud? Or manure? As John wrote to the church in Laodicea, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, BLIND [emphasis mine] and naked” Revelation 3:17 We need to do life with others who are following hard after Jesus. And not “yes men”. Friends who will gently nudge us when we are heading in the wrong direction.

On that long ago evening when I looked at my car after a long and tiring day under the cover of night, I saw mud. But a friend who didn’t have as much to loose warned me of a much darker and smellier situation.

We all need friends who will tell us when we stink!

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I am so grateful for the times when a loved one has spoken a little truth or told me a story from her life that turned on a light bulb for me. My human nature can override the righteousness of God before it even registers with me.

If you don’t have trusted Christ-followers in your life, I would plead with you to find ways to get involved in your local Bible-believing church and meet people. And if the friendships already exist, get real. Openly share your heart with one or two who have proven reliable. Ask them to keep you accountable to “walk in a manner worthy…” Colossians 1:10 NASB It’s risky to be vulnerable, but obedience to God demands it. And it’s worth it. A friend who can spot your poo and then stick around to help clean it up is a priceless treasure.

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