Holiday

So… let me ask you a question.  How seriously or maybe better said, how personally do you take the Word of God?  Now understand, I am only asking you this because I recently had to ask myself the same question.  As I was speaking the Word over my wife the other day, I suddenly had some revelation about what I was doing.  It was one of those things that you know… but suddenly drops into your spirit, the light goes on, the thunder claps and you “know that you know” as Oral Roberts used to say.

I was confessing according to Ephesians 6:10 that my wife is “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (KJV)  As soon as the words left my mouth I remembered John 1:1 where the Apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.” (KJV)  My instantaneous thought was that I could also state that my wife is “strong in the Word and in the power of the Word’s might.”

At that moment I had that “know that you know” understanding of the power that is resident in the Word… because it is Jesus personally talking to and about me!  So… back to my original question.  Is that your understanding when you spend time in the Word? 

When I spend time with someone who is special to me, I give them all my attention.  Whenever my wife and I went on one of our two night holidays to the coast, she always got 100% of my concentration.  And it usually started before the getaway time even began as I would usually buy her some new clothes, plan fancy meals, special activities unique to the area we were going and think about all that time alone with her without any distractions! 

I have mentioned before that I have had my quiet/study time first thing in the morning for almost as long as I can remember.  But over the last four years, with everything going on, it has taken on an even greater significance.  In some respects this time alone with Jesus has become my lifeline.  This morning was a little different as I woke up from a deep and restful sleep only to notice that it was 7:45 am, and I did not want to get up.  (Usually I awake from a fitful sleep before seven and am too restless to go back to sleep)  My first thought today was to roll back over and sleep in.  After all I deserved it… right?  I haven’t slept particularly well for a long time and this was a like a gift… right?

Well… I quickly discerned that it wasn’t right… at least for me.  I needed and deep down inside really wanted to spend time with the Lord before I got my wife up.  If I slept in I would still need to get my wife up on time and thereby give up my personal time with the Lord.  Going back to my other example, that would be the same as going away for a holiday with my wife and then leaving her alone at the kitchen table while I slept in or spent time just doing what I wanted!

Jesus and His Word are one in the same.  When we spend time in the Word we are spending time personally with Jesus.  When I sit at my kitchen table with my Bible, notebook and laptop it is just like He is sitting at the table with me.  You could say that we share a cup of coffee as we discuss His course and instruction for my life.  At other times we just chat, talk about how things are going, and encourage each other.  When you look within the pages of your Bible, do you see Jesus sitting there with you?

So… what do you think?  How are you going to look at and experience your next time with the Word?  Are you just reading and/or studying a good book, or are you physically spending personal time with the Lord?  Let me know!  Have a good day.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”