Low Battery

I quit reading my Bible and it was a lot like not brushing my teeth for a week. The low battery indicator light flashed on the screen. Maybe my son was right, I spent too much time on my phone but, oh never mind, he was definitely right. Abandoning my perch on the front porch swing, I walked inside to plug in my charger, instead something else caught my attention.

My spiritual battery was running less than 10%. I’m sure my family noticed me stomping around blinking away tears which sprung up unwanted and unexpected. My co-workers probably didn’t notice the curt emails, but the painter who showed up late surely did, not that I’m bitter.

The sword on the dining room table pierced my soul as soon as I noticed it. There my Bible lay open on top of my study book as if I were reading it every day and drinking in truth. Usually I do, but not this week. And believe me it shows.

Ephesians 6:17, “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” ESV

Worries of life

Let me be honest, I was in a funk and wanted to wallow there a while longer. The sword jabbed me with a twinge of guilt and I knew I needed truth from God’s word, but I didn’t want it. I walked right past without touching it, yet it cut me.

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” HCSB

Lingering in my mind was the warning – stop, turn around. Like God calling Adam in the garden, the Book beckoned me from the table.

Genesis 3:9, “Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?'” NLT

Neglected

Walk into a first-grade classroom and it’s easy to spot the neglected child. The uneven ends of her long hair are frayed and the boy smells, or maybe it’s his clothes. There is dirt under my own fingernails from scratching self-effort and desperate attempts to control my out-of-control life.

Ecclesiastes 2:22, “What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?” NIV

I quit reading my Bible

Like a child uncared for, I made plenty of demands, but it wasn’t my Father’s fault, He was there. It was mine. Between Bible studies, I quit reading my Bible altogether. Really, you can’t leave me unsupervised for a second and certainly not for a week.

Making time or spending time?

Recently someone asked me about a particular verse and commented, “You have more time to study the Bible than I do.” Whaaaat?! Last time I checked I have a mere 1,440 minutes every time the big ball twirls around on its axis. And last time I checked, so do you. Can we spare a few of those minutes?

What are you going to do with your time?

There are a few things I need you to know. If it weren’t for God’s word planted deep in my mind and my soul, I probably would get in the bed, pull the covers over my head and stay there.

• While I juggled family, career and hobbies, I was involved in in-depth Bible study – not bragging, but I don’t want you to think for one minute I waited until the turmoil of the last three years to read my Bible
• You need to do the same because you never know when life will turn upside down
• Getting into a good habit takes effort, but I’d love to share how I got started
• Accountability is crucial. If I’m not in a group, that meets on a regular basis, who expects me to finish my lesson and share some insight, I’d probably get busy and squander every 1,440 minute of the day.

My spiritual halitosis is now resolved. I’ve started a new Bible study and it’s particularly powerful. Let me know what you’re studying or I’ll tell you some of my favorites if you ask.

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