You Gotta Move

There is a regular reading plan that I try to follow everyday. And for years, I have been following it. It is one of those “Read the Bible in a Year” plans that start on January 1st with Genesis 1:1 and finish on December 31st with Revelation 22:21. When I first began, I just read from cover to cover without a set amount per day. I would read until I felt done, and generally, I just got an overview of the entire Bible. However, within the next couple of years, it just felt like I was doing it to check off an item on my “to do” list. I wasn’t treating this time of reading as a relational event. I wasn’t treating it as a date getting to know the “Bridegroom”.

That all changed when I began writing scripture on a daily basis. I have a Big Notebook that I write in. This activity has forced me to slow down and take in the words visually, audibly (I read out loud the words as I write them), and kinetically (the actual act of writing them). It wasn’t until doing this practice that I understood why so many Bible study methods call for one to write out the passage being studied and write out in one’s own words what the passage is saying. In doing so, I have learned more and connected more dots between various passages.

One of which I came across today. I was writing out Acts 22:3-16. This is where Paul was giving his testimony of how he came to know Christ Jesus. Paul was a zealous follower of Jewish tradition. He thought that the Jewish followers of Christ were heretics and deceivers. He said in verse 4, “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women.” On his way to Damascus to do this very thing, Jesus met him there, asking him, “Why are you persecuting Me? (v. 7)” and telling Paul who He was.

Now here is the verse that essentially appeared to illuminate on the page before me.

And [Paul] said, "What shall I do, Lord?" And the Lord said to me, "Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do."

God unfolded this verse before me sort of like a flower blooming and all of the petals fanning out. Each petal was a different aspect or way to look at the verse. Paul (Saul at that time) had been struck by a bright light. His men around him were as well. However, the message was solely for him. Jesus asked him why he was persecuting Him. We the church are His body. What is done to us is done to Him. So when Paul submitted and repented (in his heart), Jesus saw it and knew it. So He sent him on his mission. He was told to go somewhere and then he will receive further instructions. He wasn’t told the entire plan at the beginning. He was told just enough and we would find out if he was truly repentant or if he was just shocked.

We, too, are told where to go and we have been given knowledge on what to do. We are told to come to Jesus by believing that He is the Son of God, that He came fully man and fully God for sinners like you and I. He came to set the captives free. Free from the bondage of sin and death. He died on the cross, and on the third day He rose from the grave. Then, He ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Note that the “right hand” is a Hebrew idiom meaning that Jesus was given all authority. He then sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to dwell in those that receive this great truth. This is when we are given guidance and knowledge on what our next best step is. This is where we will be told “everything appointed for [us] to do.“

Do you have anything that becomes like 3D off of the pages of the Bible when you read it? Let me know. By the way, the Big Notebook I use is from Amazon and described as “Big Notebook: Extra Large Giant Notebook, 500 College Ruled Pages, 8.5 x 11” so from “Rooi Books” if you were wondering. (No I do not make a commission from this recommendation. I just really, really like it.)

Gotta go fill up my cup…..