When Amy Hughes asked if I would consider writing weekly devotionals I was both thrilled and humbled at the same time—thrilled in that someone wanted to read what I wrote—humbled because somebody would. Actually, Amy gave me one of the highest compliments I have ever been paid when she said to me, “you can impart your words of wisdom, especially to those of us who’ve moved away.” I was moved and thus sent out a letter inquiring if anyone else would read them. And this is how the journey begins.
God is all knowledge. Paul wanted the Colossians to “know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And Peter wanted God’s elect, strangers in the world, to know that “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Pet. 1:3
In Christ alone is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge—not me. Devotionals tell us about God. They do not come from God. When I hear about how God touched someone else’s life, my telling their story is not as effective as their telling their story because they’ve lived it. I must tell my own. “That which was from the beginning,” John says, “which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” 1 John 1:1 We are touched most when we hear, see and touch God ourselves. Peter tells us, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” 2 Pet. 1:16, 18 God wants us to be eyewitnesses of his majesty. He wants us to experience Him ourselves. When John tells us that the apostles heard, saw, looked at and touched Jesus, he mentions they heard once--they touched once. But when he says they saw, he not only says they saw, he adds “they looked at Jesus.” They were interested enough to see him twice—once in passing and once on purpose. The scripture implies they took him in.
Sunday morning I heard my granddaughter Bella, calling for me through the singing. I knew she was calling for me because I recognized her voice. I had heard it many times before. When I turned to see her, to confirm what I already knew, she was raising her arms as if to say, “I want to come to you.” It broke my heart that she could not. But what would have broken my heart even more would have been for her to see me reaching out to her and she not want me. God has written the greatest love letter ever written and wants us to read it. How He must feel when we don’t! One of my favorite quotes is from the book Victory Over the Darkness by Neil Anderson, “Satan knows that he may not be able to stop you from serving God by making you immoral, but he can probably slow you down by making you busy!” And that’s what busy-ness does. It keeps us from taking the time to get to know God through scripture, prayer, meditation and service, just to mention a few. If your time is precious and you have to choose between reading the Bible or reading a devotional, let me make that decision for you. Choose God’s voice over mine. Sit at His feet and listen. If you can, do both. But if you can’t, choose what Mary chose, and that will be better.
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