Time for an Adjustment
A few weeks ago, I talked about setting priorities, using the story of Martha and Mary. In this familiar story, Jesus scolded Martha for not making him a priority. Now mind you, at first glance, it might seem Martha’s preparations for her special guest made it appear Jesus was a priority. This assumption goes downhill when her obsession with her workload causes her frustration. Jesus is the one who requests all come to him who are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28), so certainly any frustrations stemmed from Martha’s frantic service. Who knows, her sister might have eventually helped, but it was more important for Mary to fill her cup with spiritual food versus helping to prepare physical food.
In the next few weeks, using the book of Psalms, I will post a series called, “How to Adjust Your Priorities” There will be seven principles discussed in this series.
Why the book of Psalms? Some books of the bible I’ve read more than others. Genesis, being the book of beginnings, is one I return to time and time again. I also enjoy reading through the New Testament, covering the gospels and some of my favorite epistles, like Galatians, Ephesians and Philippians. I’ve even covered the book of Revelations twice.
But I have to admit, I’m no bible scholar and there are books I’ve barely touched. Those mainly are the Poetry books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon) and the Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micha, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). During this year, I want to explore books I haven’t studied before. The first part of this year, I will be exploring Psalms.
Recommended Reading
If you read my infrequent posts (I’m still trying to follow my blog schedule), you might realize that I’m trying to get away from reading so many devotional books. A book I’m finishing up has some great ideas about getting back to the bible.
The Divine Mentor is for anyone who has been disenchanted or feeling burnt out with their devotion time. The author, Dr. Wayne Cordeiro, reminds us of the many mentors we have in the bible. Folks like Moses, Joshua, David, Rahab and many more have timeless experiences that are still relevant today.
The book is split into three sections, (1) The Voice That Brings Life (2) How to Listen for God’s Voice and (3) How Sweet the Voice. Cordeiro is a man after my heart, because he encourages something that I’ve done for years – journaling.
For people who are a little apprehensive about journaling, Corderio provides a real simple plan called SOAP (Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer). This plan allows for bible study to become a more intimate experience. Instead of reading somebody else’s thoughts, by keeping a journal, this allows for the person to view their own thoughts and experience the scriptures for themselves.
After reading this book, I’ve been led to make the Taste and See devotions more towards encouraging people to study God’s Word on their own. I will share my thoughts, and hopefully lead readers to spend time reading and recording their own thoughts.
