Connecting with God

Devotional Classics was great this week. I was really able to dig deep from both of the readings. The first reading was from E. Stanley Jones. He talks about the three different habits that should be a part of each Christian's life. The first habit is reading the Word of God daily. God's word is medicine to our souls - we need our daily dose of this prescription! The second is praying in private. Prayer is so vital because not only are we speaking to God, but he also speaks to us. There are difficult times for me with this because I don't always acknowledge when God is speaking to me through my times of prayer. I see him speak to me more through his Word - but that won't stop me from listening for his still small voice during prayer. The last habit Jones touches on is passing what we've learned onto others. For me, this seems to be the easiest. When I hear about something I am so quickly to share it with others. Whether it is a fellow Christ follower or someone who has not yet been converted; I love sharing things I learn!
Jones says "These three things are basic in the cultivation of the converted life. Without them the converted life will fade out." - I believe this because when I am absent from the Word or prayer, I begin to fade and the desires of this world start to consume my mind and thoughts.

The other reading was just as great! Madame Guyon touches on praying the scripture and beholding the Lord - or - waiting in his presence. Praying the scripture really stood out to me though. Many times when I am reading scripture, I read through an entire passage or chapter. After I am done, sometimes I feel like I have gained some knowledge, but not so much that it moves me. Madame Guyon emphasizes on not how much you read but how deep you go in what you read. She says "If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like a bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. Instead, in this new way of reading with prayer, you become as the bee who penetrates into the depth of the flower. You plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar."
Her idea of praying the scripture is reading small amounts at a time, and really seeing what scripture is saying and then allow scripture to lead you into prayer over what you've read. I love this idea - it's not about the quantity but the quality! It will take longer to make it through a book of the Bible - or even the entire Bible, but in the end it will have so much more meaning in our lives and the benefits will be drastic in the way we live it out!

I want the three habits Jones touches on along with a daily time of scripture involving praying the scripture that Guyon mentions. I desire for God's Word to penetrate deep into my heart so that I never forget who he is, what he has done, and who I am because of those things.

Jones' Bible selection allowed me to practice praying the scripture so I want to share it with you.
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6-7