Tag Archives: Devotions

Chapter-a-Day

Don’t Read It, Eat It

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Don't Read It, Eat It! – Wayfarer

Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezekiel 3:3 (NIV)

The other day, The Babylon Bee posted one of its usual satirical memes that pictured a man with children on his lap reading. The headline said, “Man Sits Down With Children To Read ‘The Hobbit’ for Nightly Devotions.” I sent it to our family chat string with the comment “I’m not sure what’s satirical about this.”

I read both The Hobbit and the entirety of The Lord of the Rings to our girls when they were young. They were preteens when the epic Peter Jackson film adaptations began being released, so they grew up watching those with me, too. It’s a thing in our family.

A few years ago I received a strange text in the middle of the day from Taylor asking the name of the character King Theoden’s horse. “That’s random,” I thought as I immediately replied with the answer: Snowmane. Turns out she was at a Pub Trivia night in a pub in the UK and knew that I’d know the answer. For the record, I could have named most of the other character’s horses, as well.

There’s a difference between reading a book and digesting it.

That’s exactly the metaphorical point of today’s chapter. We’re in the final of three chapters describing Ezekiel’s vision of being ushered into God’s Throne room and called to be a prophet to the people of Israel exiled in Babylon. Zeke is handed a scroll with God’s message of “lament, warning, and woe.” In today’s final chapter describing the vision, Ezekiel is told to “eat” the scroll. He does so and finds it sweet as honey.

There’s a difference between reading a scroll and eating it.

Throughout the Great Story, God tells His people to devour His Words. Not just to read them, but to feed on them spiritually; To digest them as they meditate on them day and night. Like the old PSA I grew up with on television stated: “You are what you eat.” That is not only true physically, but also metaphorically. Spiritually we become whatever our mind and spirit feast upon daily.

This chapter-a-day habit is, for me, a spiritual breakfast that gives me a good spiritual start to my day. Just like the blueberry-spinach smoothie Wendy will make for me an hour from now, that does the same thing for me physically. Just as that will not be the only thing I eat today, this chapter-a-day rumination is the only time I spend reading, studying, meditating, or memorizing.

Having devoured the text for over forty years, I have a few observations regarding why God would ask His people to do so:

First, everything in life begins to relate to the Word. Having devoured it and digested it, I begin to find that my heart and mind translate everyday events, conversations, and interactions through the spiritual lens of the Great Story. I can’t help it. It just does.

Second, there are important verses and passages that I have on instant recall just like the name of King Theoden’s horse. The difference, of course, is that life isn’t always trivial. In moments of fear, stress, anger, temptation, conflict, or tragedy I have instant recall of God’s words to instruct, inspire, guide, and comfort. And, it not only works for me intrapersonally but also for others interpersonally as I’m conversing with them.

Third, the deeper I get in my reading, meditating, and memorizing the more deeper, more rich, and more fulfilling it becomes to me spiritually. There’s always more for me to learn, understand, and connect to as I return to it. It humbles me how much I know that I still don’t know after a lifetime of study, but it excites me to keep going back to dig deeper knowing that it will continue to yield even sweeter fruit in my life.

In the quiet this morning, I’m reminded why I’ve developed this chapter-a-day habit and why I continue to do it. I’m grateful for the experience that digesting the Great Story has been for me and my life. And, I recommend it. It’s never too late to start, and I guarantee it yields positive spiritual results.

And, for the record, in the Lord of the Rings:

Gandalf’s horse is Shadowfax.
Sam’s pony is named Bill.
Aragorn rides Hasufel.
Legolas and Gimli ride Arod.
Merry’s pony is called Stybba.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Resurrection of the Organism

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[Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard [Apollos], they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.
Acts 18:26-27 (NIV)

My local gathering of Jesus’ followers has been studying the book of Acts. It’s one of the reasons I’m journeying through it again here on my blog. Like all institutional organizations, my local gathering of believers has a traditional hierarchy and well-maintained organization. We even have an official prayer ministry and volunteers who have been trained up and will pray for those who ask for it or need it. That is an absolutely awesome thing for which I’m thankful.

In the past couple of weeks, however, something very interesting has been happening. A few weeks ago the teacher of the morning asked anyone who wanted prayer, for whatever reason, to simply stand where they were during our worship song. Those seated around anyone standing were then encouraged to stand, reach out, place a hand on that person and pray for them. Many stood and many prayed. It was beautiful.

Over the coming weeks one could see that after the morning worship there were several small pockets of believers praying over and for one another. This wasn’t some official part of the service. These weren’t official prayer ministers from the prayer ministry doing what they were trained to do by the organization. These prayers for and over one another were happening organically from among those hanging out after the service, unprompted by any leader or individual.

In today’s chapter, we meet three new individuals. First, there’s Priscilla and Aquila (interesting that even Luke references the wife before the husband). The couple were among all of the Jews expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius (a well established historical event). The fact that they appear to have already been believers means that the Message of Jesus had already spread to Rome, though we have no evidence of Paul or any of the other apostles having made an official missionary journey there at that point in time.

The other individual we meet in today’s chapter is a man named Apollos, also a Jew who was a believer of Jesus. We don’t know much about his background other than what Luke provides here. From Alexandria, he’d been traveling and sharing the Message of Jesus in synagogues much as Paul had done.

The underlying message of today’s chapter is that the Message of Jesus had been unleashed. The concentric circles of the Jesus movement was spreading out further and further. This was not happening by official means led by authorized envoys of the twelve in Jerusalem. It was happening organically. The Message was being embraced and shared by the growing number of believers. Everyone was in on it, and everyone was compelled and encouraged to share the Message even if they, like Apollos, didn’t have a complete understanding.

Notice that Apollos wasn’t discouraged from what he was doing, even though there were some details he was ignorant about. Priscilla and Aquila took him in, educated him, and sent him back out with their blessing. Paul didn’t do that. Priscilla and Aquila didn’t send him to Jerusalem to be educated by Peter and the boys and receive an institutional stamp of approval. This early church was a living organism in which every individual cell was growing, multiplying, and shaking things up wherever it went.

That’s why I’m both excited and encouraged by what I’ve witnessed in my local gathering of believers in recent weeks. For centuries the Institutions of Christianity have encouraged believers to sit quietly in their pews, go about their business, and let the professional, officially trained and approved ministers do things. Suddenly, I find that everyday believers from all walks of life are rediscovering their spiritual giftedness, their personal calling to use those gifts, and Holy Spirit power that fuels and empowers both.

I hear that we have moved into a “post-Christian” and “post-Evangelical” world. Perhaps we are. Yet, from where I sit I’m witnessing something remarkable. As the old Institutional organizations wane and die, the organism is being resurrected.

Chapter-a-Day

Simple Habits Simply Exemplified

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You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 (NRSV)

I remember as a child going to spend a week with my grandparents in Le Mars. Mom would take me to the Greyhound bus station in Des Moines and put me on a bus, telling me to sit right behind the driver (where he could keep an eye on me, no doubt) and I would make the long bus ride to Sioux City where my grandparents would be waiting to shuttle me back to their house.

Staying with grandpa and grandma in the small town of Le Mars was a treat. I got to walk “uptown” to explore the shops on Central Avenue. I would be grandpa’s guest at Lion’s Club and we would play Canasta for hours on end.

Once a day, after we ate our meal, Grandpa would get out his Bible and a devotional called The Upper Room. He would read the Bible verse for the day and then read the short devotional thought for that day before offering a short prayer. It did not take long, and to this day I can’t recall any of the actual words or thoughts that were shared. Nevertheless, the simple act of doing it made an indelible impression on me.

Today, I’m thinking about God’s command through Moses not only to ingest and embody His words but also to pass them along to your children. I remember Grandpa reading the upper room after lunch. I recall the daily experience of waking for school and descending the stairs to find my father sitting in his chair, Bible open on his lap as he read and prayed. These things weren’t rigid religious disciplines demanded of us like some kind of cruel and inhuman punishments. They were simple habits simply exemplified which made an indelible impression on a child’s impressionable heart.

I pray that I have been faithful in carrying on the example for our children. I hope for the day when our grandchildren come for the week to the small town of Pella to explore the square and to be Grandpa and Grandma’s special guest so that I may continue to make an impression passed through the generations.