“Give us this day our daily bread,”
Matthew 6:11

This personal inventory stuff is leading me to fertile soil. It’s not that I haven’t been there before; it’s that I’m coming back to familiar territory. I’m talking about intentionally connecting with God daily. We are given plenty of lessons for this within the pages of our bibles. For the most part, I am into my bible everyday but not necessarily connecting with God. This needs to be a deliberate act.

One of the problems with a bible reading plan is that it can become too routine. In the one plan, we covered the entire book of Ephesians in one day. I mean, really? One day? I get it that there is a benefit to having read the bible multiple times so that you are familiar with all of it, but there also needs to be study besides simply reading the material. There needs to be balance. Furthermore, it’s not just studying the material but also communing with God to let it transform you.

So, we’re back to making the best use of our time, right?

It’s the daily prayer discipline that I was skipping over. A friend of mine says something like knees on the floor before you hit the ground and before you hit the bed. I wasn’t doing that, but I have started. It’s making a difference in my attitude. It’s one of several small changes I’m making so that I might walk closer to God. To all of these, I’m focusing on being intentional and not simply going through the motions.

There’s a greater purpose behind all this.

Deuteronomy 8:2-6 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son the Lord your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

Huh. I see in here that God is disciplining me. I’m playing right into his hand without even knowing it.

Well, how about that!

Father, that is kinda funny! Thank you! Yes, please discipline me. It’s proof that you love me. Amen.

Copyright © 2019 Scott Powers