Checkboxes and Conversations

At the beginning of the year, I was on fire. My Bible reading streak was months consecutive. It was an amazing feeling!

And slowly, as the year went on, the readings became less.

It's an interesting dynamic and one that I'm not proud of. As the year has progressed, it has occurred to me that the value in reading Scripture is irreplaceable. It has nothing to do with checking a box and it has everything to do with continuing the conversation with God.

Reading Scripture gives life, it breathes, it encourages, it directs and guides. Psalm 119:103 says "how sweet are your words to my taste / sweeter than honey to my mouth!" I don't read Scripture because I have to. My desire to know God, to be closer to Him, and to breathe in His presence and life is what causes me to read. When I am without it, I am dry. With it, I thrive.
This doesn't mean that I don't read when I don't "feel it". But it's that continued pressing in to the Word of God that, over time, produces a WANT to be in God's word rather than doing it to get it done. As I read and allow Scripture to inform my life, I pull myself even deeper into the life Christ has for me.

What drives your Scripture reading? Is it out of obligation and duty or opportunity and desire?
This week, find a favorite passage and read it for a few days in a row. What does God want to say to you about what you are reading? Where does it intersect with your life right now? What can you do to put what you read into practice? Allow the Scripture to come alive to where you are, right now.

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