~ Read With a Passion ~

I sat in my quiet little spot at the bookstore/coffee house last week just so excited that I had about two hours of uninterrupted time in the Word. It was one of those days when I had several things to keep me in town but there was a nice long break in between appointments where I had a couple of hours of “free” time. Yes, “free” time! What is that you ask?

Well, I had to look up the definition as well because “free” time doesn’t come by my way very often. Haha! Anyway, two hours to do what I wanted to do!

Even though the store was quite busy, I nestled myself at a quiet table, opened my Bible, and bowed my head to thank my sweet Lord for that precious time.  As I lifted my head and glanced around the room, my heart was drawn to the people sitting all around me. After all, it was a bookstore so everyone had chosen their reading material as they sat and sipped their iced beverages. Most people were catching up on the gossip magazines. You know the magazines that are laced with who is cheating on who? who has the best celebrity beach body?, what fashion do you need to wear to be “hip”?...you know the reading material that really feeds your mind. Lol!

But a short moment later, my focus was drawn to a little lady in the corner with a stack of books on her table. She had a book in her hand and she was reading so intently that she was even making strong facial expressions and hand gestures with her free hand. She would laugh, she would speak aloud when she agreed with what she had just read, and she, at one time, even began to cry.  Wow! What in the world was she reading? It must have been powerful to get that kind of reaction out of her in a public place. Well, I couldn’t tell because it was in Spanish so that remains a mystery to me but she was so engrossed in that book and passionate about its message.

That spoke volumes to me!  Reading evokes so many emotions in us. Have you ever read a book that you just couldn’t put down, a book that you kept talking about for days? I have! The written word can be such a powerful thing. But today, my heart was stirred about that amazing Book I had in my very hands!

I quickly bowed my head again and asked God to prepare my heart as I opened His Word. No other book can ever be as powerful or life altering as God’s Holy Word.  After all, no other book was written under the direct inspiration of God’s mighty hand and I was about to dig my heart and soul in!  I prayed that God would give me the passion and excitement as I read the beautiful promises He wrote for me. I prayed that my heart would be stirred in such a way that I would leave that bookstore with a renewed passion to tell others about Him.

Oh, the precious Word of God! Life altering, divinely inspired, full of grace and truth! 

Read the Word today!  Pick up those beautiful pages of scripture and read what God has for YOU!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

“Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18