Today in Bible Study, during our time of prayer, we read a
quote from a seventeenth-century mystic named Madam Guyon that I found both
beautiful and challenging. This is what she said:
"Praying scripture is not judged by how much you read but by the way in which you read. 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 must become as the bee that penetrates into the depths of the flower. You plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar.”
That's deep and profound and probably would have stirred my
soul regardless. But I think I'm so moved by this quote, presently, because of
our current sermon series in the book of Colossians, which has been a slow,
intentional crawl through each paragraph of the letter. And I have been LOVING
this pace. It truly feels like we're exploring the depth of the book, rather
than just glossing over the surface. I really sense that we're plunging
ourselves into the deepest nectar of Paul's words to the Colossian
church.
And that's what I love most about preaching...that's what
feeds my soul. There are times where quick, thematic series are appropriate and
good, but this deep-dive approach is what most intrigues me as a follower of
Christ. This slow journey through the text has been transforming me as I have
prepared these sermons, and I hope it's been changing you as well. So, thank
you for taking this tedious march through Colossians with me. Let's continue to
allow God to mold and shape us as we drink deeply from the sweet nectar of His
word.
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