Take your time with God's Word

I've been slowly working my way through I, II Samuel. I would encourage everyone to read through the Bible in a year and do it often. It's a good spiritual discipline and there is no other way to get a good overview and familiarity with the scriptures. Sometimes, though we need to take our time and go as slow as it takes. It's almost May and I'm still in 1 Samuel. Read one chapter a few times and just let the Lord speak to you. Let the Holy Spirit share his words with you revealing patterns in the text and uncovering hidden treasures. Journal your thoughts and let your mind dwell on those thoughts for a while. 

Application should always follow truth. You may not see any direct application in a particular text, but I promise you it's there. This is why we can't read God's Word without his Spirit. He will take you past the surface textual situation and show you actionable truth. The literary text, all the stories, the history and literal events all serve the common message of restoration through Jesus Christ. Dig in and find out how you can be a part of that story.

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