Observation: Keeping it real here...I find Ephesians to be one of the harder books of the Bible to follow. Long, involved sentences, turns of phrase that appear only there, without much explanation...it's a lot. So, "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places", not sure what that means. Destining us for adoption before the foundation of the world, makes sense enough, but it raises a lot of questions that could be a multi-week Bible study in itself. Which brings me to what I'd really like to talk about today.
Application: People seem to think that you're only a "good Christian" if you've read the whole Bible and have whole chunks of it memorized. I'm not sure that's the best measuring stick. Like many others, I've tried the "read your whole Bible in a year" thing. At times it was meaningful. Other times it just felt like cramming for an exam that never actually came, which was a good thing because I'm not sure I would have passed.
Our community youth group has been talking about Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together this year, and in it, Bonhoeffer makes the point that even a single phrase or word of scripture can be a source of reflection and meditation for days or weeks at a time. I definitely think Ephesians 1:3-6 could be one of those passages that you can come back to for days and days in a row.
My point is, Bible reading is not about quantity. It's not about quality. If you don't have your apostles or kings of Judah memorized, if you still struggle to name your "minor prophets", but you are showing up each day, asking the Holy Spirit to show you what you need to see in this text, this verse, this word, then God will help you see it.
If you feel like you need to know your whole Bible, great. Go for it. Hit the books. There are some great reading plans out there (Might I recommend the Lutheran Study Bible?). But if you wanted to spend an entire year just really unpacking the Beatitudes, I guarantee you, you'd get a whole lot out of that as well. Blessings to you on whatever quest you're on.
Prayer: God, I pray for everyone today who is trying to figure out their path through your word. Guide them to a routine that will be edifying for them, and draw them more deeply into love for you and their neighbor, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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