Live God Adventures

I came across a picture on Pinterest with the scripture Matthew 22:29 written out. Do you ever have moments where you read a scripture (maybe on Pinterest or somewhere) and it just kind of hits you? You know you’ve read it before but for some reason, being separated and in bold font like that… it just is more obvious? That’s what happened to me.

“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures of the power of God.” Matthew 22:29

Now, in this particular passage,, Jesus is talking to the Sadducees who asked Him a question about marriage after He returns. His response is that they are in error in their thinking because they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. They did not understand.

This applies to us as well. What came to mind was the kids I teach in children’s church and my own life. Do we know the scriptures? Am I teaching them the scriptures? Do I know the power of God? I’ve had a desire lately to be in the Word, to learn more and understand. I don’t want to be “in error” because I “do not know the Scriptures” or “do not know God’s power”. I want to be a children’s pastor that teaches the kids the Word, teaches them how to apply the scripture. To do that I need to learn and understand it myself.

Nehemiah 8:3 says “He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.” (Now, side note, the children’s pastor in me wonders if the “others who could understand” were children and how they handled so many kids “from daybreak till noon” while someone was standing there reading scripture. No fast songs with moves, no object lessons, no colorful walls… Can you imagine that?) Listened attentively. Do we listen attentively when we read the Bible? I can only speak for myself but I know that there have definitely been times when I’ll be reading but my mind will wander, then I realize I’ve “read” a whole chapter but was thinking about something else and certainly didn’t get anything out of it.

In order to know Jesus, we have to listen attentively. During my Bible school class this week my classmate was telling us about a video he saw, I’m not sure who said this but… they said count to 50 in your head. Not out loud, in your mind count from 1 to 50, once you get to about 12 say your name out loud, your full name out loud. What happened? You stopped counting. This really spoke to me because it’s something that I do a lot, read in my mind and don’t recall what I’ve read. I want to challenge myself to read out loud, I want to challenge you to read out loud.

In the note below Nehemiah 8:3 in my Bible it says “Chapters 8-10 describe one of the greatest revivals in Old Testament times and illustrate several basic elements of spiritual renewal. The revival happened because of a renewed focus on God’s Word and a serious effort to understand what it means and how it applies to everyday life. For seven days, six hours each day, Ezra read from the Book of the Law. One of the greatest proofs of true revival among God’s people is a deep spiritual hunger to hear, read, and apply God’s Word to their personal lives.”

Are we hungry for His Word?
Are we listening attentively?

This has challenged me and I pray it challenges you as well. Let’s dig deep into His Word, let’s ignite a revival in our hearts, our kids, our families!