Sunday, April 27, 2008

How 'bout we jump ahead of the curve?

Most of you know that the ESV (English Standard Version) Bible is my absolute favorite. But in October my Christmas list gets a little longer! The ESV Study Bible comes out! Great men like J. I. Packer, Wayne Grudem, John Piper (you knew that was coming, right?), Thomas Schreiner and Mark Dever are all contributors along with so many others. There's even a website you can look at now for those of us who are just geeky enough to do so. (Click here and make me feel better about my own level of geekiness.)

But now a challenge has been issued...Ray Ortlund wrote this recently about the upcoming release:
I have met people who knew a lot about baseball, a lot about oldies rock and roll [oops], a lot about computers, a lot about a lot, but I have never met anyone who knew the Bible too well. Not one person. Ever. Especially not in these times.

The ESV Study Bible comes out this October. I see an opportunity here. Could we all give ourselves ESV Study Bibles for Christmas and then set 2009 apart as "Our Year of the Bible"? Could we all give less to other things so that we give more to the Bible? Could we bore down together and discover the wonders of this holy Book as never before? Could we acknowledge our spiritual hunger, and thoughtfully, carefully, attentively, daily feed our souls? Could we shut off the noise and listen? Could we re-set our focus from the voices inside our heads to the Voice in the Book? And if we did, is it even conceivable that we could then come to the end of 2009 and say, "Dang. I could have done more TV and more computer and more video games and more dumb stuff. What a loser year 2009 has been! Next year, man, it's going to be different. No more of this Bible-focus for me. I'm going to LIVE again"? Is there any chance, any chance at all, that could happen? Or might Jesus become more real to us? Might the Holy Spirit be poured out? Might we look back on 2009 as our turn-around year?
So, I was thinking...how would it be if we all got started a little early and then just hit the ground running come January 1st? What's one way you can think of to give a little more time to that which you will never regret doing?

5 comments:

Katharine said...

I put it on my Christmas list last week!!
I love the blog, I love hearing your daily thoughts. I miss you.

Kim said...

I miss you, too. I miss hearing your feedback on what the Lord was showing me as we'd walk in circles and wave at the girls. And I love how what He was showing you brought up an echoing thought in me. Let me know what thoughts these posts bring to mind. Maybe this will get us a little closer to having it again...Love you...

eileen mom nana said...

October 15! A wonderful 64th (oh my, can't be, no way) birthday present!!
Have a beautiful Monday! God is Good all the Time...

rebecca said...

I can think of at least one way to give a little more time is to use wisely what time I do have, already. To be prepared each morning for the day at hand, not just with a list of to-do's but with purpose in mind---why am I here today? And we all should know that answer by now--to glorify Him. If my gaze is on Him, my day won't "be wasted" because He's "turned my eyes from looking at worthless things". This is all easy to say, but so very hard to maintain, minute to minute. Isn't that why Jesus said we needed to "do this in remembrance of me", because we forget?
Now, why would we wait until January? Let’s start this morning!!
Thanks for the heads up about the Bible. I'll add it to my list and maybe to someone else's! ;)

Kim said...

I'm right there with you, Rebecca. I want each day to be about Him, so that my moments are about Him. So often my time gets lost because I've forgotten what I'm here for.