“I had lunch with a neighbor the other day,” Stan commented one morning.
“Where’d you go?” I asked.
“Dot’s Diner over on Grand Avenue,” Stan replied.
“Oh,” I said, “I haven’t been there for some time. Was it good?”
“It was wonderful,” Stan replied. “Dot always does a great job.”
“What’d you have?”
“I had the daily special,” Stan replied, “but my neighbor did something I haven’t seen anyone do in a long time. Maybe never.”
“What’s that?”
“He told Dot to surprise him,” Stan said. “He told Dot to bring him whatever she wanted.”
“Did she do that?”
“She did,” Stan replied. “And then my neighbor gave me a valuable lesson for my faith walk.”
“How so?”
“He told me that as a child, and then as a young adult,” Stan said, “that he had been a picky eater. He was very careful about what he would and would not eat. He said he just about drove his mom crazy by refusing to eat certain things.”
“I’ve known people like that,” I commented. “Not me. I will eat just about anything that’s put in front of me!”
“My neighbor told me that the same thing happened with him,” Stan said. “Once he began to be open to trying different food, he discovered that he liked most everything. That’s why he told Dot to surprise him! Then came the lesson for my faith walk.”
“What?”
“My neighbor told me that at one point in his faith walk,” Stan said, “he had been a picky reader.”
“A picky reader? What’s that mean?”
“That when he would read the Bible,” Stan said, “which he told me wasn’t very often, he would pick and choose what he would read, only reading the parts that tasted good!”
“Oh,” I replied. “Only the parts that were pleasing, rather than the whole Bible. Is that it?”
“That’s it,” Stan said. “And he told me that he now reads the Bible every day, making his way through it verse by verse. And each day he says to God the same thing he said to Dot.”
“What same thing?”
“Surprise me!” Stan said with a smile.
___________________________________
Bible verses to consider:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for the provision of your word so I can know you in an ever-deepening way while you keep me on this side of eternity. I confess that too often I do not read all of your word and, as a result, I miss things you have to show and tell me about you and your will for me. Please forgive the foolishness of picking and choosing what I read in your word, rather than reading it all and being open to everything you have for me. Please help me follow every step of your lead so I read all of your word and get all you have for me. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: How do you approach reading God’s word, the Bible? Do you pick and choose what you want to read, focusing on “the good parts” while skipping over other parts that may convict you or are not as pleasing in other ways? Are you open to all that God has to show you? If you are not, why? Why would you want to miss anything God has for you? If you sense the need for change in how you approach reading God’s word and listening to His voice, how is that going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 