Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

September 25, 2009

What Are You Hiding?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

My parents enrolled me in a Scripture memory program at a very young age:  three years old.

I remember the very first memory book that was used for preschoolers.  Each letter of the alphabet coincided with a verse:

A:  "All we like sheep have gone astray."
B:  "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another."
C:  "Cast all your cares upon him for he careth for you."
D:  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

And so on. ...

My mother worked the most with me in helping me to memorize each week's allotted verses, and then I would recite them to a "hearer" at my church.  A "hearer" was a neutral-party person, and in my case it was a fellow church member who happened to be the mother of one of my good friends.  She was very kind and when necessary, gently corrected me or prodded me along as I would recite my memory verses to her.

As I got older (grade school, junior high and onward), I began to resent having to memorize Bible verses.  It was just another "chore" in my weekly doings, another task to cross off the list.  I also memorized Scripture at church:  in Sunday School classes, in Pioneer Girls club, in "big church" and later on in the high school youth group and in other Bible studies. 

They were just words to me during those years.  I knew it was good that I was memorizing from the Word (because Scripture told me so!), but it just didn't mean a whole lot to me then.  Seeds were being planted, but nothing was growing in my heart.  Everything lay dormant.

Until ...

Many, many years later, something began to happen.  After living life my way, after numerous mistakes and poor life choices, I finally gave up and gave in to God.  I was broken.  Humbled.  And crying out.

"Lord, I know you can redeem the years I have wasted.  Please invade my heart.  Take over.  Make something good out of the mess I've made." 

And he did.  Slowly but surely I began searching the Scriptures (hungrily and in desperation this time) to help me apply Truth to my life.  And the verses I had memorized came back to me!  The treasure that had been stored years ago had not been snatched away.  It was still there, hidden in my heart.  And it was growing!  Perhaps I couldn't recall all of the references, but I knew the words.  And I still do to this day. 

Friends, God's Word is powerful.  It is so worth your time.  And it is our lifeline here on earth.  If you want to see real and radical change in your life, if you're looking for hope in a hopeless world, if you desire to know who God is and if you want to share this Good News with someone else, then get in the Word and start hiding it in your heart. 

I promise you this:  as you draw closer to God in this way, he will draw closer to you.  You will grow in your faith.  And you will never be the same.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Intersection of Faith & Life:  It is never too late to start hiding God's Word in your heart.  Begin with one verse a week.  Write it on a sticky note and place it on the bathroom mirror where you live or the rearview mirror in your car.  Speak it out loud, consider its meaning and ask the Lord to help you memorize it and apply it to your life. 

Further Reading:

Hebrews 4:12

Why Memorize Scripture?

[Judy Harder]

September 28, 2009

Who, Me?
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

    Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. .
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

I agreed to help teach religious education at my church this year. It sounded like fun when I signed on. ("Sure, I'd love to work with the high school kids!")

Yesterday, I got to meet those kids, or should I say... young adults. Some of them were taller than me. Some clearly expressed their desire to be elsewhere. All of them sat silently, awaiting direction from the lead teacher and me.

As I stood at the head of the class with the lead, I silently wondered if this was such a good idea. What would I say to these kids? Would they even listen? And where is a podium to hide my fidgety hands behind??? (The room was set up so that the teachers just stood in front of the class ... no desk or podium).

I don't know, God. Surely someone else is more qualified to teach this class than me.

Perhaps some of you can relate. With our recent economic woes, insecurity is high. Searching for just the right job can be almost as painful as searching for the right spouse... rejection takes its toll, our personal weaknesses internally gnaw away at us, and temptations to play the comparison game skyrocket.

As I wrestled with my own feelings of inadequacy, I remembered a story told at a conference I attended a few years ago by a wise priest from the Bronx. His name is Fr. Benedict Groeschel, and he spent some time working with Mother Teresa during her lifetime. When he first met Mother, she put him in charge of something important. After repeated failures, Fr. Groeschel approached her. Their conversation played out something like this:

"Mother, I just don't think I am the right person for this job. In fact, I think I am the least qualified priest to do this job."

Mother gave him a stern look. "That is why I chose you."

Perplexed (and undoubtedly humbled), Groeschel inquired why she would choose him based on his lack of qualifications.

"Because then people will know that any good you do comes from God, not from you. That is what I pray for my own work. That people do not look at me and see me as someone special, but look at me and see God. I pray that when I die, I will be replaced by the most humble, least loved, and least adequate nun. That way people will clearly see that the good that comes from this work has little to do with me and everything to do with God."

Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

When I reflect on Mother Teresa's thoughts to Fr. Groeschel, I am reminded that God doesn't necessarily expect me to be the most qualified candidate for every job - he may not even want me to be the most qualified candidate.

That's not to say God doesn't want use our gifts or our brains. But it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the work we do, in every realm, is really more about God than it is about us. And if we lean on him and let him work through us, we'll be up to any challenge.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  : Is there a job you've been asked to do that you don't feel qualified for? Relax, do what is asked of you, and let God do the rest.

Further Reading

Busy for God

[Judy Harder]

September 29, 2009

Level the Trail
by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Director of Social Media

"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless...
Hebrews 12:13-16a


My kids and I have been developing a nature path in the back woods of our property. I just love to take them back there and enjoy the sounds and smell of nature.

In the back woods trail there is an area that has holes in the ground that are mostly filled with leaves. This can be a rather treacherous area for ankles and we call it the booby trap zone. One of these days I'll have them help me bring back some buckets filled with dirt to fill in these hazardous little traps.

Today's passage brought this little area to mind. What does it mean to "make level paths for your feet?"

I think the verse is intertwined with the one that follows, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy."

I think as we journey down our trail of faith there are people with whom we will come into contact. Good or bad, lengthy or brief, our journey with them will leave a mark on their lives. Will they experience healing from their interaction with us or will we sow bitterness? Our charge is to, as much as it depends on us, bring peace to them through our holy living and to make sure they are exposed to the opportunity of experiencing God's grace and salvation.

How level is your path?

Are you leaving pitfalls of bitterness, sexual immorality and activities that promote godlessness?

Start making your path level today.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Take a prayer walk in a park or on a local nature trail. Pray that God will help you to be an agent of peace to someone you have recently had a conflict with.

Further Reading

Mark 9:50
Prayer for Peace

[Judy Harder]

September 30, 2009

Before It Gets Better

by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor


Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17


The Britton family recently bought their first house. Yes, this is cause for much rejoicing and excitement (and financial reshuffling), but my enthusiasm as been slightly daunted over the past two weeks. No, it's not the packing and unpacking of boxes and the physical move that has caused me to pause at the enormity of this step. It's not the size of the mortgage that we'll be hauling around for the next three decades. It's not any of those things.

It's the smell.

My handyman husband and I tackled a foreclosure for our first house, and the dear little house has a few issues. The foundation is sound, the pipes don't leak, and the appliances work, but... well, I sure hope there's a diamond in all that rough. The walls smell (and look) like a pack-a-day, and I try not to imagine what happened to the irredeemably stained (and equally smelly) carpet. We bought the house warts and all, knowing it just needed some TLC. With a steel brush, I told myself.

Now, two weeks (and supposedly halfway) through the cleanup job, I can look around and see what we've accomplished. The carpets have been ripped out to leave subflooring. The hole in the bathroom ceiling is cleaner but much bigger than before. And the wallpaper has been stripped away to reveal bright yellow walls with dozens of spackle-spots.

Turning this foreclosure into something habitable has required some counterintuitive action. As my husband David so gently put it, "Things have to get worse before they can get better."

The process has meant stripping the house down to its bare essentials and starting over with clean floors, new paint to seal away the old smells, and sturdy drywall to replace what's crumbling. And ever so slowly, the house is slowly acquiring a new softness and freshness. But only after getting rid of putrid aesthetics and enduring a period in which the house felt uglier and more unlovable than ever.

In a few weeks, I hope I can look at our house and say, "Yes, the old has most definitely disappeared!" I want the love we poured into that house to shine out in a stunning transformation. And the vile carpets and drywalls and grime? That will all be in a garbage heap far away. I'm prepared to stick with this project until the house isn't just better - the job isn't over until we have a completely new creation.

Intersecting Faith & Life: The miracle of transformation seems to take one step forward and two steps back in my life. Too often, I've found myself trying to move forward in my walk with God before addressing the underlying issues. You can guess the result - the problems keep creeping back, like a smoke smell lingering in old carpets. Christ demands us to deny ourselves completely, and fall back on the very foundation of who we are in him before the work can progress. Only then does a new creation truly emerge.

Further Reading

The Gospel of Don Quixote
The Ultimate Makeover

[Judy Harder]

October 1, 2009

All Things
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

So that you may approve the things that are excellent.
Philippians 1:10


The Apostle Paul was gloriously obsessed with the victory of Christ that created freedom in Christ under the Lordship of Christ. How else to explain the non-stop use in his letters of the phrase "all things"? With these two little words, over and over again Paul reminds us just how much authority has come unto Jesus. If it doesn't take hold to hear that all authority in heaven and earth has been given him... that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess... that the battle has been won once for all... he goes further, into specific areas of our lives, to drive the point home.

Consider what Paul tells you that you, because of Christ, can now...

Endure
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Become
I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.  1 Corinthians 9:22
Know
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28
Love
[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  1 Corinthians 13:7
Trust
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  Colossians 1:16-17
Profit
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything  1 Corinthians 6:12
The list doesn't end there, either. These powers and this dominion go beyond even Superman. Way past any government or earthly authority. And you serve The One who has them, and rather than oppressing you with his might, he leaves you free to live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28). Truly, his is...

...an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:10-11).

Intersecting Faith and Life: All you have to do is make him Lord of your life (which he already is anyway - what you must do is actively acknowledge it), and with those kind of mad skills at his disposal, why wouldn't you? That's one tremendous inheritance!

[Judy Harder]

October 2, 2009

Do-It-Yourself Analytics
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!  "Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been his counselor?"  "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"  For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.

Romans 11:33-36

I had dinner with a friend recently.  I'll call him David.  Because, well, that's his name.

We enjoyed a great home-cooked meal (if I do say so myself) and had a rich conversation in which we discussed life and faith and the oddities of being single in the twenty-first century.  But then, we got down to the really important matter at hand:  analyzing a man's nonverbal and verbal communication and trying to figure out what it means!

That's right.  I proceeded to pepper David with multiple questions regarding a certain situation, and then we laughed at how women have to analyze every little single move a man may make.

Bless his heart, David was so patient with me.  And he had some great feedback, too.  "Pretty much what a man says is exactly what he means," he said.  "We're fairly simple."  He definitely helped me gain some perspective (and get a grip). 

This one conversation, though, only begins to hint at my "greatness" as a DIY-analytics specialist (take that, Google Analytics!).  No degree or outside study was necessary, as I come by these skills naturally (and sin-naturely).  My mind is always, always processing and coming up with different scenarios and possible interpretations of life situations. 

As if you don't already know, my DIY-analytics specialist status is really code for "worrying."  And hashing and rehashing, having anxious thoughts and not trusting that the Lord is in control of my life is just sinful.  I know this.

So I must go back to the Bible on a continuing basis for correction and for help.  For there, as a believer, I am reminded that I am not promised instant, and fully fleshed out understanding or revelation.  No, I am promised so much more.

I am instructed to trust God:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I am informed that his ways are not mine:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

I am told that God does care about me, despite who I am:

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  (Psalm 103:13-14).

And I am reminded of who I am in light of who he is and what he has done:

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

Gulp.  It truly puts a lump in my throat to read this last set of verses from the book of Psalms.  This is who God is.  This is his majesty.  If he is the Creator who has carefully planned and still manages the moon and the stars (the gigantic, complicated, very important moon and stars!), then surely, surely, he has got my life--my very small existence--under control. 

As Romans 11:36 says, all things are "from him and through him and to him."  Our God is sovereign.  The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  That's more than enough times infinity.  And that's all we need to know. 


Intersection of Faith & Life:  Are you a DIY-analytics specialist as well?  The next time you catch yourself worrying, fretting because you don't understand a certain situation and not trusting the Lord, then confess and meditate on the verses below.  Pray that God would help you keep your eyes on him--no matter what is troubling you.  He'll take care of the rest. 

Further Reading:

Job 11:7-9

Psalm 147:5-6

Ecclesiastes 8:17

[Judy Harder]

October 5, 2009

You Are Not an Accident
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6: 25- 27

Did you know...

You have two basic types of proteins in your body? Fibrous proteins make up your skin, hair and nails, and do not dissolve in water. Globular proteins exist in your blood and cells - they are water soluble. If the two switched, you would melt the first time it rained.
The pH of your body is between 7.34 and 7.45? If it got too high or too low, you would get very sick and die. Thankfully, your body has buffer systems, regulated by your kidneys and respiratory system, to keep your body's pH within the narrow range required for life.
Your body is made up of approximately 75% water? Unlike many other liquids, water can mix with, dissolve, and transport vital nutrients, chemicals, and proteins which sustain life.
Your eye sockets contain a layer of fat that acts as a cushion to protect your eyes every time your rub them?
When you cut yourself, cells attach themselves to the wall of your blood vessels and send signals that other nerves and cells respond to, resulting in clotting? When the tear is properly sealed, more signals go to your brain to put an end to the clotting process. All this happens with no thought or effort on your part!
If there's one thing studying the human body has taught me, it's this: you and I are not accidents. Our bodies have very specific, complex designs. The other day, in the middle of his lecture, my professor (an M.D.) stopped explaining the various proteins of the body and exclaimed, "And to think: there are crazy people out there who claim our existence is random!"

The truth is, you and I are children of God, made in his image. And our Father, the Creator, definitely knew what he was doing when he created us!  Whenever I get anxious, whenever I feel like the world is just a spinning mass of chaos and heartache, I remind myself that God indeed has a plan... and we can see evidence of his careful designs all around us if we look closely enough.

Not only does God have a plan for the world, but he has a plan for you and me. Even though the human body has some universal characteristics, there are no repeats: there's only one person exactly like you in the world, and that's you. Not even my identical twin is perfectly identical to me.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Do you have fears about the future or about something going on in the present? Entrust your life to God. He has a design for your life.

Further Reading

His Eye is On the Sparrow

Psalm 139: 13

[Judy Harder]

October 6, 2009

Liar, Liar
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor


He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8: 44b)

"Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth." Casting Crowns, "The Voice of Truth"

Have you ever been lied to? Betrayal is a pretty awful experience - it shakes our confidence and damages our ability to trust. But, while most of us are quick to feel disgust at the harm done by a blatant lie, if you're anything like me, you fall prey to subtle lies on a regular basis. These lies may not necessarily come from overtly malicious sources but from the well-meaning yet flawed thinking of a friend, the hurtful perception of a parent, a distorted reality promoted by a marketing campaign, or even our own faulty thinking.

Let me share a few examples of lies that have rattled around in my head in the past:

"You're not pretty."

"You're not competent - you'll never make it on your own."

"You'll never be really happy. God blesses others, but not you."

Pretty awful, huh? While I'd never say such terrible things to another person, at some of life's toughest moments, lies like these have masqueraded as truth and threatened to crowd out healthy thinking and good judgment.

As people seeking to follow Christ we need to be particularly sensitive to lies that may have seeped into our beliefs or thought processes. Not only can they send us down the wrong paths in life, but they can greatly hinder our walk with the Lord. In the opening verse, Christ reveals there is one who delights in deception and falsehood, who works hard to keep people spinning their wheels with false beliefs and fears. He is Satan, or as Christ refers to him here, the "father of lies." Deception is his "native language" and his lies prevent you and me from hearing the truth Christ wishes to speak to us.

So how do we discern the voice of truth? How do we know God's voice from the thousands of other voices that bombard us day in and day out? I believe the answer is rather simple (it seems the truth usually is rather simple): Measure your thoughts against God's revealed truth in the Word.

I've found that when I begin acting or thinking in a questionable manner, if I take a step back from the situation and dismantle my thought process in the light of God's Word, the lie is often exposed rather quickly. If my thoughts remain muddy, I am learning to be patient, pray, seek wise counsel, and continue to immerse myself in the teachings of Christ. One truth we can all count on is that God never abandons those who seek Him.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Search your life for beliefs or behaviors that are not rooted in God's truth. Identify scripture verses that speak to that particular issue (I've found typing key words into Crosswalk's Bible Study Tools is a quick way to do this).

Further Reading

Luke 11: 9
John 14: 6
Are You Hearing Voices?

[Judy Harder]

October 7, 2009
What Remembering the Persecuted Looks Like
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering - Hebrews 13:3

How relevant is the persecuted church to your everyday life?

I keep a daily pulse on religious freedom issues, and channel my findings into Crosswalk.com's Religion Today newsletters. But for all of that awareness, I've realized that I don't really do that much for my fellow believers worldwide. Not on a personal level, anyway.

Safe in the U.S., the persecuted church often exists more as an object lesson in perseverance than as individuals I can relate to. These men and women in North Korea, Egypt, Somalia, Uzbekistan, China, and beyond are so far removed from me physically that I forget the unity we share as believers. And after all, the most I can do is support ministries that directly help these Christians, right?

Lately, I've questioned this attitude not just for its impersonal nature, but for its faith implications. If faith is hoping and praying for things unseen, then why don't we apply this to our relationship with believers on the other side of the world? It takes a bigger faith than I've had to consistently pray for that something and someone I'll probably never see, never know by name.

Consider James 5:16, where the early church father wrote that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." That's not efficacy as we think of culturally, with measurable results and visible signs. James's vision extends so far beyond that, into an eternity where all of God's children from around the world will worship around the same throne. Do we believe that God uses our prayers to support our brothers and sisters today, on this side of heaven, as well?

Researchers guess that about 176,000 Christians worldwide may have been killed for their faith between mid-2008 and mid-2009. Many of those believers died in secrecy, as in the North Korean prison camps, and were cut off from other believers at the end. Now, consider that we have a daily opportunity to partner with these men and women in prayer. I have to think that's what the author of Hebrews really meant when he encouraged us to "remember" imprisoned believers.   

I'll be the first to admit it: I'm guilty of not remembering my brothers and sisters in Christ. My unfaithfulness to them reflects a heart that hasn't quite grasped the enormity of the power of prayer. And yet there James is, telling me that the Christian's prayers have more impact than perhaps we'll ever know. So - how about it?

Intersection of Faith & Life: The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is November 8. What if we all pick a country and pray for the believers living there in the coming month? I'll be praying for North Korea, and believe me, there are plenty of places to go around. Let's remember that we serve a God who delights to use our prayers in ways we can't even imagine. Let's remember the persecuted church.

Further Reading   

Watch List Shows One Constant: Increasing Persecution
Matthew 5:10
Never Stop Praying for the Persecuted Church

[Judy Harder]

October 8, 2009

Fits Any Niche
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16


As the editor responsible for all devotional content here at Crosswalk, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently by our beloved users goes something like this:

"Your devotional offerings are great, but could you please include one for cousins of divorcees with sleeping disorders who have befriended agnostic vegetarians? Because that would be really great."

Okay, that's an exaggeration (but only barely). And it's not like we dislike filling niches. We have devotionals for women, the workplace, weight loss and the list goes on. We're continually adding to the selection and have plans for a men's devotional, a children's devotional, a singles devotional, and more. To an extent, we're at the mercy of what's well-written, theologically sound, recognizable, and most of all, available.

But when I'm asked a question like, "My fiance and I are interested in a devotional for yet-to-be-married couples living in the mid-Atlantic from different church backgrounds who are both post-millenialists. What do you recommend for us?" my answer is always the same:

Just study the Word, man.

Whether you find it here or somewhere else, locate a ministry, author, preacher, or regular old Joe/JoAnn whom God has gifted with insight into his holy scriptures, and read their take regularly. Follow that up with your own deeper individual study. Take that into praying with a spouse, accountability partner, disciple, or mentor. Join a group Bible Study. And take notes during sermons.

It's not much more complicated than that. We sometimes make it so. We pigeonhole ourselves or our current life situation or level of belief, and so risk hindering the effective wholeness of the Word.

Besides, if there's one thing I've noticed through almost a biblical generation of life, it's that our specific situations are many times made more complex by our non-stop obsession with them, and are often made more simple by backing off and getting at them indirectly through solid study that may not at first seem related to what we are going through.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to hear which verses were blessings to folks who have gone through heartbreaks or challenges similar to what you are now experiencing. What I'm suggesting is that the Word of the Lord never returns void. And that there have been several topics I've tried to understand (and been disappointed in the lack of direct guidance the Bible appears to give on the subject), or several life situations I've wanted to study (and not known where to start or how to find others who have biblical wisdom to offer in the form of a devotional) that have been solved when I stepped away and just studied sound teaching with prayer.

One example is when, as a young man, I wanted to find everything the Bible said about the "big sins" our youth ministers were so concerned with keeping us from -- sex and drinking. I shortly exhausted all the verses that dealt directly with these topics. But it wasn't until I backed away from a focus on these issues and began more comprehensive studies of what God had to say about all things that the picture grew bigger and the reasons for abstinence, purity, sobriety, and not causing others to stumble became clear in the light of grace, righteousness, sacrifice, and ministry.

Another example is the time I was battling a crippling depression. I found few answers and little comfort in attacking the problem directly - even if there didn't seem to be a lack of correlative verses or devos, which only would have reminded me double of the state I was in. What did help was reading other topics from the Bible, and books from established Christian authors and preachers about the Bible itself, about faith, about truth. Eventually the clouds lifted, and I was stronger for having gone through the darkness and for the overarching principles that brought me home.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Let me encourage you today not to wall yourself off from the full richness of the Word, but to seek out sound doctrine and study on general principles regularly that I promise will apply to your specifics, whether directly or indirectly, immediately or eventually.

Further Reading

A Plea to Use the Bible Every Day
How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time