I usually have three types of Bible studies going on. (I must get bored easily.)
In one study, I simply read straight through the Bible. There is an orange book mark that shows me where I left off.
For the second type of study, I pray and ask God to lay a specific verse or phrase or chapter on my heart. As I read what is laid on my heart, I beg God to reveal Himself in those verses. I ask Him to make clear what He would have me take away from His Word and how He would have me apply it in practical life. My pink book mark shows me the last place I was lead to read.
The third type of study I do is to read and/or listen to commentaries over the verses from either one of the studies above. I love to discover what others gleam from the pages.
This morning, I was practicing the second type of study. My pink bookmark rests in 1 John chapter 3 today. It was powerful for me. I hope it is powerful for you too.
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” 1 John 3:18-22
Yesterday I spent my day in utter turmoil in my heart. I berated myself using terms like, “imbecile”, “idiot”, “moron”. I ran myself down in my mind all day with thoughts like this, “You will never get it.”, “How could you possibly think you have anything worthwhile to share with anyone?”, “You have no idea what you’re doing - give up.”
I prayed throughout the day to fight against the onslaught of negative emotions. I tried being thankful. I tried quietly worshiping. I tried to read my Bible. I even tried chocolate. It took all my energy to not sink into a deep despair. Have you ever had a day like that? A week?
This morning I knew I needed to go to God and ask for help before I even lifted my head off the pillow. These are the verses I got… “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us…” He doesn’t say IF our hearts condemn us, Paul says WHENEVER. That tells me that my heart will try to condemn me often. Whew! So I must not be the only one who’s tries to rip myself apart on the inside.
Paul says I can set my heart at rest in God’s presence. But how? Knowing the truth that God is greater than my heart and He knows everything. God knows our weaknesses. God knows our fears. God sees every human condition in me. When our hearts begin to condemn us for whatever reason, we must first acknowledge that God already knows about it. “Heart of mine, you aren’t telling me anything God doesn’t already know and hasn’t already paid for on the cross. Stop it!”
A friend of mine says that when she feels those destructive self-thoughts creep in she screams out loud, “Thank you for reminding me how much I need God!”
In the rest that follows, there is quiet, magnificent confidence that comes. It’s as simple as realizing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong.” In knowing and clinging to this truth, we are able to move forward in the confidence that God is indeed stronger than anything which condemns us.
We are able to love so much more fully in action and words when we stop spending energy on condemning ourselves for junk God already knows and has taken care of already on the cross. May you rest in that confidence today.