Summer of Depth Devotional Day 52

Welcome to Day 52 of our Summer of Depth Devo and Reading Plan.

Yesterday, we kicked off our new series, Eat This Book, with a simple idea: the destination of the Bible isn't just simply reading the Bible. It's God. As Pastor Joe put it… When we get God's Word in us, God's Word will build God's life in us. We open His Word because through it, we come to know His heart, His character, and His ways.

So as a new week begins, let's not make the goal simply to read more Scripture. Let's begin learning how to let Scripture get inside of us and actually form the way we live.

Let's dive deep into His Word.

Before anything else, slow down and reread the passage from Sunday: Psalm 119:1-2; 9-16.

There is a phrase tucked into verse 11 that is worth sitting with:

“I have stored up your word in my heart.”

The Psalmist hears God's words, AND he stores it somewhere deep enough that it can begin shaping what happens next.

This is so important for all of us. Knowing something is true doesn't mean it has formed us yet. We can know what Scripture says about forgiveness and still hold a grudge. We can know what Jesus says about anxiety and still spend the night trying to control tomorrow. We can know what God says about our identity and still let someone else's approval determine our worth.

As we heard yesterday, information and formation are not the same thing. Truth can be learned in a moment, but it takes time for truth to retrain a life.

That's why Psalm 119 describes such an active relationship with God's Word. The Psalmist seeks it, stores it, speaks it, meditates on it, and delights in it. God's Word isn't meant to pass quickly through our minds before we move on with the day. We give it enough attention to begin changing the instincts, patterns, and assumptions we've carried for years.

So this week, let’s chew on His Word..but don't worry about becoming a Bible expert.

Start with small bites. Let one truth get inside of you.

Practice:

Choose one verse from today's passage that you want to carry this week.

Read it slowly a few times. Write it somewhere you'll see it. Come back to it throughout the day and throughout the week.

Then simply pray:

“God, don't let me just know this. Let it form me. Amen”