Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
My husband and I are big sports fans. I was raised in a house where we watched ice hockey and so naturally, that because my favorite sport. My husband played hockey and football in school and loves working out. There is one thing in common with all of those sports. The people engaged in them need a plan. A roadmap. In fact if you watch pro football games, many times you will see the quarterback actually wear the plans on his wrist! It’s just a reminder to him of what the plans for him are. My husband is a personal trainer and his job is to come up with plans that lay out what is the best, most efficient & safe way for his clients to achieve their goals. So when you think about your life, the only life you will ever have, doesn’t it make sense to have your own plan book? It might already be in your house or on your smartphone.
It is the Bible.
God didn’t just create the Bible as a nice book to read at bedtime. It is an instruction book. A game plan. The game plan for your entire life. How much time have you or your husband spent learning the game plan for your life and that of your family? If football and hockey players wouldn’t go into a game without first learning their plans, why would you try and navigate this crazy, fallen world without doing the same?
You have to be in it. You have to be reading your Bible every day. God reveals himself to you through His Word. If you are not doing this, you are missing out on the most efficient way for God to speak to you and for you to learn exactly what His plan is for you. If you are wondering why you are not hearing from God, it may be that you need to be in His Word, pouring over every word. If you are in His Word, dive deeper into it. Allow God to speak through the pages. It’s even better if as a husband and wife, you read together. And make sure you read with your children and let them see you do it. You are a powerful example of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
You have to stay under it. To many, the Bible can be difficult to understand. Try different translations if you find the King James too difficult. Find a good, Bible-based church where you can learn and grow in fellowship with other believers. The sermons should bring you closer in relationship to God and offer a better and clearer understanding of His Word. Never think that you just won’t get it, you”ll never know as much as so and so. God reveals Himself to each person and can reach you exactly where you are. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to pronounce the names of some of the people in the Bible, it matters that you are reading it and seeking the Lord!
You have to live in it. Just like in sports, you have to live and breathe the game in order to succeed. Champions are not born that way, they are trained. We were born in God’s image and have His almighty DNA, but that doesn’t mean that we can go through life, ignoring His game plan for us. When we do, it leads to a path of destruction. There is no trophy at the end of the “game”, unless we allow Jesus to be our Lord and Savior and let the Holy Spirit work in and through us. We need to live and breathe our game plan. A plant will die for lack of watering, and so will you. You need the life-giving, living water that is supplied in abundance through God’s Word. It’s not just enough to read it, you have to live it. “Prove yourselves doers of the word, not merely hearers.”- James 1:22
Our family verse is “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”. How can we know what His plans are for us and if we are headed in the right direction, ready for the next play, if we have no clue of what our game plan is? We can’t. Sure, we can run around the field or skate across the rink and maybe, just maybe, score a touchdown or goal, but if we never win the game, it was all for nothing. “Poor planning ensures poor performance” Don’t let your life, your marriage or your family fail for lack of a plan. Especially when the most amazing plan for your life is waiting for you in the Bible.
You’re the quarterback, where’s your game plan?
Today’s dare.
Commit to reading the Bible every day. Find a devotional book or other resource that will give you some guidance. If your spouse is open to it, see if they will commit to daily Bible reading with you. Begin submitting each area of your life to its guidance and start building on the rock.
At the end of the day, answer these questions:
1. What parts of your life are in the greatest need of God’s counsel?
2. Where do you feel the most susceptible to failure?
3. What are you asking God to show you through His Word?
Congratulations! You have completed Day 36! Tomorrow’s dare is Love Agrees in Prayer.
