Every Single Verse Counts!

             Many of us probably made daily Bible Reading one of our New Year’s resolutions.  You are not alone.  For many years, now I have read a portion of Scripture every morning.  Sometimes I have used a devotional book that includes Scripture.  Other times, I’ve read the chronological Bible, and on other occasions, I’ve used a daily Bible.  The daily Bibles usually include a reading from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, and by the end of the year, you’ve read the entire Bible. This year I’m using a new format of the daily Bible which includes information and a prayer for the persecuted church.

            Over the last two weeks, God has convicted me that “reading” is not enough.  Too often, we get in the habit of daily Bible reading, just so we can check off our “to-do” list or say that we kept at least one of our resolutions.  I think we’ve all probably had those times when we have read an entire chapter, and then we didn’t have a clue what we had read.  Our minds tend to wander during Scripture reading just as they sometimes do during prayer.  I speak from experience!

            God has begun to point out to me that every single sentence of the Holy Bible was put there for a reason.  Each one is a part of His story.  Therefore, each verse has a point that He wants us to see and understand. 

            For me, a few weeks ago, it was one verse about a seemingly insignificant woman—a woman who was only mentioned one other time in all of Scripture.  However, as I wrote in a recent blog, by dwelling on that verse and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, I came to realize that God was showing me that everyone is significant to Him.  I would have missed that if I had blown right past that verse.

            This week, it was another seemingly insignificant verse in chapter 8 of John.  In that chapter, Jesus is having an intense discussion with the Pharisees and the people about who He is and who His Father is.  Then, right in the middle of the discussion, there is verse 20, “He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put…” (NIV84). The first few times that I read the chapter, I read right through that verse, but when I finally stopped to allow it to seep in, I couldn’t help but think, “What difference does it make where He was in the Temple?” 

            I knew from the beginning of the chapter that Jesus was in Jerusalem, speaking at the Temple, but I couldn’t understand why His exact location in the Temple was important.  At first, I brushed it aside and kept reading.  However, that verse continued to nag at me, until I finally decided to do some research.  Ultimately, I discovered that the Temple Treasury, which was where they counted the offerings, was near the chamber of the Sanhedrin, so it is likely that those religious leaders overheard every word He said.  Still, they did not attempt to arrest Him then, because the remainder of verse 20 tells us that “…His time had not yet come.”  Jesus was on a mission that He knew would end in death, but He had no fear because His Father controlled the timing. 

            That verse became a reminder to me that I have nothing to fear because my Father also controls the timing.  He knows the number of my days, just as He knows the day that He has chosen to send King Jesus to claim His church.  Just look at the lesson that I would have missed if I had not taken the time to focus on that one verse. 

            As we each pursue our resolution to read the Scripture daily, let’s stop focusing on completing the daily reading schedule, and start focusing on the individual Scripture.  We may not finish reading the entire Bible in a year, but I think we will have a greater insight into all the things God wants to teach us through His Word.

John 8: 20

II Timothy 3: 16, 17