October Challenge!

October Challenge

July 17 was a very special day for me but not nearly as amazing as the following weeks. The weeks following that afternoon we filled with love, joy, new found wisdom, and satisfaction. No, I did not get a dog. No, I did not find Mrs. Right. No, I did not move out of my parents' house--although that might just fill me with joy and satisfaction. 

I got into the Word.

The time commitment I was asked to partake of was rather large, considering I am severely limited in the area of self-discipline. I was asked to read at least one chapter of the Bible in the morning, before I left for work, and one chapter in Psalm before falling asleep each night. It did mess up my normal routine, by which I mean I did whatever whenever because I had no “normal” work hours. However, the payoff has been incredible.

The payoff was enormous.

I felt close to God. I continued to find a nugget of truth every day. I was so focused upon God’s word that I have lost a lot of the desires for other things—TV, radio, surfing the internet, buying new things, etc… Now don’t think that I have no interest in those things any longer, because I do. The desire is much less strong now. I have a new focus.

I invite you to join me and my church as we embark on the October Challenge! For the entire month, spend time reading at least one chapter in the Bible each morning and one chapter of Psalm each night. A relative of mine once said something to the affect of “God’s word should be the key to unlock your day in the morning and the deadbolt to lock you up at night.” That is the idea: immerse yourself in God’s word and you will find a different life altogether.

Warning: This will mess up your “normal” routine. This might mean you should practice more self-control and go to bed 10 minutes earlier. You will probably need to awake 5-10 minutes earlier than usual for time to read in the morning.

I hope you will join me. I have been doing this for almost 3 months now, and God has yet to let a day go by without showing me something—even a reminder. If you need a good place to start, try Galatians, Philippians, James, Jeremiah, 1-3 John, Daniel, Ruth, or even Genesis (although this might take more than 1 month).  And don’t forget about reading a Psalm each night before bed.

Suggestion 1 … tag a few friends so that they know about this too, and then talk about what you are reading with each other.

Suggestion 2 … read the Psalm together with your family. What a great way to introduce spending time with God with your family!

Suggestion 3 … get some friends who don’t live near you to get involved. Jesus said “go to the ends of the Earth,” so why not?

Join the October Challenge!