My Thoughts & Meditations

Devil's in the details.

I bought an amazing computer program CD from CBD.com that arrived yesterday. It is called The Essential Bible Study Library. (http://www.christianbook.com/the-essential-bible-study-library-rom/9781418543198/pd/543198) I am not any sort of expert on this. I have no idea if it is a good example of this sort of "library" or not. The price was wonderful for the content listed on the box. So I bought it. I now have access to loads and loads of materials from Bible commentaries to Study Bibles to dictionaries and even daily devotionals. I am so excited about this.

But in my excitement, I have to be careful not to limit myself to study. Study is one part of a life spent with God. I have several Bibles - hard copies not just the electronic I have with this CD e-bible as they are calling it. I have some that are just Bibles meaning few if any footnotes, no author comments, no articles explaining life during Bible times......just a Bible. I have these Bibles without all the "helps" because I easily get distracted by the other stuff. Some of this stuff is so interesting, or makes me think of questions, that I spend time on study looking things up when I should just listen to God's words as I read His Word.
A couple of years ago, a group of us participated in a wonderful Bible study that focused on the greatest characters of the Bible. (http://www.christianbook.com/great-characters-the-bible-52-lessons/alan-stringfellow/9781563220463/pd/220466?item_code=WW&netp_id=251460&event=ESRCN&view=details The study had 52 lessons, which makes one think this should take 1 year, right? Nope, not for us. It took us about 18 months. It was an absolutely wonderful study. I learned a lot. However, during several lessons, we had to tell ourselves that "the devil is in the details" - distracting us from some relevant points that we needed for our own lives.
So as I use this new bible study library, I will have to remember that the devil is in the details, using my curiosity to distract me from spending quality time with God and His Word.
Today and each time I look at Your Word, Father, please guide my time for use in a manner You see fit for me each time. When You want me to just meditate on Your words, direct my mind for that. When You want me to look deeper into a passage, guide me to the right materials to understand what You want me to understand. I want to give you all of me. Help me, guide me, to do that and correct me when I stray. In Jesus' powerful name, Amen.

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