When you get up early and walk the beach, you can find some special shells that have washed up during high tide while the vacationers slept. While visiting there recently, I resisted the urge to stop and collect some as I walked, but I could hear the crunch of the ocean’s bounty under my tennis shoes.
No matter when you walk the beach you will see treasure hunters on the search for the perfect conch shell, starfish, or other sea creature that has been washed ashore. However, they are rare finds because of people like me who tromp over and break any that might have washed ashore.
If the shells above would do for your collection, then you’re in luck because they’re heaped high and easy to reach! Maybe you could go out a little deeper and grab this treasure…
However, if a hunter is looking for the perfect shell that they could wash and drop into a sandy bucket to swing along the shoreline, it’s still at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to be discovered. These gems are for those that dare to go deep. With finned feet and oxygen tanks, those that would get the real treasures must dare to swim far below the surface. They can’t walk along sunny shores with cute little sandals and sun visors – it will take preparation, effort and determination.
As I pondered these thoughts while strolling the beach, the Lord brought to my mind that this same principle is true of my time in God’s Word. I make the choice whether I skim along the top and get something “nice,” or if I would swim out and get the precious treasures that come from going deep into God’s Word. What would that look like?
| Skim Safe and Shallow |
| Read a devotional book, no Scripture |
| Listen to God’s Word while doing something else |
| Read and run – no notes |
OR
| Go Deep |
| Have a plan to follow through God’s Word |
| Listen to the Word with Bible and journal open |
| Read commentary notes on any passage that you don’t understand. |
| Pray over the passage and let the Lord teach you. |
It’s our choice as beachcombers and followers of Christ – will we stay shallow or go down deep where the treasures are?
What is your current method of studying the Bible and drawing near to God? If you need help or feel sort of “stuck,” I would encourage you to choose a new plan, perhaps on You Version. There are lots to choose from. It will prompt you each day, if you need a reminder. It will keep you on track of what to read next. Write the things that “jump out at you” as you read. Ask what God is saying to you in that passage – make the application.
God’s Word is alive and He wants to speak to us. Let’s not settle for broken shells!
Lovingly,
RefreshHer 