“As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut” (Ecclesiastes 5:1 NLT).
I’m not a Greek scholar. The only thing I know about the Hebrew language is how to spell it…H-E-B-R-E-W. I can only offer an opinion as to what God intended this verse to mean by sharing what He’s spoken to my heart.
As you step inside the church open your ears to hear My voice. Shut your mouth, you’ve said quite enough this week, it’s time to listen. Bring a heart filled with a relationship with me—not a heart your pastor must fill for the week with his wise words and well thought out three-point sermon. Empty hands, please—you’ve nothing to offer God. You’ve done nothing worthy of His attention. You accomplished very little with your best efforts. Come in with tired feet—shoes worn from going about your Father’s business, rushing here and there to tell the Good News. And as for your wallets? Go ahead and leave them at home until you’ve mastered the above criteria and your heart’s in the right place for worshiping the Savior.
No, I’m not adding anything to the Holy Scriptures. If anything, I’m allowing them to do what they’re intended to do—speak directly and intimately to my heart, mind and soul. It’s just what happens when we take a piece of His love letter and we read, re-read and re-read it. It’s what happens when we chew on it until it can be digested by our childlike systems. It’s what happens when we take the Holy Bible and apply it like a salve to the afflicted parts of our lives. It’s what happens when we realize this God-breathed Scripture is alive and well—and it’s intended for each of us to take personally.
What will you do with the Bible today?
Malinda Edgell
Illinois
PRAY TOGETHER: Today is Day 20 of 40 days of Prayer and Fasting with International Missions. Pray for The Hanna Project and Free Will Baptists’ efforts to bring help, hope, and healing through Jesus’ name. Ask God to give wisdom to leaders, to provide opportunities to validate the ministry of overseas workers, and to truly make a difference in the lives of those with whom they come in contact.
“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).
