Day20

We did it!  We met the challenge.  Read the comment on Day 19 talking about today's lesson in John 15.  Jesus tells us to abide in Him and bear much fruit.  I love the term abide.  Think about your relationship with the Lord and abiding which means to remain or dwell.  Isn't that what we have been intentional to do the last 20 days.  To dwell in God's Word.  I hope and pray you have found the different methods helpful and can take what you've tried and taylor make it to fit your quiet time.  There are many more study styles in the back of your book.  Try them out.  Found out what technique works for you.

Well done ladies.  I am grateful you took the 20 minutes a day for 20 days in God's Word challenge with me.  Anyone up for 20 minutes a day every day for the rest of your life?  What do you say?  Are you in?

Day 19

Can you believe we have almost finished the 20 day challenge?  I feel like we just finished retreat last weekend.  How is everyone doing?  We finished day 3 of the FLAP method in which we dug apart the story of Jonah.  I really can't imagine being on that boat and telling the crew members it is my fault the storm is occurring and to throw me overboard.  Can you?  I think Jonah finally got it.  You can run but you can't hide.  God is the all seeing sovereign God and His plan will not be thwarted.  Jonah's experience has caused me to ask myself, is there an area in my life I am running from God?  What am I going to do about it?  Is there an area of sin that keeps me from giving my best to God?  All things I will pray about. Let me know how you are doing.  Remember, we're in this together.

Day 18

Facts and Lessons portion of FLAP method is today's exercise.  How many times have you read this story and still today as you dig it apart you see new truths.  I have always been so focused on Jonah that I have never noticed verse 16 "They were awestruck by God's greatness and vowed to serve Him." God used Jonah's disobedience to show His glory and draw these men to himself.  Isn't it amazing how God works even in our sin to draw others to himself.  I love that these men truly understood it was God who calmed the sea and wanted to serve Him as a result.  Did you see anything new in this passage that you hadn't really noticed before?  What lessons stand out to you?

Day 17

Well I have been hearing from a lot of you as I wander the church halls on your 20 day challenge.  You are all so encouraging and gleaning exactly what we had hoped for you.  To find new ways to get into God's Word and realize how quickly your 20 minutes goes by.  Our verse from Joshua 1: 8 "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night,..." is exactly what we are doing in this challenge.  I hope you are finding your time with the Lord life giving.

Day 16

Okay, it's a new method today.  The FLAP method.  Facts, lessons, application and prayer.  I love this method when I am needing to pull apart the scripture verse by verse. If I were leading you in a study, I would use this method to prepare.  For those of you who are Precept studiers, this method will likely appeal to you.  Day one of FLAP is completed for you so take it in and see how Debbie pulled the scripture apart and gleaned nuggets.  Tomorrow you will be putting it to the test yourself.  Enjoy!

Day 15

I don't know about you but I just can't get enough of the Psalms.  Today's devotional references several Psalms.  What stands out to me today is all that God does for those who fear Him.  He is a rock, fortress, deliverer.  He is my God, a refuge, shield, and horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold.  He fulfills, hears, saves, rescues and is my fortress.  He saves, hears, knows, promises and delivers us from death.  Wow!  Did you get all that?  What a mighty and personal God we serve!

Day 14

What do you think of the devotional method of getting into God's Word?  I would love to hear from some of you how you are doing in this 20 day challenge.  It is so encouraging and life giving to be in God's Word.  Today I am reminded I am the only one who wanders, not God.  He is always with me and I need not fear.  Sometimes that is so very difficult and so challenging to see where God is working but I wholeheartedly believe God is with me and each of us who believe.  So I am reminded though I am being refined with fire, which often going through the refiners fire is painful, is to remove the impurities from my life.  He loves us so much  he will be our refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him.  What an amazing truth to cling to.  Praise God!

Day 13

The tongue, yikes!  I always feel so convicted when  I read these passages.  I have always said the Lord put the book of James in the bible for me. What a terrific warning of what an instrument of destruction the tongue can be.  But these verses also contrast how powerful in encouraging others our tongues can be.  I want to be an encourager rather than destructive with my words.  This is another reminder why I need to be in God's Word and prayer continually because my tongue can not be tamed on it's own.

I hope you are finding this 20 minutes a day guide helpful at getting you started in your time with the Lord daily.  There is so much to learn and such a gracious God we serve who patiently teaches us.  Stick with it, you can do it.

Day 12

Okay so this is the 2nd day of the devotional style.  What do you think?  How do you like it compared to the Psalms method and Simply Scripture method.  I have to say this is not my favorite method.  I think it feels to me like someone else put the time in with the Lord for me and I didn't have to dig into His word for myself.  It may be a totally inaccurate assessment but what can I say.  So far the Psalms method is my favorite.  I told you all I don't like to journal but I think I'm starting to love journaling and the Psalms method shows so much of God's character and attributes I could journal about Him endlessly. What joy to spend time with the Lord.

Day 11

Well we made it half way through the challenge.  Way to go!!!!!  I hope you are finding it is getting easier to carve out time. Be creative.  Use the time while waiting for the dentist, or picking up kids or between meetings to grab some time with the Lord . It will be worth it.

I am having so much fun going back through this challenge because each day He is showing me something different.  Last time I went through this guide He really showed me I needed to wait His timing. This time He is teaching me how to wait:  patiently, keeping his way, trusting his timing, being still, joyously praising his name and having faith.  So cool.  Both amazing lessons.  Each given to me right when I needed them.  What an amazing God we serve!

Day 10

Well here we are on Day 10 in Genesis 5 & 6.  This was a simple truth right in front of me, in verse 5:24 Enoch walked faithfully with God and in verse 6: 9 Noah walked faithfully with God.  These two chapters are contrasting walking with God against those who don't walk with God.  For God to regret creating humankind because of their wickedness shows how he feels about our obedience to him.  He won't tolerate disobedience and wicked behavior but he will be in close communion with us if we do walk faithfully with Him.  What an amazing God we serve.  What stood out to you today?

Day 9

I just love  reading scripture as it is fresh and new each day.  This is my second time through this guide and something totally different stood out to  me this time in Genesis 4 than it did last time.  How exciting to learn each day.  This is the first time I have every really noticed verse 26, "At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord".  Well there it is, people started calling upon the name of the Lord.  Never saw it before.  I think that is pretty monumental.  Isn't that just exactly what the Lord wants for us, to call upon His name.  Think I'll do that right now and spend some time in prayer.

Guest Post

Just received this post from one of our Take 20 challenge takers and here is what she has to say:

Here I am at 4:50 am curled on the couch wrapped in blankets and quilts, It is time to Take 20. Actually I have been up long enough to have done the praying and reading and study. 4 am? You don't want to give up what precious sleep you do get and start your day that early? You do not have to. This is my time between me and God. I do not have time for this. My schedule is full. I am a wife, a mother, I have a full time job outside my home, we are in the middle of a remodel, I have commitments ... Change the words to fit your life but the point is, we are all busy, our days are full. My deal with God was that if He could get me to wake up (I am not setting an alarm) and stay awake I would get up for time with Him.

I am generally an evening reading and journaling person but I was struck by the challenge to try morning and receive direction to start my day. I am trying something new and finding my way to a different relationship with The Lord.  I like the verse or nugget to carry with me throughout the day. I find myself reflecting back on previous days' insights and they shape my prayers. Renew, strengthen, surround are from the first three days' Psalms and so many situations need those interventions by God in the lives of those we pray for.

There is a time God can make in your schedule. We are each His unique creation and enjoy a unique relationship with Him. Your life and your schedule requires a solution that is customized to you. Early, late, mid-day...at home, in the car waiting, at the coffee shop...digital, analog...messy or neat...if you ask Him, He will come and make a time and a place for you to sit at His feet for that quiet moment of connection and reflection before you have to jump back into the next thing.

Full disclosure, after I have finished my Take 20 time, I go back to bed and sleep until the alarm comes on. No caffeine until I am up for the day. 

J

Day 8

Well what do you think of the Simply Scripture method?  How do you like it compared to the Psalms method?  I just cringe when I pull apart Genesis 3.  What life could have been had Eve and Adam not been deceived.  Oh but I realize it is all part of God's plan for redemption right down to the first animal sacrifice we see in order for Adam and Eve to have animal skins to cover them.   I love to read God's Word and discover His perfect plan from the beginning of time.

Day 7

We did it!!!!  Our first week of the 20 day challenge and how appropriate our study would be on the seventh day and how God rested.  I love pulling scripture apart and asking how does this apply to me.  This month I seem to have been running my life at an incredible pace and am finding it is time to rest.  I absolutely believe in order for me to be an effective servant for the Lord I need to rest in Him.  So I am very grateful for this little book helping me get into God's Word every day for 20 minutes a day so that I may rest in Him.

Day 6

Here we go with Simply Scripture method.  What did you think.  It is amazing to study Genesis 1 and pull out the nuggets.  What do you think about this method?

Day 5

Psalm 30 is such a beautiful praise to the Lord.  It reminds me that even though life brings struggles and strife the Lord is always with me.  Though I may weep for a while joy always comes.  I am so grateful that we don't have to stay in the depths of despair but God is always with us and oh so very merciful.  So I rejoice and rest in the joy the Lord brings.

Day 4

How we doing ladies?  Are you making it so far in our challenge of 20 minutes a day every day for 20 days.  Where are you finding it difficult?  What kind of things get in the way?  Currently for me it is a very busy schedule and tiredness but as I make time to meet daily with him, He refreshes me.

Okay, so I can't carry a tune to save my life so I have claimed "make a joyful noise" with my singing for years.  I used to kind of quietly sing so as not to harm the hearing of those around me.  But verse 2, "come into his presence with singing" gives me freedom to belt out the songs knowing I am doing something that pleases the Lord.  So, sorry ladies if my singing is a bit hard to take but I will enter into his presence with singing and know it pleases Him.

What stood out to you today in Psalm 100?

Day 3

So blessed by God's word knowing in Psalm 125, He will surround me forevermore. It is such a picture to me of love, security and safety be nestled by the God who loves me.

Day 2

How are we doing ladies?  Day two of our 20 challenge and oh how good it is to meet with God!  Today I'm basking in verse 8 from Psalm 138 "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever". What an amazing promise for us to hold to and be encouraged by.  His love does endure forever and we get to forever be loved by Him.  It is hard to imagine eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ but what a gift!

Day 1

Well it is day one of the 20 day challenge to get into God's Word 20 minutes.  I am so glad you decided to take the challenge.  I am amazed at how each time I read scripture something else sticks out to me.  Today it was verse 1 from Psalm 23 " The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing".  I don't think I live like I lack nothing.  I think I always want something but how cool to be satisfied with all the Lord has done so that I lack nothing.  That takes me to verse 6b, " and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  How amazing is it to think about the eternity dwelling with our Lord.  Hope you all gleaned new nuggets today from Psalm 23.  Let me know how you did.