One Thousand Words

Writers are told that if they want to hone their craft, if they are truly committed to being writers, if they really want to be taken seriously in this calling God has placed upon their lives, they should write at least one thousand words a day. I have no issue with this philosophy, in fact I agree wholeheartedly. Sometimes I think one thousand words are not enough.

If we consider ourselves followers of Christ, how many words of Scripture should we read a day? Should we apply the writer's rule? 'Sounds a bit silly doesn't it? The Lord does not require that we read a certain amount of Scripture to be considered a true Christian. We should, however, read some words of Scripture every day. Scripture, not devotionals, not a commentary with someone else's interpretation of Scripture, and not a book about how to apply the Scripture you really haven't read yet!

There is great value in devotionals, commentaries, and life style books. The danger for our us is when we restrict our reading to only those things and never read the inspired Word of God. Reading Scripture should be our first step. We must read the words that contain the life-breath of God, the words that are His way of communicating with us. If we do not read these pages, we are living a half-life of faith.

We live in a world that inundates us with information. We carry information with us in cell phones, PDAs, Blackberries and iPods. There is no way for us to escape what others think and how others view the world and what others say we should do with our lives. As followers of Christ, we need to focus first on the advice of the Great I AM, Abba Father. We must know what His instruction is for our lives.

How can we follow Christ and not seek His Word or His advice? It's a bit like children trying to raise themselves and refusing the counsel of their mother and father. They seek direction from everyone except the people who know them most intimately and who have their best interests at heart. Those children will never know the fullness of the love and caring, the wisdom of the guidance of their parents. We will never know the fullness of a life in Christ if we insist on ignoring Scripture and continue seeking what everyone else thinks about His Word.

True relationship with our Lord is born of Scripture and prayer. Everything else is just a wonderful extra. Consider the writer who writes one thousand words daily in order to grow and learn their craft. Will you commit to read one thousand words of Scripture daily in order to grow and flourish in your faith?

Posted by Anita Aurit