Know God - intro

Introduction

It was 10:30 at night and the kids were crying when we finally pulled off the interstate and into the hotel.

My wife did all the feeding and bathing as I carted every suitcase, diaper bag, baby toy, food bag, pack ’n play, pillow, blanket, and teddy bear up three flights of stairs.

It had to be at least 11:30 by the time we laid the last one down and turned out the lights.

You’d think I would have fallen fast asleep because I was exhausted. But what I was really doing was listening for the sounds of sleep.

As my family slept, I crept into the bathroom to feed a growing addiction.

I sat on the cold bathroom floor as I pulled out all the necessary paraphernalia.

I rolled up my sleeves, and started to ... read the scriptures.

The Bible-in-a-Year!

Four-chapters-a-day.

I was addicted.

Never had life made so much sense as when I was in the Word every day. Seemingly "random passages" seemed to speak to every situation.

That’s my goal for you.

Maybe not addiction, but certainly life making more and more sense.

The Bible is a guide book. But it is so much more. As Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life."

God yearns to speak to us. Indeed, he yearns to pour life into us -- eternal and abundant. Therefore, in these next thirty days, we’re going to listen for God's voice. We’re going to survey the entire Old Testament (and on day thirty-one tell you how to get even more from the New Testament when you’re ready to make that part of your plan)!

But all this begs an important question: How will we know when it’s God’s voice and not just our own opinions?

In putting together this study guide, I followed a specific method: I looked throughout the Old Testament for wherever it tells us that "God says ..." That's what we'll study for the next 30 days! God spoke directly to Abraham, Moses, Elijah (and even to Balaam’s ass)! And if he spoke to a donkey, don't you know he yearns to speak to you too? As we begin to listen to what God said to them, we will begin to hear what God is saying to us too!

The method of this study is simple: Read three chapters a day (and trust me, these are some of the very best chapters in the entire Bible). Then read a page of the Know God commentary -- to help it make sense. That adds up to about twenty short minutes a day.

Actually, it adds up to a whole lot more than that! Hearing God more clearly in your life is one of the best gifts you can ever give yourself.

Let's listen in?!