Here is today’s Bible reading:  Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20; Luke 7:36-8:3; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 12:1.

Deut. 8:2 (NIV)
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

More than any other time of my life, the Lord has used this season to humble me and to test me in order to know what was in my heart.  It hasn’t been pretty.  I have certainly been humbled and recognize how much I need to grow in faith.  I am thankful that God cares enough to test me so that I can grow.

Proverbs 12:1 (NIV)
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

One area in which I am continually challenged is in discipline.  It is interesting that in this verse there is a correlation between discipline and knowledge.  Those who are disciplined are serious about their knowledge of God and His Word.  The Church is facing a crisis of biblical illiteracy.  People who claim to know Jesus don’t know HIs Word.  Why?  Because we are too busy with other things. But if we truly believe that the Bible contains absolute Truth and is the God’s personal revelation to us, how can we not know it?  Join me in pursuing a greater discipline in seeking the knowledge of God’s Word.