I have always wanted to try a Daily Devotional. The one thing that held me back from trying one was the fact that as a rule, they are usually tainted with the writer’s personal beliefs. How could someone else’s beliefs about God help me to understand Him better, I rationalized. But having known the author Adrienna Turner on a professional basis, and having witnessed her faith in action, I eagerly traded books with her and “began my day with Christ.”
Along the way Ms Turner and I had many heated discussions as I questioned many aspects of what she had written in her book. At one point I became offended by Ms Turner’s presentation of one person’s personal opinion on homosexuality as an actual, factual definition, and I put the book down in disgust. Almost immediately I heard the voice of God tell me: “You’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
How do I know it was God?
A) This is not an expression I have ever used in daily life; it is something my grandma might say.
B) Satan had nothing to gain by me continuing to read this book, but God knew I had much to learn.
And learn I did. After my self-imposed break I picked up the book and continued my walk with Christ. Sometimes the way certain passages were written confused me, and yes: there are a few of what I call “Christian Myths” sprinkled throughout the text, the most glaring of which was the labeling of Mary Magdalene as the woman caught in adultery. That just happens to be a Pet Peeve of mine: Mary Magdalene was not that woman nor was she a ho; she is simply described in the Bible as a woman who was cleared of seven demons. And to be fair, Ms Turner warned me before I started reading that there were mistakes in the book which she was unfortunately didn’t catch before the book went to print, so I’m not sure if this was one of those or not. In my laziness I’m ashamed to admit I never bothered to check her website where the corrections are listed.
What had happened though, was…
Ms Turner broke way more of my preconceived notions and exposed more of my ignorance than I, in my Moral Superiority, could have acknowledged if I hadn’t read this book. I didn’t just read through the text, I read through each and every Bible passage in the footnotes, often using both the King James Version and the NLT. This sometimes turned a one day lesson into a two or three day event, yet I enjoyed every moment of it. In the process, not only did I become more knowledgeable about the Bible itself and about what was required of me as a Christian:
I also grew closer to God.
Thanks Adrienna.