The Matthew 28:19 Project

Are you diligent in everything you do? In your work, your home, your relationships, your ministry? Are you diligent in your witness for Jesus? It’s okay if your answer is a sheepish no, because that’s my answer too. I am not nearly as diligent for the Lord as I need to be.

I am doing Tara Leigh Cobble’s Bible Recap again, but it hasn’t been speaking to me the way it did last year. Honestly, I think that says more about my state of mind over the past eight months than it does about the Bible study itself.

That ole stinky devil has really been working on me this year, and I didn’t even realize how much ground I had given him. It’s not that I stopped reading my Bible. I haven’t. Scripture is part of my ministry, so I’m constantly reading it, looking things up, and creating daily devotionals for my church and The Matthew 28:19 Project. Despite all my struggles and the devil, God has continued to bless the ministry and this blog. Still, that stinky devil still managed to win a few battles. It suddenly occurred to me that, although I was reading my Bible, I wasn’t really studying it. I needed to go deeper. And that realization came about two weeks ago, before I ever read Pastor Buddy’s sermon outline for last Sunday.

And if you’ve read many of my blogs, you already know where this is going.

God is sneaky.

He has a way of planting ideas in my head and then quietly connecting dots that I didn’t even realize needed connecting. (Wait until you hear about the idea I’ve been mulling over for the past few months! I haven’t figured out how to accomplish it yet, so I haven’t mentioned it to anyone. But trust me, it’s a doozy!) Anyway, one day, God basically popped me on the head and told me to stop procrastinating and get busy studying His Word.

So, I did.

I got my little war corner situated and comfortable, grabbed a cup of tea, and headed to my bookshelf. I started browsing through my Dr. David Jeremiah books. It’s honestly a little embarrassing how many unread books I have, but I eventually landed on Everything You Need, his book about 2 Peter 1.

The premise of the entire book is that God gives us everything we need to lead a full, productive, Godly life. The key is that we must be diligent in everything we do, and in every area of our lives. Peter writes, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7 NKJV). New Living Translation puts those same verses this way: “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.”

These verses emphasize the importance of diligence in all aspects of daily life. They encourage putting maximum effort into everything you do, and ‘everything’ truly means everything, from reading your Bible and shopping for groceries to engaging with people in the elevator. I believe they serve as a great foundation for new Christians, those returning to faith, or even individuals like me who need a boost of motivation to overcome the doldrums.

Do you want to know the best way to overcome the doldrums? Get your nose in the Bible. I mean, get your nose deep in the Bible and start studying the verses. Let the words wash over you, settle into your heart, and change the way you think. Reading Scripture and studying Scripture aren’t always the same thing. Sometimes we read the words without really letting them get into us. And I think that’s exactly where I got stuck. After reading through those verses, I could see how much I had been stuck on idle.

I started the year carrying over last year’s frustration. I wrote about some of that in my blog Letting Go. What I didn’t realize was how much that difficult season had spilled over into the rest of my life. I was tired. Grumpy. Unsettled. Procrastinating. Going through the motions. I was still doing the things I was supposed to be doing, but I wasn’t doing them wholeheartedly.

And that left a door cracked open.

The Devil didn’t have to kick the door down. He just walked through the opening I had left. I didn’t realize that I was in a spiritual battle, and I certainly didn’t realize that I was losing ground.

So, how did I flip the script on that stinky ole devil?

Well, for starters, God popped me on the head and told me to stop procrastinating and start studying His Word. I started digging into 2 Peter 1:5-7. I cross-referenced Scripture. I read the verses in different translations. I journaled what I was learning. I made a list of the things I had been struggling with and pulled out my big ole concordance to find Scripture that addressed them. I stopped simply reading my Bible and started studying it. There is a difference between the two, and sometimes the devil uses that difference to cause confusion and chaos in our lives. That is why we must be diligent in everything we do.

I walked into church last Sunday, after spending days digging into 2 Peter 1:5-7, already having made the connection between my deep dive into Peter’s words and Pastor Buddy’s sermon. And then he started talking about spiritual warfare. He started talking about getting our “nose in the Bible.”

That phrase got stuck in my head.

Peter said to be diligent. Pastor Buddy told us to get our nose in the Bible. And God was showing me that I needed both. I needed to stop treating Bible reading like another item on my daily checklist and start treating God’s Word like the weapon it is in a spiritual battle.

Pastor Buddy said he was in a spiritual battle.

I realized that I was in a spiritual battle too. I just hadn’t recognized it. See, the devil doesn’t always show up with flashing lights and a giant warning sign. Sometimes he simply makes you tired. Distracted. Unmotivated. Irritable. Stuck on idle. He convinces you that you’ll pray later, study later, finish that project later. And before you know it, “later” becomes your lifestyle.

You’re still going to church. Still serving. Still reading Scripture. Still doing all the things Christians are supposed to do. But your heart isn’t fully engaged anymore. Your life has suddenly become stuck on idle. Sometimes you recognize it, and sometimes you don’t. This is why it’s important to stay in the Word and stay connected to other Christians. The new ‘lifestyle’ doesn’t have to remain the new ‘lifestyle’. If you are diligent in all you do and willing to listen to God when He speaks to you.

I was willing to listen. And God, in His sneaky little way, led me straight to 2 Peter 1:5-7 at exactly the right time. It’s no coincidence that my deep dive coincided with last Sunday’s sermon. Isn’t that just like Him? He planted the idea in my head and quietly connected the dots. He always knows what we need, even when we don’t. Even when we’re stubborn. Even when we’re stuck on idle.

In the short time I’ve been doing this deep dive, something has changed. My mind feels clearer. My mood has improved. I’m more productive. I feel more relaxed than I have in months, and I’m sleeping better. I’m not saying everything in my life magically changed because I started studying the Bible. But something inside me changed when I stopped simply reading Scripture and started digging into it.

My favorite time of day is now when I go into my war corner, sit in my chair with a cup of hot cinnamon-spice tea in my hand, listen to the sound of ocean waves in the background, and grab my Bible to dig into Scripture.

There is something incredibly peaceful about sitting there with my Bible open, my journal beside me, and my heart finally quiet enough to listen. There is no better way to end my day than with my Lord and Savior.

So, what about you?

If you’ve been feeling a little off and you can’t quite figure out why, maybe it’s time to take a closer look at your life. Maybe you aren’t as diligent about every aspect of your life as you need to be. Maybe you’ve been reading your Bible, but you haven’t really been in your Bible. Maybe you’ve been listening to Scripture, but you haven’t really been hearing it.

Maybe you’re doing all the right things, but your heart has been idle. If that sounds familiar, take Peter’s advice. Be diligent. Get your nose in the Bible. Find your own war room, war closet, or little war corner. Get alone with God. Write down what you’re struggling with. Find Scripture that speaks to those struggles. Cross-reference it. Read it in different translations. Write it down. Pray over it. Let God’s Word wash over you, settle into your heart, and change the way you think.

Then watch what happens.

You may be surprised as the stress and tension begin to ease. You may find your mind becoming clearer and your heart lighter. And you may even discover, like I did, that your favorite time of day becomes the time to settle down with your favorite cup of coffee or tea and start digging. Sometimes the answer isn’t to try harder; it’s to stop and open your Bible.

Be diligent, my friend, and go get your nose in that Bible.