Burning Hearts

No, this post is not about heartburn.  Scripture tells us to fan the flame of Christ in our hearts and lives, and this is all about that. (2 Tim. 1:6)

I've had some incredible conversations recently that have made be burst inside with such an incredible desire to know God more and to fulfill his purposes for my life in my generation.  Some of these were with friends, some with strangers.  

The Scripture shares in Luke 24 about two men who had a similar conversation with a stranger, who they later realized was Jesus speaking to them.  After he left, and they realized it was him, they exclaimed, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (v. 32).

I love when this happens; when I realize God is speaking to me and setting me on fire with a passion for his plan.

Sometimes this happens through conversation with others, but more frequently a way this happens is through spending time in the Word of God. There are two ways to read the Word of God during our prayer time, and both are relevant.

Quality - I've heard of a guy who read the same book over and over for a month.  A. W. Tozer, an incredible man of God also writes about how important it is to really go in depth with certain books and passages that are speaking to us.  Bottom line, it's not about getting through the Bible, but rather letting the Bible get through us. 

Quantity - reading through the Scriptures en masse is also so important.  As you read large portions of Scriptures, you start to see correlation between books and passages.  Biblical interpretation happens best when we compare specific passages to the rest of the Bible.

Quality + Quantity (in the Word of God) = Burning Hearts