I've read through the entire Bible. It took me over two years, but I did it. Not many people can say that.
Trouble is, I spent a lot of my reading just trying to finish, not for transformation or wisdom.

I am reading through again, using a different plan. I plan on reading and re-reading through the Bible as long as God lets me. This time around, I am really really trying to soak in what I read. I have been praying over what I read, asking God to show me things that I haven't seen before. I can already tell that this time around is different.

Here are some things God has been showing me this past week through His Word, sermons, and books I've been reading:

1. In Ann Voskamp's book 1,000 Gifts, she basically says that the root of the Fall was ingratitude. That Adam and Eve had everything they needed, food, full communion with God, comfort, basically paradise. Except there is always a desire for more. Eve had everything but that fruit. It's what we can't have. It's the discontent with what we do have. Always desiring something else leaves the soul searching because it's not satisfying itself with the only One who can.

2. That desire left unfilled by God opens doors for sin. In the garden, the serpent distort God's Word to justify to Eve why she should eat of the fruit she knew she was commanded not to. I know I do that. Justify in my head why I can or can't do something, even to the point of distorting the Word.

3. I read in Genesis this week in chapter 4. It's the story of Cain and Abel. Usually I just breeze right on over these stories, but God showed me things I hadn't seen before. I saw Cain's pattern of sin grow. I saw how he started out with disobedience to God by not giving Him the best fruits of the soil, then jealousy because he was not receiving favor. Then the jealousy led to murder, lying, and self-seeking wallowing. The result of all this was alienation from God. (the fact that God let him live just demonstrates His great mercy!)
After reading over it I saw disobedience=alienation from God. Therefore sin=separation from God. Now I knew this, but I never saw it so plainly illustrated in the story of Cain and Abel. And I thought it was so awesome for God to show me something new in something I'd read a dozen times.

This passage jumped out at me, God speaking to Cain:
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Gen 4:7

4. Another thing that God has been speaking to me is about the Holy Spirit. I admit He wasn't talked about too much in the church I grew up in. It was discussed in our Wednesday night class at church, then of course so our Sunday church is talking about the same thing. It just really reinforced the being filled with the Spirit and emptying out all the sin and to be obedient.

All these things, obedience, gratitude, being Filled, being in the Word, praying...they really help us see with new eyes..with His eyes.

Reading is simply not enough. Anyone can do that. Satan knows the Word better than I do. It's applying and obeying and letting it transform us that counts. And it's also the faith in the God who wrote it: that He is good all the time, that He does not change, that He does work all things for good for those who love Him, and that He does keep His promises.
"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous". -Romans 2:13

Gifts.

This is one of my favorite things in all of God's creation. Sure, I love mountains. I love the ocean. But the sky. The sky is always changing. It's always new. It's always beautiful. It's also a daily reminder for me: This is a new day. I don't deserve it. It's certainly not owed to me. It is a gift. All gifts require a giver, and the giver of this day, all days, is a richly rewarding Father who delights in giving His children gifts.

I've been reading One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. I learned about it through a friend and started reading it last week.

Oh. My.

Besides being an incredibly talented writer, she gets it. I mean really gets it. It is the story of her journey and how she learned to see God more through giving thanks in everything. Seeing the miracle of everyday life through simple gratitude. She began a list of 1,000 things that she saw as a gift, and how through purposely trying to see the beauty and wonder in every moment, we can slow time and see Him more and more.

Needless to say, it's been messing me up. In a good way. I've started my list. I'm going to be thankful in everything. At least...I'm going to try. I know I'm going to fail. My stubborn, foolish, prideful, ungrateful self is going to get in the way. That's a given. I just need to recognize that all that was crucified with Christ, and He is making me new everyday. I can't rely on my own strength.

New mercies. Pink and purple skies scream Mercy. The glory of Him is painted across the morning sky and I know He is there.

I think the heaviest thing I've read so far in her book, basically is when she said (and I'm paraphrasing) "He doesn't owe us anything. We owe Him everything. After all, He might not have done it."

 He may have not chosen to save us. He didn't have to. But He did.

We need not receive a single gift from His hand to be utterly in His debt and give Him ceaseless praise until we take our last breath. The One sacrifice made on Calvary was enough. IS enough. He is always enough. Yet still He gives. And blesses and gives.

This is what He has been showing me, the art of gratitude, of living, of seeing Him in everything because

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Col 1:17