I Want to be a Twinkie!

I Want to be a Twinkie!

by Jenn V.

Philippians 3:10 (AMP) ¹⁰ [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [^[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

Seriously, don’t you sometimes feel like a Twinkie in a Ding Dong World? Twinkies are prevalent in Bible based churches and they are “awesome”!  I love the sermon series and year-round Bible studies and look forward to next Sunday morning and wonder what “holy-spanking” I’m going to get next!  Trust me, I get a lot!  If I was God I would have left me a long time ago.

Even though I grew up in church, it wasn’t until later on in life that daily Bible reading became a consistent part of my life.  I’m sure it had a lot to do with my selfish side and trying to put God “in a box” in my young years.  Then was married and too busy and sometimes overwhelmed with a husband and 3 boys and living life to it’s “not-so-fullest”.  There are unfortunately so many churches out there that don’t put any weight on scripture reading.  The smack on my forehead came when our church started doing a study called One on One with God.  The best tool I ever used to learn to get more out of daily Bible reading!  It’s not your average Bible study course.  You have to find someone who has already taken it to then have them take you through it in a small group setting.  Disciples who make disciples who make disciples, is the basic concept, based on Philippians 3:10.  Anyone can take anyone else through this study.

I got some things out of Bible reading when I was younger.  I was lucky and had a mom who was a prayer warrior in every sense of that word!  She modeled getting up early and doing her daily Bible reading and quiet time and hearing from God.  I didn’t seem to ever be getting the same results.  But I realized after One on One that I had been doing it with the wrong attitude.  I remember getting mad and upset at myself for having not payed more attention the whole first half of my life and missed out on the revelations I was learning through this study.  I can’t even count how many sermons I have listened to over the years!  How did I miss this?  I must have been spiritually asleep.  I remember a pastor once telling me that he missed these same concepts in Seminary!  I didn’t feel so bad after that.

Quiet Time with God must be purposeful, planned and is a daily sacrifice.  There is so much blessing in that!  I feel like I know God better now than I ever have in my entire life.  The more I get to know God and his word the more I realize we really are Twinkies in a Ding Dong world!  We are set apart and aliens in someone else’s home country.  Only once when we cross that border into Heaven will we finally feel like we have “arrived”!

CHALLENGE:  Don’t stay spiritually asleep!  Take this month to wake up 15 minutes early and start your day with reading your Bible.  Read expecting to hear from God!  Write in a journal what you feel He is telling you.  See for yourself how you feel at the end of the month.  Take the Twinkie Challenge!  J