How This Works:
First Name Basis is a weekly column on my blog. Every Sunday, I share a new passage of Scripture. What’s unique about each post is that it’s about God and YOU.
When you’re on a “first-name basis” with someone, you’ve moved from impersonal to personal; from stranger to friend. It’s a mutual opportunity to know and be known.
Ever notice when you sing a song – whether it’s a love song to your sweetheart or a worship song to God – you’re singing lyrics someone else wrote and making them your own? Even though the song was originally between the songwriter and someone else, when you sing it, it’s now between you and someone else.
Can we not do with reading what we do with singing? Make it personal.
With the permission of NavPress, I will be selecting applicable passages from The Message Bible and switching out the words likes “I,” “me,” and “you” with a blank like this: “ .” In the blank provided, you will easily be able to personalize the Scriptures by speaking your name. (In the case that I need to alter a word, I will put it is italics)
For Example:
PSALM 139:12
“Oh yes, you shaped first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.”
God Wants To Be on A First-Name Basis With YOU
- God doesn’t just love the world. He loves YOU.
- God doesn’t just listen to everyone’s prayers. He listens to YOU.
- He makes promises to YOU.
- He wants YOU to forgive your enemies.
- Jesus is sending YOU out to share his message.
- Jesus is preparing a place for YOU.
The Benefits of Reading Yourself Into God’s Word
When you read yourself into the Word…
- It is meaningful… as you read it like a song, making the words your own.
- It is insightful… as things jump out at you like you’re reading it for the first time.
- It is transformational… as the reality of God’s love sinks in deeper.
- It is empowering… as the teachings of God tap your shoulder with a call to action.
