The notes in the margin of my well read book tell me I have read it at least three times now. Yet the words fell on my heart as if I had never seen them before:

“Be thou more calm of spirit, and gird thyself for greater endurance.”

(from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis, page 120)

It was the word ”˜gird’ which grabbed my attention as we don’t use it very often, if at all, today. The word means “to fasten something tightly with a belt or a band” (as in “gird your loins”), or it can mean “to surround or encircle” (dictionary.com).

As we fervently gird ourselves with God’s Word,
we are better able to endure life’s circumstances.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13, NKJV)

To think clearly, we are going to need to gird our minds ”“ fasten His Word tightly to our hearts; surrounding or encircling our minds with Scripture.

Slightly further in the same devotional are these words:

“O Lord, blessed be Thy word, sweeter to my mouth than honey and the honeycomb. What should I do in my so great tribulations and anxieties, unless Thou didst comfort me with Thy holy words?”

There have never been so many resources available to teach us than there are today. While we use them and are grateful for them, they must not replace the actual reading of Scripture.

I hope you will join me at Woman to Woman Ministries HERE where we will look at the importance of learning from God’s Word over the words of others.

Photo by Hunter Trahan on Unsplash
Today I am joining … Inspire Me Monday .