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The Message TexT by eugene h. PeTersOn devOTiOnaL cOnTenT by MicheLLe hindMan

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IntroductIon to solo

The devotional you hold is unique. It isn’t designed to teach you to study the Bible but rather to develop a conversation between you and God. The devotions found in Solo are based on the classical method of lectio divina: reading, thinking, praying, and living Scripture with the intention of invit-ing an infinite, omniscient God into your life — as it is, no gloss, no veneer. Lectio divina is more Bible basking than Bible study, as it teaches you to absorb and meditate on Scripture, converse with God openly, and live out what has become a part of you: His Word.

But it’s not easy. Lectio divina takes practice, and lots of it. You will have to learn to be quiet, to silence the voices of responsibility, self, family, and even religion in order to hear what God has to say to you. Try not to view the elements of lectio divina as steps to be checked off your to-do list. Instead, allow them to meld together in the intentional process of listen-ing to God, of focusing on Him and learning what He would have from you and for you, His beloved. Don’t worry if no lightning strikes or bril-liant revelations come. Sometimes devotion means just sitting in the pres-ence of God.

We know the four elements of lectio divina as Read, Think, Pray, and Live. Each element has a purpose, but don’t be surprised if they overlap and weave into each other. Remember as you dive into this devotional that lectio divina is about wholeness: whole practice, whole Bible, whole God.

Read. Thoughtfully, leisurely, faithfully — read the epic love story that is the Bible. Yes, love story. The Bible is the chronicle of God’s love for His people from the darkness before Eden to eternity with Him in heaven. You are in it, I am in it, and, most important, God is in it. Here you will meet Him face-to-face.

Eugene Peterson called the Bible “a book that reads us even as we read it.” That’s an uncommon sort of book, and it requires an uncommon sort of read. Knowing facts about God doesn’t change your relationship with Him, so take the time to splash around in the Word, to absorb it, to dis-cover what God has to say to you each day.

© 2007, 2012 by Eugene H. Peterson © 2007, 2012 by The Navigators

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from NavPress, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935. www.navpress.com

NAVPRESS, the NAVPRESS logo, THE MESSAGE, and THE MESSAGE logo are registered trademarks of NavPress. Absence of ® in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

ISBN-13: 978-1-61291-454-1

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permis-sion of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from THE MESSAGE (msg). Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Devotional text by Michelle Hindman.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, www.alivecommunications.com.

***INSERT Original LIBRARY OF CONGRESS STATEMENT

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 19 18 17 16 15 14

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.

For a free catalog go to www.NavPress.com or call 1.800.366.7788 in the United States or 1.800.839.4769 in Canada.

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In each Solo devotion, you will find a Scripture passage but also a refer-ence to an expanded passage. I encourage you to read them both, slowly, attentively, and repeatedly. As Peterson said, “The Bible is given to us in the first place simply to invite us to make ourselves at home in the world of God . . . and become familiar with the way God speaks and the ways in which we answer him with our lives.” No Scripture passage exists in a vacuum. Whenever you can, take the time to stretch beyond the passage put before you to understand the larger context in which it is found. The more you read, the more you will understand about yourself and this God who created you.

Think. Each subtle, significant, powerful word of Scripture is meant for you. One word may speak today and another tomorrow, but God sent each of them straight into your life. So listen. Go into your reading with a clean slate. Don’t bring what you think you need to hear, what others have said, or what you’ve been taught about a particular passage. Don’t bring fear that you’ll misinterpret the text. This is about what God has to say to you.

Our lives are full of static. Whether it’s our to-do lists, our emotions, or just plain noise, it can be hard to sift out God’s voice from all the racket. By meditating on each word, by turning it over and over in your mind, you will discover that as God Himself is infinitely complex, so His thoughts have subtle meaning beyond the rote. The more you think about what you read, the more familiar you will become with His voice.

Pray. God yearns to converse with you. And He wants far more than just “thanks for this, can I please have that” prayer. Respond to Him in dialogue. That means it’s as much about listening as it is about speaking. Open your ears and your heart to hear His voice. Sing praises or laments; write your thoughts in a journal; dance or prostrate yourself before Him. Pray.

Maybe God has challenged you. Tell Him how you feel, but always remember that what He asks, He asks for your good. He is loving and merciful, not manipulative and harsh. If you come across something in your reading that you don’t understand, tell Him about it. Ask Him about it. Fill your prayers with Scripture. Using the words you have read helps you ensure that your prayers line up with God’s Word and intention for your life.

It’s easy for us in our culture of doing to want to skim over this part. Don’t. Even if you are quiet and God is quiet, you are learning to com-municate with Him.

Live. You can read, think, and pray all day, but unless you live in God’s Word as well, you miss the point. The Bible says, “In the same way faith, if it

doesn’t have works, is dead by itself ” (James 2:17). If you have taken God’s Word to heart and truly made it part of you, it will by its very nature change you. And when it does, you will find yourself called to act. There will come a time when God takes you to the end of yourself then asks you to go further. He wants you to put yourself at His disposal, to go and do what He asks, even the impossible. When that time comes, you will need the Word He has seared on your heart to give you comfort and strength. This is the “life . . . in abundance” of which Jesus spoke (John 10:10).

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day 1ExpandEd passagE: LukE 10

one thIng only

Luke 10:38-42

38-40 As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

41-42 The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it — it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”

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day 1

Read this passage aloud, slowly. What sights, sounds, and emotions sur-face? Where would you be in the story?

Just before this passage in Luke, Christ told the parable of the Good Samaritan. Martha’s eagerness to make Christ at home could portray her as a “good” woman, ready to leap into action. Why then does Jesus chide Martha and say Mary’s choice is lasting? What is her choice? Is it your presence or your performance God values? Can a sense of obligation become confused with our identity? What if, in your eagerness to accom-plish, you have neglected relationship with God and others? What if you are missing “the main course”?

Confess the clutter. Tell God what tasks tire you. Be honest if you feel abandoned to an overwhelming job by those who seem to sit still. Reveal to God what pulls you away from listening. Then consider God’s ability compared to your own. Praise him for requiring nothing but your love and ask for the ability to discern between necessary work and “fussing.” Thank him for offering us good things that last rather than toil that wears us down.

While our eagerness to be good workers is not wrong, Christ’s message is clear: completed lists and flawless events are not the lasting stuff of eter-nity. He claims only one thing is essential. Today, make room in your life for that one thing: sitting at the feet of Jesus.

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day 2ExpandEd passagE: Romans 8

absolutely convInced

Romans 8:31-39

31-39 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us — who was raised to life for us! — is in the presence of God at this very moment stick-ing up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not back-stabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate youWe’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing — nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomor-row, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable — absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

day 2

Read this passage aloud with appropriate energy. Imagine you are encour-aging a dear friend at a critical moment and then read it again.

We are so often defined by our wounds and by the circumstances that we find ourselves in, crushed by our failures or brought too high by our fleeting successes. We assume these things swallow us up and put us far from God’s sight. But that is not the case “because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Ask yourself each of Paul’s many questions honestly before you soak in the answers he provides.

God is inconceivably big and beyond and yet beckoning to our small selves. Ponder the Maker’s many qualities, then allow yourself to melt in the truth that he is “sticking up for us” and “on our side” as you pour out your heart in prayer.

What is the “unthinkable” today that you assume stands between you and God? Name it and then praise him for the victory he has already secured for you.

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day 3ExpandEd passagE: CoLossians 1

FIxed and FIt together

CoLossians 1:15-20

15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For every-thing, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels — everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and — leading the resurrection parade — he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, tow-ering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy; that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe — people and things, animals and atoms — get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross.

day 3

Read the passage aloud, slowly. Pause. What words, phrases, and ideas stand out? What stops you in your tracks?

Why does Paul emphasize Christ’s place in the universe? Ancient believ-ers sometimes had trouble accepting the full impact of Christ’s god-hood — and maybe so do you. Do you tend to separate “big” God — who is out there, somewhere — from the person of Jesus who walked the earth, who hung on the cross for your sins? The incredibly powerful One who shaped the stars and breathed your atoms into being also came down to wash his disciples’ dusty feet — and yours. What does the power of Christ mean for your relationship with him?

Repent of any small view you might have of Christ’s power. Praise the Lord for his incredible and multifaceted power. Request to be aware of his ability and a part of that all-encompassing harmony.

If Christ brings harmony and peace and meaning, he can bring those things into your life today if you put him in his proper place, “towering far above everything, everyone.” Today, make a point of pausing to praise him for who he truly is, even in your crazy world.

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day 4ExpandEd passagE: 1 CoRinthians 13

love does

1 CoRinthians 13:3-7

3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.Love cares more for others than for self.Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.Love doesn’t strut,Doesn’t have a swelled head,Doesn’t force itself on others,Isn’t always “me first,”Doesn’t fly off the handle,Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,Doesn’t revel when others grovel,Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,Puts up with anything,Trusts in God always,Always looks for the best,Never looks back,But keeps going to the end.

day 4

Read this famous passage, as much as possible, without preconceptions. Savor the words and the images. Read it several times, pausing after each phrase.

As the author says, good actions without love are worthless. Likewise, rela-tionships without love — real, on-the-ground love — are simply a show. Take some time to journal about how this definition of love compares and contrasts to a relationship you have as wife, mother, sister, or daughter.

Without God, true love is impossible. Ask God to forgive your selfish and backward interpretations of love and to show you with his Spirit what it means to truly love those in your life as he loves you. Ask for new eyes and new motivation to be selfless and others-focused. Thank him for not leav-ing you to reach this standard on your own.

No matter how much our earthly relationships fail to reflect this, remember that God has filled out this definition of love toward you perfectly — every word. Let that be your fuel when you feel discouraged today. Infinite love is offered you and is running through you.

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