"There are a lot of books and we are but mortals." - James Colley
Before anyone gets the wrong idea... I don't really like Matthew better than the book of Psalms (nor did Matt beat up Psal). I did make a change in my morning devotional reading though.
I have been trying to use Walter Brueggemann's 'The Message of the Psalms' for devotions. It's not that I don't like it, or that it's not interesting... it just wasn't working. I don't really even know why, and it seems a waste of time to analyze. So, rather than just not doing devotions (which I seemed to be skipping more and more), I decided it was simply time to change books.
I have previously worked my way through N.T. Wright's "For Everyone" series on the books of Mark, Luke, and John, and pretty much loved every minute of it. So I decided I may as well start in on Matthew, which I did today.
These commentary-like books are perfect for me for daily devotions - which I then journal alongside as well. Each section is just a few pages, and they're not too deep but not totally void of content either. Here's the little blurb Amazon uses:
"N. T. Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions."
So, I made the switch - back. Nothing earth-shattering, but I can tend to feel like I'm giving up on someone if I stop reading a book. Silly, I know. This little article by Colley helped some: "The Joy of Not Finishing Books." :)
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"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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