The Echo Effect

An unseasonably warm day in winter is more than enough reason for me to get out the door on a run.  And so, yesterday, I ran the roads through town, basking in the warmth.  I know that every time I run, it changes me by increasing my fitness and revving up my metabolism.  But for a long time, I was not aware that for 24 hours after I stop running, my body reaps the benefits of a run.  My body continues to burn calories and fat at a higher rate for hours afterward, than if I had not exercised.  In a sense, I carry it with me the rest of the day.

When I take the time to read my Bible and pray, I also carry with me the benefits throughout my day.   Every time I read God's Word, He changes me.  His Word goes with me throughout my day -- a residual effect, as it were - that impacts me and everyone around me. 

His Word and His grace have the power to change the world.  If you have seen (or read) Les Miserables, you have witnessed how grace transforms a life and reverberates outward.  The entire movie is a visualization of grace.  The simple and sacrificial act of grace by the priest completely transforms Jean Val Jean and everyone around him for the rest of his life.  He was a changed man.

Every day, look for a pocket of time to read God's Word.  It will reverberate throughout your day, continuing as if in a series of echoes. We are all busy, but I promise that your time in His Word will be returned to you and multiplied.  You are different because you spent time with God.

His Word doesn't just change you for 24 hours.  It will change your life.

...being changed into His likeness
from one degree of glory to another.

                         2 Corinthians 3.18