Residual Effects

Already by 6.15 this morning, the heat and humidity were pressing against the windows. I could feel that heavy blanket of air when I opened the door.  And the weather forecast called for even more of the same as the day progressed.  I had only a short window of time before my still-sleeping house guests were scheduled to leave and my morning appointments began lining up.  I dressed quickly for a run, left a note, and headed out the door.

I need early runs like most people yearn for a cup of coffee.  It shakes my brain awake, allows me to pray out-loud, listen to what God may be trying to impress on my heart, and revs me up for the day.  And I have learned the hard way that somehow that as the day moves on, the time to run is the first thing that gets squeezed out of my schedule.

Running has an immediate impact on how I feel.  But according to studies from the human performance lab at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, even after a person stops running, their bodies continue to burn calories at a higher rate, also known as "excess post exercise oxygen consumption."  So even when I am sitting in a chair or sleeping in bed, my metabolism is moving at a faster rate than if I hadn't run.  Exercising has residual effects.

The study also found that in addition to increased metabolism, exercise enhances energy levels and produces better self-control.

It changes you.

Consistent time in Scripture does even more. God's Word changes how you see God, how you see yourself, how you see others, and how you treat them.  Every time you read the Bible, God changes you.  I recently read a story about a woman who began reading a Bible without letting anyone else know she was doing it.  She searched the Scriptures and read the Bible daily.  Within a few months, her friends began to say, "What's going on?  You are different."

God's Word has a habit of doing that.  He changes you through it.

I know.  Taking the time to read God's Word goes with me into my day.  If you spend time in the Bible. God redeems that time.  I am more productive, less frazzled, more focused, and guided into what is before me.  And I have learned to take a verse with me into the day, written down on an index card or in my journal.  These are not just words, but as my pastor used to say, "the very words of God."

A friend of mine with four young children says that she can't do what she does without it.  She depends on Scripture's residual effects.

Because He changes you.


Your Word is a lamp to my feet
      and a light to my path.

                       Psalm 119.105