Systematic Reading Leads to Specific Leading
With RT Kendall’s recent article and Wolfi’s favourite phrase doing laps in my brain (“Systematic reading leads to specific leading”), I sat down to read the next chapter in my Bible reading plan: Luke 1.

I didn’t want to read it. I’d read it countless times before! Sulking, I opened my Bible and ran head-first into God’s heart for me that day.

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eye witnesses and servants of the Word.” Luke 1:1-2

From the beginning of my own blog journey my aim was to publish one blog post per week. If you flick back through my post history you’ll see that that just hasn’t happened. There are gaps. Plenty of them! Now, the gaps aren’t there because I didn’t have anything to say.

They’re there because of fear.

Fear Freezes
Either:
(1) I read someone else’s work and felt intimidated (“This person writes much more eloquently than I do, I may as well give up now”)
or
(2) Someone took the time to tell me that they love what I’ve written and I froze (“What if my next piece isn’t as good?”).

I Too Decided to Write
“With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilius” v. 3

Rather than become intimidated by the good stuff that was already out there, Luke took those accounts as incentive to write his own. What resulted is one of the most beautiful Gospels, one that is particularly helpful for us Gentile believers (those who do not have a Jewish background).

He didn’t stop at one book but continued by writing the book of Acts: giving us insight into the life of the early Church and context for the remaining New Testament letters. If Luke had sat back, content with what had already been written (or fearful that he couldn’t match his first work), we would have lost out big time!

Was there anything wrong with the other Gospel accounts? Certainly not! Luke simply told it in his own way, adding richness to the material already available.

Why did he write his version? “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” v. 4

No One Says it Quite Like You Do!
Why write what has already been said? No one says quite like you do. There are people in your life who will listen to you share the Gospel when they won’t receive it from anyone else. They need to hear it the way you say it.

The same goes for creating beautiful art. We cannot let the fact that other people are doing it put us off. No one plays it, sings it, writes it, paints it like you do. And there are people waiting for you to stand up and express your take on life.

During last year’s School of Empowerment I received six separate prophetic words that I need to be writing. God confirmed it here, in His Word. And more recently a friend gently encouraged me to get off Facebook and get my face into writing a book that’s been on my heart for a while.

All to say: if you don’t see any posts here next week- feel free to send me a message telling me to get writing!

PS. The book is now 4,000+ words long and after 12.5 hours of deliberate violin practice I’ve graduated from scratchy to squeaky. The very first Irish tune I learned to play (slowly!) is called “Hag at the Churn”.