Personal Devotions - Sometimes Less Is More

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We live in the information age.  And have been for some time now.  Between the TV, radio and the Internet, we are bombarded by information 24/7.  News, sports, advertisements, communication, you name it.  I read somewhere (another bit of information!) that there are over 150 billion web pages that have been created since 1996.  Do you know how much information is on these pages?  And how long it would take just to view each page for say, 1 minute each?  Let me put it this way.  You won’t live long enough to view them all!

Now while having so much information available at our fingertips is great, there is also a downside to it.  Too much information.  Or what is known as ‘information overload’.  This involves having more information than we really need.  Or can process.  Take the simple task of shopping, for example.  Suppose you are looking for an article of clothing.  There are numerous websites that you can visit which have said article on their site.  As you view these sites you find that the article of clothing comes in over 20 colors.  And in 10 different styles.  Then there are different sizes.  And prices.  The fact is that there are easily over 500 options for you just to purchase a single article of clothing.  If you did a thorough job of research before purchasing it, it would take you literally hours to do so.  And you may find during the process that you have so many choices and options, that you are unable to make a decision.  In such a case, having far fewer options available would no doubt be better as far as decision-making purposes.  In the final analysis, less is more.

Less is more.  In our world of abundance, it is fast becoming a slogan.  A word to the wise.  Put out a newsletter or a webpage, and cram it with too many things, and it won’t do well.  Information fatigue.  This is the advice of many advertising agencies today:  Refine your message.  Make it simple.  Sleek.  To the point.  People are much more likely to read it.  Understand it.  And be impacted by it.  Less is more.

A couple days ago I posted how everyone ought to read the Bible through at least once in their lives.  This involves reading 3.2 chapters per day.  While there is great value in this I don’t recommend that you read the Bible through every single year.  For one thing, that’s a lot of verses to read.  Secondly, I guarantee that you aren’t going to be able to process that much material in a single day.  Every day.  The result is that you will do your reading then close your Bible.  And go on to your next task.  You won’t have to time to really learn from, and apply, all that you have read.  So once you have read the Bible through in a year I suggest a much more modest approach.  Less is more.  In other words, instead of reading multiple chapters per day, read less.  Like a single chapter.  Or perhaps just a paragraph or two.

The advantage of this approach is simple to see.  In 1 Corinthians 14:19, the Apostle Paul said that he would “rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”  The point in reading our Bibles is what, exactly?  Comprehension.  Understanding.  Application.  So it is far better to read less Scripture and actually reflect and pray about what we’ve just read than it is to read several chapters and not think about what we’ve read.  Less is more.

I do this same thing every week when I am preparing a sermon.  I take a particular passage and read it.  Several times.  And in different versions.  I jot down any patterns or insights that immediately come to mind.  Then I research the passage.  I use some commentaries to find out what others have said about the passage.  After I am all done, I have a much greater understanding of the passage than I would have if I would have simply read it.

So let me suggest that for 2012 that you do more with less reading of the Bible.  Take a book of the Bible.  I’d take a shorter book to start with.  Jonah.  Ephesians.  Philippians.  Colossians.  James.  I John.  Then read a small portion of it each day.  Read it over several times.  Read it in several different translations.  Think about the context of the passage.  What was life like when the passage was being written?  What was the author trying to say?  Keep a journal.  Write down any insights that the Holy Spirit gives you.  Underline key words.  Then determine how God would have you to apply it to your life.  Is there something to be avoided?  Something to be done?  Is there a promise to claim?

I suppose if you want to get technical that this is really more Bible ‘study’ than Bible ‘reading’.  But the rewards are so much greater!  Instead of just reading and moving on, what I am proposing is to also reflect on what we’ve read.  And to pray about it.  In order to gain the maximum impact from each and every word!

Lord, I thank you for the treasure that Your Word is to me.  Every time I read it, it has the potential to speak to me.  To transform me.  If I let it.  Help me not to be so worried about how much I read as to seek to understand what I do read.  And apply it to my life.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.