I own a lot of tools, but I don’t own any that’s flawless. Two vehicles sit in my garage, both in good running order, but far from flawless. I never provided my wife with a stash of jewels, and the diamond in her engagement ring falls far short of flawless. None of the work I do reaches the level of flawless.

Since it’s baseball season, I thought of pitching a perfect game. A perfect game means the pitcher faces the minimum number of batters (27), and gets each one out, with no one reaching base for any reason. A perfect game = flawless. In the history of major league baseball, with over 218,400 games played, only 23 pitchers threw a perfect game. Flawless remains a high standard.

The psalmist writes: As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless.

If I want to spend time taking in valuable ideas, then the flawless word of God is the place to start. When I think of the time I spend watching TV, or reading articles on my phone, or worst of all, skimming social media, I get an idea of my investments in the faulty.

Social media has proven itself the most powerful disseminator of ignorance in human history. Why should I spend more time that absolutely necessary swimming in such dishwater?

The average internet user spends almost two and a half hours per day on social media. If I keep that habit over the next twenty years, I’ll spend two years on social media. I find that startling—is that really how I want to waste two years?

Compare such frittering to time spent in the word of God. Filthy versus flawless. Fortunately, even small chunks of scripture go a long way. Time in the flawless word of the Lord always benefits me and those around me.

Psalm 18 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Edgar Soto

At times I read something that just makes me sad. Like the end of the list of David’s mighty men, the greatest warriors in all of Israel. The last name in the lineup?

Uriah the Hittite.

David’s adultery with Bathsheba was bad, and his subsequent ordering of the murder of her husband was even worse. The fact that David killed one of his own warriors, a man committed to the king and country, shows the heinous nature of his crime.

Few commit the blatantly evil sins of David. But I am guilty of sacrificing others in small ways to get what I want. What David had the power to do so on a large scale, I do in miniature regularly.

Fortunately, I see the depths of God’s grace in the story of David. Which reminds me of his grace towards me and you. Which reminds me to take time to treat those around me with value, not simple as means to get what I want.

2 Samuel 23 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Philippe AWOUTERS

One of the joys of travel for me involves trying new food. Sometimes I eat things just because they’re weird and I’m a tourist, like deep fried scorpions on a stick (they crunch like popcorn hulls), But normally I find a table featuring fresh, local cuisine to sample. A major part of experiencing and enjoying and remembering a place involves tasting.

David encourages us to taste and see that the Lord is good. I mostly think of experiencing the Lord through other senses. I read the Bible and ponder the Lord. I walk paths in the mountains and feel the breeze and watch the sky. Recently on a hike I heard pines creaking and whistling as the wind pushed them back and forth.

Taste involves a deeper commitment. I see and hear and feel things with the outside of my body, but tasting requires putting something into my mouth—ingesting it. What if it tastes awful and I spit it out? Or, what if it tastes sweet but is actually poisonous? What if is carries pathogens that make me sick (like the tiny little silver fish I ate in Malaysia that wreaked havoc in my bowels)?

One more concern—what if what I taste is addictive? When David invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good, I believe that’s exactly what he had in mind. When you ingest the words and ways of the Lord, when your soul tastes of His goodness, you’ll want more.

You’ll get hooked.

Occasionally certain dishes return to mind, like a fantastic pasta finished in a wheel of parmesan I enjoyed once in San Diego. Although out of my reach, it lingers in my memory. If I ever get close to that restaurant again, I’ll go get me some more. That’s the type of tasting David hopes you and I experience.

Taste and see that the Lord is good—then dip in for seconds.

Psalm 34 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

I get lots of advice, often without asking. Like the lady a couple of weeks ago who told me about how I should plant my tomatoes and how she planted her tomatoes (and why her husband doesn’t even like tomatoes). Then she chattered on about how tomatoes are grown in Wisconsin, why tomatoes are good to take boating, and had I ever heard of tomato cages? All while we stood looking at plants. I nodded politely but ignored her advice. I was just trying to choose between an Early Girl or Cherokee Purple.

Absalom rebelled against his father in order to seize the kingdom, and he called two advisors to help with his next move. One urged Absalom to attack immediately while David and his men lay exhausted and unprepared. The other (secretly working for David), cautioned restraint and proposed gathering a larger army before overwhelming the king’s forces.

Absalom, a young man who’d never led an army or a rebellion, and in awe of the stories of his father’s fighting ability, decided on further preparation.

Absalom choose poorly.

Absalom received lots of advice, but not much wisdom. The scriptures yield solid advice, oozing wisdom, and the person who helps you plant those in your life is golden indeed. Good advisors with trusted track records are hard to find. Hold those people close.

2 Samuel 16 & 17 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros