I love a good hot cup of black coffee. Well, a small bit of sweetener might be needed to take off the edge of any bitterness. One of my favorite things to do, especially on a chilly morning, is to sip my coffee, not devour it but sip it. Sipping coffee means drinking it slowly, taking small mouthfuls, rather than devouring it in large gulps and finishing it fast. When I slowly sip my coffee, I take time to savor the taste.

As we begin 2025, many people start a new Bible reading program. Some like to go through the whole Bible in a year. Some even do an aggressive plan where one can read the entire Bible in ninety days. Others are reading just the New Testament. A few that I know are concentrating on the epistles found in the New Testament.

All the above options are great, as is any option that causes one to consistently read God’s word.

May I share with you what my Bible-reading plan is this year? I plan to “sip” the scriptures. I want to stop, take a mouthful, and take time to savor what is being said. I am not rushing to make sure I get a certain number of chapters read, rather I am taking my time allowing Holy Spirit to speak to me.

As I was sipping on Luke chapter four today, I totally savored what jumped out at me – Jesus does miracles in the home.

^“After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law extremely sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.” – Luke 4:38-39 (NLT).

Here are a few observations from the story that came as I sipped:

1. When Peter left the synagogue, he did not leave Jesus at church. He took Jesus home with him. May we not be content to attend church services. Let’s take Jesus home. When Jesus is in the house, He shares our burdens and our blessings. Jesus does miracles when invited to stay in our homes.
2. Jesus wants to give miraculous breakthroughs in our homes. In chapter one of Mark’s Gospel, Mark tells us that when Jesus entered Peter’s home, they told Him what they were facing. Jesus intervened and brought healing. What are you facing in your home? What miracle do you need Jesus to do in your home and family? Tell Jesus about it. Invite Him to intervene.
3. Peter’s mother-in-law was healed and began to serve Jesus. Her response to Jesus’s touch was to serve Jesus and His disciples – immediately. She used her recovered health for renewed service. I pray the days where we want God to intervene in miraculous ways and then do nothing for the Kingdom are gone!

These two verses about Jesus going to Peter’s home came to life in my spirit as I sipped my coffee and sipped the Word of God. I gave Holy Spirit time to speak.

I highly encourage each of us to have a plan to read God’s word in 2025, but I also hope there will be times where we sip the Word, savor it, and taste and see that the Lord is good. It is amazing what we taste with a slow sip.