God's Love Letter to You

Remember getting notes, cards or emails from someone you loved? Do you remember reading and rereading the communication? You would read it to see what it revealed about the apple of your eye. When I got such a note, I would ask begin asking questions. Is this person of whom I am fond, a kind person? Is she interested in the same things that spark my interest? Does she have similar goals and desires?

You probably thought about the note long after you put it down. You did not care so much about the facts of this person’s life. You wanted knowledge that would lead to understanding of this person’s make-up. You thought about the implications of what they said. You longed to know, “Is their any indication of this person’s love for me?”

Scripture has often been called God’s love letter to mankind. I invite you to read through the Bible with that in mind. Look for ways that God reveals Himself.

Read God’s Word the same way. Read it. Ponder it. Consider who wrote it. The living God of the universe who named the stars took the time to write you from His heart. Gain a fresh understanding of His heart for you as you read His love letter to you.

Consientious Objectors

I have noticed over the years that when a person walks with Christ, their desire to please Him increases. Motivated by love, every person that knows Jesus, wishes to serve Him well and honestly. Some people carry it to the point that they will not commit to do something if they do not believe they can do it fully and completely.

Why do I bring this up? Some of our church family might be intimidated by the idea of a One Year Bible. Not only is the time period a long time, but the days are actually numbered. The odds of missing a day increase greatly.

Some people will not want to start the adventure if they know ahead of time that they will not actually read every day. Some people, when they miss a day, will want to quit. Some believers are so conscientious about walking with Jesus that they might object to reading the Bible because they do not think they can keep their word.

If that is you, I would encourage you to plunge ahead anyway! Try reading the Bible everyday. It is a great and godly discipline to develop. If you miss a day or days, simply pick up your reading on the current day. If you wish to finish the entire Bible, go back and read the days you missed on the weekend or on vacation.

Suggestions for the Conscientious Objectors:

1. When you miss a day, start your reading on the date of the day when you pick it up again.
2. Try committing to read only the Old Testament through in a year.
3. Try committing to read only the New Testament and Psalms through in a year.

There are many ways to mix and match. Our desire is not to show off a list of people that accomplished a task. Our deeper desire is to see a group of people grow more in love with Jesus because of being in His Word. Enjoy!

Look for Jesus

Jesus is your Savior. You know him personally and intimately by grace through faith. As a follower of Christ, He is the center of your life.

Jesus is the center of Scripture as well. All of God’s Word points us to Him. Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus. As they walked along, Jesus made it very clear to them that Scripture is centered on Him.

“Then beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, he explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Luke 24:27 (nasb)

We are told that their “hearts burned within them” as they listened. Within hours, Jesus appeared to the eleven remaining disciples. Once again, Jesus affirmed that the written Word was given with Him in mind. Jesus took that opportunity to show how God’s Word pointed to Him—in every book.

Our reading starts in Genesis (OT) and Matthew (NT) this week. We also get passages from Psalms and Proverbs each day. Bible students over the years have looked for Jesus as the theme of Scripture. They have noticed Him in a variety of ways. Here are some of the common themes in this week's books for seeing Jesus:

Genesis – Seed of the woman

Matthew – Jesus, the King of the Jews

Proverbs – the Wisdom of God

Psalms – the Praise of Israel, My All in All

As you read through the One Year Bible this year, look for Jesus.