There Is a Book

I love sharing what God has been doing in my life, how his Word is changing me; how he is working on my heart and drawing me closer to him through the mountains and valleys of life. But today, instead of sharing what God has been doing, I want to share how he is doing it. I want you to experience the same joy of following God on this crazy adventure of life and drawing nearer to him in all of it! 

You see, there is a book…

...a book that holds eternal truths that never change; a book written by 40 authors over a period of 2000 years, yet contains a unified message with no errors and is historically accurate. Why? Because it isn’t a book of man’s words. In fact, it is far more than a book. It’s HIS story. It’s the story of God and his beautiful plan to redeem a world that turned its back on him. It’s a love story unlike any other. It’s filled with truths that slay the power of our enemy, Satan, and have the ability to alter the course of our lives for all eternity. 

Dear sisters, it’s summer. It’s great to have a bucket list of fun activities you want to do. It’s wonderful to find time to take a breath and catch up on life. It’s enjoyable to hit the beach and it’s important to play with your kids. But, more important than any of these other things is being in God’s Word. If you do nothing else but establish a new habit of daily reading your Bible this summer, then it will be a success. The best thing I can do for you as a fellow sister is to point you to the one person we all need: JESUS. Open up his love story for you. Pick it up each day and ask God to meet you there in the pages. (Better yet, pray that your husband will join you!) 

Here are a few helpful encouragements on your Bible reading adventure:

1. Make a commitment to read the entire Bible for yourself. 

NOTE: There is no time limit to do this. Take as many days, months, or years as you need!

While some books in the Bible are more challenging than others, we don’t need to be intimidated to read God’s Word for ourselves. I’ve learned that reading the Bible is very much like learning as a child. Just as a child first grasps large concepts and then, as they continue to grow up, they learn more and gradually build a deeper understanding of things, the same is true for the Bible. The first time we read it, we may simply grasp the big picture. That is where we all start! However, the more we read it, the more we grow in wisdom and understanding. The Spirit burns the truth of God’s Word into our hearts and, as we continue to dig deeper, he opens our eyes to see that one area of the Bible so often shines light into the others.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path. - Psalm 119:105

2. Begin in humble prayer. 

Ask God to open your eyes to see, your ears to hear, and your heart to understand. Each of us, as redeemed children of God, has the Holy Spirit. It is only with his help that we can understand the spiritual truths found in the Bible. Ask God to give you wisdom, understanding, and a heart to obey. I can promise you his desire is for us to know him. He will answer these requests!

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. - 1 Corinthians 2:10-16

3. Do what it says. 

Don’t let Satan trap you into believing that reading the Bible is merely an academic achievement. It is a life-altering road trip through the Word of God. You will come to verses that challenge your life at its core. In those moments, ask God to give you a humble heart to not only hear his Word, but to do what it says. You will be changed. 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. - James 1:22-25

4. Start Today

There is no better day to start than today. Don't wait for the perfect moment or plan. Start now and don't give up. I'm on this same Bible reading adventure with you! Let's encourage one another. Let's cheer each other on. Don't get discouraged! Don't stop because you fell out of the habit for a week or two. Pick up right where you left your bookmark last time and keep pressing on!