A Love Letter Read For the First Time

Lets face it...sometimes in our fleshly nature we just can't seem to desire to read God's Word or even worse we just read to read and don't process a word we read. As Christians we are given the privilege of having a manual on life! Everything God, our Creator and Lord EVER wanted us to know we have...that is pretty incredible! We must not take advantage of all that God has given us and look at this amazing work as just another thing we have to read but rather we need to realize the privilege it is to GET to read this book. We as Christians in America have the Bible in its entirety as well which many around the world cannot say.

I am reading a book called Living by the Book by Howard and William Hendricks in which one is instructed on how to read the Bible and live by its truth. After reading a few chapters I got to the chapter entitled "You Must Learn to Read". What I read challenged and motivated me to read the Bible like I never have before! As Hendricks writes, "It is often said that familiarity breeds contempt...or ignorance" (69). This is so true, many times we skip over verses or even entire passages of scripture with the attitude of "I've read this a thousand times". However, it is a discipline to change your mindset about the Word. Sometimes picking up a different version might help as you are unfamiliar with the wording. But in actuality what we really must do is look at it as a treasure that we have just found and behold it as a new found gem each time we open the page. Hard to do? Of course, but a fresh perspective is what we need!

Secondly, Hendricks' notes that we should read the Bible as a love letter. You know when you get a letter from the one you love the anticipation and excitement drives you to read it as fast as you can...not to stop half way through and come back later that day or even later that week! It goes the same with the Bible! God has written us a love letter to behold. If people read the Bible with this mindset we would be a race of "spiritual giants" as Hendricks speaks of.

"If you want to understand the Bible, you've got to learn to read--better and faster, as for the first time and as if you were reading a love letter. Just think of it: God wanted to communicate with you in the twenty-first century--and He wrote His message in a Book."