“I bought a Bible yesterday,” Sarah said, “and I’m going to start reading it. I hope to find some answers.”
Sarah and I talked a bit about how to begin. “The Bible isn’t like most books,” I said, “where you start at the beginning and read straight through, although many have read it that way. The first time I read it, I began in the New Testament, with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.”
I’m so excited for this woman who’s seeking answers. She’s come to the right place.
James 1:5 promises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
As she reads, Sarah will find answers.
Better yet, she will find God.
John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
As Sarah reads the Word of God, she will encounter Jesus.
And Jesus has the power to change her life.
My Confession
Twenty years ago I wrestled with one of two greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
I loved God with my soul—I had trusted Him as Savior. I acknowledged him with my mind, too, as King and Sovereign Lord.
But I struggled to love Him with my heart—my emotions and my passion. I didn’t feel for God the emotions I normally equate with love. I felt awe, respect, and gratitude, but my heart didn’t swell like it did when I thought about my husband, or my children, or even my friends.
Something was missing.
A Curious Thing Happened
That year I began to read through the Bible for the first time. I used the MacArthur Daily Bible, which breaks up the text into daily readings, a portion from the Old Testament, a portion of the New, a Psalm, and a Proverb. In fifteen minutes a day, I’d read through the Bible in a year.
As I read, a curious thing happened. My heart stirred.
I read in Genesis how God created mankind from nothing and walked and talked with Adam and Eve at the end of every day, and I glimpsed God’s desire for a relationship with us (Genesis 3:8).
I learned that though He had every right to destroy the people He had created because they spurned His love and believed Satan’s lie, He immediately put in place instead a redemption plan, one that vanquished death and hell for those who would believe (Genesis 3:15).
I listened to His heart as He described His plan to bless all those who would believe in Him (Psalm 37).
I heard Him weep as he rescued rebellious Israel over and over again from the folly of sin (Jeremiah 8:18-21).
I read how He longed to gather His children in His arms and care for them all the days of their lives (Matthew 23:37).
And I read, on every page and in every story, God’s Father heart calling to His children, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 28:11).
The more I read, the more I fell in love with God.
Heart-swelling, chest-bursting, tell-the-world love that couldn’t be contained. Tears of overwhelming emotion often dripped from my eyes onto the pages of my Bible. A warmth I’d never experienced wrapped around me like the softest blanket, cradling me in God’s embrace.
I loved Him.
I LOVED Him.
I LOVED HIM.
With all my mind, all my soul, and all my HEART, I loved Him.
This is the power of God’s Word. We cannot read it and remain unchanged. We cannot read it without falling in love with its Author.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.”
I’m so excited for Sarah. Not only will she read the Word of God, she’ll encounter the God of the Word.
If she seeks Him with all her heart, she will find Him.
And her life will be changed forever.
What About You?
In the article, “Ten Questions for a New Year,” Don Whitney invites us to prayerfully ask ourselves, “What one thing can you do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?”
The answer for me, and, I suspect, for most of us, is Read the Bible.
Nowhere else will we experience the depth and breadth and height of God’s love for us. Nothing else will expand our love for Him. Nothing will transform our lives more than the living, active, powerful Word of God.
If you’re skeptical, why not try it and see what happens?
Begin your Bible reading time by asking, as Moses did, “Lord, show me your glory.” Then read with an open heart. In a journal, write down what you learn about God. Before long you’ll have a list longer than the list I made as a 13-year-old girl about THE ONE I hoped to marry someday. Strong, patient, kind, loving, sacrificial, humble, gentle, smart, creative, wise, honest, fun-loving, joyful, peacemaking . . . and on and on it will go.
How can you not fall in love with Someone like this?
He will draw your heart to His with cords of loving kindness and fill your life with joy.
Try it and see.
Does Your Faith Need Refreshing?
It’s probably been too long since you’ve newly discovered a story that speaks to your soul or a verse that pops with truth. But that’s about to change!
Refresh Your Faith contains 66 culturally relevant, story-driven devotions, one from each book of the Bible. Each real-life story spotlights an unusual verse or Bible passage that you may have overlooked in your usual Bible reading. Lori Hatcher challenges you with additional features like an uncommon thought to ponder; an unusual faith action step; and an unfamiliar passage suggestion for additional Bible reading.
When the fabulous has become familiar and your quiet times are more like nap times, it’s time to step out of spiritual boredom and ignite the spark that will keep you growing. No matter where you are on your faith journey, Lori’s conversational and engaging style will challenge you to think about things you’ve never thought about before.
“Real-life inspiration and candid wit. These 5-minute devotions will change your life.” —Psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Kevin Leman, commenting on Lori Hatcher’s devotional style
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