Happy New Year! ‘Tis the season for resolving to make improvements so that we’re not in the same place a year from now. While we make some resolutions as individuals, we also make some with accountability partner/s - such as a gym buddy. It’s no secret that having accountability partners comes with the built-in encouragement we really need when we just aren’t feeling like exercising today. Personally, I may skip the gym today if it’s only me, but I’m far less inclined to pull a “no-show” on a good friend who’s counting on me. Reading the Bible in fellowship with other believers is just as helpful.
So, why should I want to read the entire Bible in the first place? I mean, isn’t it too big for someone with my schedule to read cover to cover? Well, aside from the obvious win – becoming literate followers of Jesus – we’ll be taking our relationship with our loving Father to the next level. As an illustration, suppose I speak to my wife frequently, including asking her for things I want or need from her, but I don’t ask her what she wants or needs from me. The health of our relationship would be in dire need of CPR, if any hope exists at all.
But the best reason for reading God’s love letters to you is that you personally get to know the one who loves you. Reading the Bible is like spending time at the foot of the Lord, hanging on His every word while He speaks, sharing His wisdom and His understanding and His unconditional love for His children. Let’s join together in helping and encouraging each other to spend more time listening to God this year.
Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him. Psalm 1:1-3 NLV
