What a journey

Three months ago I was struck with the realization that if Christ returned or if I died and saw Jesus face-to-face, I would have not read the entire Bible. I would have to shamefully admit to my Savior that His words to me weren't important enough for me to read them all. Not to mention that at that point in my routine, I was actually rarely finding making time to devote myself to His words.

Thus, I began a challenge within our church to read the entire Bible in 90 days. I wanted to know what the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were about. I wanted to get an overall grasp for the flow of the Bible, the chronological sequence, and the details that I have never understood. I also wanted to make it a habit to set aside time in my day, mainly in the morning, to sit and read my Bible.

After 90 days, I happy to say that I got way more than I planned. The Bible is filled with mystery, scandal, adventure, romance, wickedness, disaster, and punishment. As someone who believes in the Bible's every word and as one who has a personal relationship with its author, however, it was even more. I learned about God - who He is throughout the entire Bible. How much He loves His children and how much we deserve death.

I read as God put the earth into existence. How He sustains everything. I read as His people continually chose other gods before Him. I read as they repeatedly turned away from God for their fleshly desires. And I thought, That sounds like me. 

I read as God sent His only Son to be a perfect man in order to save sinful man who deserved death. I read as Jesus, who did nothing wrong, willingly was mocked, beaten, and crucified in my place. I read as Christ then conquered death and rose again so that I could live with him forever and never fear death again. Then, I read as those who believed in Christ were persecuted: mocked, beaten, jailed, stoned, killed; all because they accepted the free gift of salvation and desired to share it with everyone they met so they too might have life. And I thought, That doesn't sound like me. 

Finally, I read the end. I read that it is a happy ending for some - those who have given their lives to Christ and accepted Him as their Savior. I read that it is an ending of torment lasting forever apart from God for those who don't know Him. And I thought, Who am I going to tell today?

Have you read God's Word? Have you accepted its truths? Dear friend, I cannot impress on you enough that life, peace, and joy can only be found through knowing Christ as your Savior. You must realize that you cannot get life, peace, or joy through any other way than through Jesus.

Now what? A few days ago Hubs asked me what I was going to do after this was over and I had no clue. I knew I wanted to study the Bible in a deeper way, not just reading it through as I had been doing. I had so many questions and thoughts. So, I have picked one of the books and I am going back to read it slower and study its words. I want it to penetrate my life to cause me to live differently. I want to cherish it and commit it to memory. I want to live by it and have it infiltrate my life so much that I base my every thought and decision on it. It is, after all, God's very words written to me.