What the Bible Does

Happy weekend! I hope this week has been a good one and that this weekend will be relaxing for you!

My 30 day Bible Challenge was supposed to end this past week, but instead of ending it, I decided when I got to Luke that I would extend it back to a year plan for the rest of the New Testament.

It was such a great experience doing the Bible Challenge, because I felt happier, even when I was struggling with pain and adjusting to our new reality. It made a difference in my daily life, with how I reacted to things and how much courage I had.

Doing the challenge gave me some courage to do things I wouldn't normally do, like talking about writing or doing a video chat and actually talking, even if it was with people I didn't know. I just felt God's presence throughout the day when I was reading like that.

Even though I didn't complete the reading, it felt like a success, because it wasn't about doing the reading; it was about getting closer to God and about understanding what I was reading and it's impact on the current times.

It was an amazing thing to just get to dive deep into God's word even in the midst of all the school work that I've been doing. I'm happy to see that the stay at home order has made a difference for me that was positive and not negative.

The challenge has helped me to focus on the positive parts of my life and given me an energy boost. That's the most wonderful thing about reading His Word, when you read the Bible your spirit feels refreshed and so does your flesh. It's a cleansing thing to read the Bible, and it's even better when you read it throughout the day. It can fix how you feel about a meeting that just went badly, it can encourage you to work for just one more hour, it can give you the strength to face the pain, and it can even convince you to not follow temptation; you just have to read the Bible and allow God to help you.

Even though that seems simple, I know it's not. That's why reading it throughout the day is helpful, what you read reminds you not to fall into temptation, it reminds you that God will give you strength, and it reminds you that you aren't going through life alone and that everyone else messes up as well. The Bible is such an encouraging book that can show us what God has done and what God will do, which is why I'm going to finish reading the entire thing by the end of 2020(hopefully).

It is such an accomplishment to have read it, but it's an even bigger accomplishment to understand it, which is what I want to do and what I hope everyone will do.

I hope everyone's weekend is going well and I hope we can all enjoy some virtual services on Sunday and utilize the fact that we don't have to physically be there, so we can enjoy more sermons on Sunday and throughout the week!

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One final note: I'm looking to add a new section to the website, I'm not sure what it will be yet and I'm not sure if it will be only one section. Stay tuned!

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Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us Your Word. Thank You for allowing us to have extra time to do more things than we normally would. Thank You for more ways to reach out to others and more ways to make a difference. Lord, thank You for the words to write. I'm glad to have people who want to read what I have to say and what You want me to say. Please bless us all this week and help us to make a difference in a way that glorifies You. Thank You for Your love and mercy that You pour out upon us each and every day. Lord please help us to glorify You this week. In Your Blessed Name, Amen.