“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. If only you were cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, “I am rich. I have become very wealthy and need nothing.” But you do not know that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments, so that you may be clothed and the shame of your nakedness may not become public, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.  ¹⁹ I rebuke and discipline those whom I love. So take this seriously and repent.”  (Revelation 3:15-19)

How do I understand what I’m reading?  

A voice came from the chariot as it traveled down the dusty road:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will talk about his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.

“Now the serpent was more clever than any wild animal which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  ² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, ³ but not from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it. You shall not touch it, or else you will die.’”  ⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die. ⁵ In fact, God knows that the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  ⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was appealing to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate. She gave some also to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ The eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for their waists.

 ¹⁵ I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.  He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel.”  (Genesis 3:1–7, 15)

Where do I start?

I’ve said it, you may have said it, and you’ve no-doubt heard it: we all need to study the Bible more. We’d all probably agree with it as well. At the very least, we know the Lord would agree with it.  Listen to the amazing blessings he promises to the believer who studies his word: “He is like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and its leaves do not wither. Everything he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:3) When we’re connected to Jesus through his Word, even the challenges of this life are used by God for our eternal prosperity. Not only that, but time with God in his Word leads us to be the people he and we have always wanted us to be. The more in tune we are with this love, salvation, and goodness the more clearly we understand how he created us to live, the more we can bring forth fruits like love, gentleness, patience, and self-control. There’s no question that we need to stay connected to God’s Word. The unanswered question, however, may be, Where do we begin? Allow me to use this week’s email to offer some suggestions.  

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”   (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Once again, it’s the season for love.  Once again, pink and red store aisles are filled with cards, chocolates, and shoppers trying to find the right gift.  Before long kids will return from school with bags (and stomachs) brimming with chocolate.  Restaurants will be packed on Valentines Day.  And then, almost as quickly as it started, it will all be over.  Almost overnight stores will clear out the unsold Valentines Day gifts to make room for Easter baskets.  The bags of chocolate will be eaten and the restaurants will go back to business as usual.  When everything is said and done, what will we have to show for it?