Read Romans 15:4 and 2 Timothy 3:16

Have you ever read anything and thought to yourself, “What on earth did I just read?” Maybe you’re reading something that you’re familiar with and your brain kind of spaces out as your eyes scan the words on the pages, thinking of the hundreds of things you have to do that day.

When I was little, I was very much a reader. I’m a 90’s kid so I’ve read most of the Berenstain Bears books as well as any mystery book I could get my hands on, such as The Hardy Boys series. It was nothing for me to sit down and smash out chapters of a book with little effort.

I have used the excuse that reading in college kind of thwarted my desire to read. The pages and pages that we were “required” to read quickly turned into me scanning the pages without retaining much at all.

This scanning-type reading can easily become how we read the Bible. Am I the only one?

Starting tomorrow, we are going to begin a read-through of the gospel of Matthew. What you’re going to read is going to be a biography or story-type writing. You’re going to be tempted to scan because there’s a good chance you have read some of this before.

I want to bring Romans 15:4 to your attention as we prepare for this 4-week series:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

As you read the book of Matthew over the next 4 weeks, I challenge you to read each day with anticipation. What can you glean from these chapters? Second Timothy 3:16-17 says:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

If you read with an open heart, open to whatever the Holy Spirit will bring to your attention, your life can change by reading something that might even be familiar to you.

I’m excited for this challenge. Get ready for tomorrow by preparing your heart today!

Jake Lawson