Devotional - December 5th, 2020

Hi everybody my Dad said I could write this morning. If you don't know, my name is Casper, and I am a retired racing greyhound. I was really fast, and I won a bunch of races in my day. Now I just run zoomies in the backyard and hang out on the couch. I am writing today because my Dad is already getting ready for next year. He says it is going to be a great year because everybody is going to have a chance to read the Bible all the way through in one year! So, he has piles of stuff all over the place because he is getting ready. He likes charts and graphs and maps, and all that kind of stuff and I guess he thinks everybody else does too. He gets pretty excited about all that. So, since he is busy with that, he asked me to tell you about what everybody gets to do.
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The Bible is a really big book, and it is very important because that is where we learn all about God. Some parts are scary because God seems angry, but God loves His people and sometimes He has to discipline them because they were disobedient. Kinda like when I get a smack on the behind because I didn't come when I was called. And some parts are scary because they talk about what happens at the end and it doesn't look too good for people who don't want anything to do with God. Other parts are really beautiful, like the Psalms. He says they are the Bible's music book. The prophets tell what God is going to do and then when you read about Jesus you see that He is the one the prophets talked about. And Jesus did all the things the prophets said He would! A man named Paul wrote lots of the New Testament. He must have been really smart, and I bet he loved Jesus very much. Sometimes you really have to think hard when you read what Paul wrote. My Dad said anybody who reads what he writes everyday will get to be a part of the daily read journey because he is going to write about the readings every day. He thinks it will be fun to do a mini-Biblestudy with all of you this next year. I'm not sure what all that means exactly but he keeps talking about it so I'm pretty sure it's going to happen. He gets all excited when he talks about it.


He asked me to tell you that he will attach the reading plan to one of these daily writings when we get closer to the new year. That way we will all be reading the same thing. Sometimes on his day off Dad reads the daily reading out loud and I get to listen. There is even a place in the Bible where it mentions Greyhound dogs. And we are the only dogs mentioned in the Bible. Who knew?! It is in the Book of Proverbs 30:29-31. But my Dad says it is probably only in a Bible called the King James...whatever that means. He said there are lots of different kinds of Bibles and if you need a different Bible, like a study Bible or a daily walk Bible you can tell him, and he will order one for you. Dad said it is easier to read the Bible when you read it with someone else because there are some parts that are hard to read and stay focused...something about Leviticus and Numbers. So, when you read it together you can encourage each other. And he also said it is easier if you have study helps in your Bible and it isn't the King James Bible. He said that one is hard to understand, except for the Christmas story. He says it isn't really Christmas unless the shepherds are sore afraid. I don't know what that means exactly.
I heard him say something about his Monday morning Bible study is going to walk through the Bible too. And they will meet in the sanctuary so people can be safe because of the virus. No doubt you will have more maps and charts and stuff that you will know what to do with. That's how he rolls. My Dad even said there are places in the Bible that talk about reading the Bible! In 2 Timothy 3:16 it says ”All scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” And then in a book called Hebrews there is this. “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Paul writes in Colossians 3:16 “Let the Word of God dwell in you richly.” So, the Bible tells everybody that the words came from God and no human made them up. That means the Bible is true because God gave people the words.

Dad says the Bible is the living word of God and that means you can read the same thing every day and God will tell you different things. And sometimes when you read God will answer questions or prayers. I like the part from Colossians because it seems pretty cool to have the Word of God dwell in us. That means we carry God with us wherever we go. I like that! I think next year is going to be great too. it is important to know God and spend time in His Word. I hope you will all join in on the ‘Journey of a Lifetime’.


In His Grip
Pastor Matt W