February 15th Check-In

Hello friends and family!

Again, time has brought us to another checkpoint in our Bible journey! We have been doing this for 6 months now, and I just want to encourage everyone to hang in there, no matter what your rate of progress is. Surely by now the novelty of the idea of reading the Bible in a year has worn off, and it is just plodding along (some of us through less exciting parts than others!). But the journey is the reward so hang on, plod on, learn on and pray on. God will provide the inspiration and discipline any of us need to continue in our journey. Also, as we celebrate Valentine’s Day, remember (in the words of Jess Olson) that the Bible is God’s love letter to us…the greatest Valentine we will ever get…I imagine how my heart would break if I put together a letter professing my love and revealing my truest character to the people I passionately love and cherish, and they did not read it, cherish my words, seek to understand my message…considered my letter a burden on their time. Read on! For those of you who are encountering frustration with the God of the Old Testament, remember that he wants you to know those things about him for some reason, so he will most definitely give you enlightenment and revelation to all who seek it J.

I just finished Isaiah last night. If you are not there already, it is a very long book. But, though I had read it before, I really understood for the first time how amazing the prophecies of that time were! And that none of Isaiah’s peers had the context of history really makes it amazing…And I love the imagery Isaiah uses to explain how God will redeem Israel. And I noticed for the first time the prophecies of God’s word being brought to the Gentiles. I could go on, now that I start thinking about it…but I have to get ready for my little peeps to get back from preschool…I cannot wait to hear where you are all at, and any thoughts you are willing to share. Here are some verses that I love from the book of Isaiah…

“See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands.” Isaiah 49:16 (how cool is that???!!)

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken” Is 54:10

Love to all, Ameer