Take Up and Read

Take Up and Read

A Challenge for the New Year

If you are a Christian, have you ever read your Bible through from cover to cover? If not, why not?

• It tells us where we came from, and why
• It tells us what our purpose for life is
• It tells us who God is
• It tells us how and why Jesus came to earth
• It has comfort for hard times
• It has examples to follow
• It has the words to use when words fail us for sorrow or for joy
• It is the set of instructions God asks His children to live by
• It is God’s “love letter” to you
• Why not take up your Bible and read during 2002?

To help you, we have put together a reading plan which will appear here in the ATRI Journal Online each day. The Daily Journal will take you through the Bible more or less chronologically. Each day you will read 2 or 3 chapters from the Old Testament and about 1 from the New.

In addition, most of us, if we are honest, have a hard time getting too excited about a lot of the Old Testament. We’d rather skip it, or we just don’t see its relevance to us today.

To counteract that mindset, we have taken excerpts from the writings of such scholars as Charles Spurgeon, James Boice, Matthew Henry, Walter Kaiser, Gleason Archer and many others to help you understand the issues involved in the Old Testament. It is our hope that these thoughts will help you to see that: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous­ness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

And, while application is extremely important, we challenge you, as you read throughthe Bible this year to focus your attention on what the Bible tells you about God, the God ofthe Bible. Compare what you read to what you have heard from others. Get to know Him!