4th Quarter Challenge

The Word of God is amazing.

Yes, I am talking about the BIBLE.

It is SO awesome.

I have always enjoyed sitting and reading my Bible.  Of course, I'm just like any other Christian who has had their seasons of not reading diligently, or not have a desire to read for a long-ish period of time, but overall, I enjoy sitting (when I discipline myself to do it) and reading the Word.

But I have never read the Bible cover-to-cover, beginning to end.  I'm sure at this point in my Christian walk, I've read most of it.  But there was so much, especially in the Old Testament, that still seemed foreign to me.

In June of this year, I decided to read the Bible straight through in a year.  I was doing well until I hit the middle of Leviticus.  Yep, that's where it gets really hard to keep plowing through.  So I basically stopped reading (except for my devotional reading) until a few weeks ago when our church announced the 4th Quarter Challenge.

The challenge is simple: read through the Bible in the last quarter of the year.

The whole Bible in 3 months.

Ya, right.  

But then my husband started doing it and I didn't want to be left out.  Plus, I already had the first couple books under my belt from the summer.

Now, I can't stop.  I LOVE it.

I'm super thankful for the iphone app Bible.is because it allows me to listen to most of my reading while I'm running reports at work or while I'm driving.  And I get a lot out of listening because it slows me down and makes me hear e.v.e.r.y word.

Being immersed in the Word is changing me.  It is giving me a better understanding of God's character - His Holiness and Righteous - and the more I learn about the Old Testament the more I am blown away by His Grace and His mercy!

The Word is a mirror that reveals our soul and our utter sinfulness as mankind.  But this makes me evermore grateful for the steadfast love of our Savior who has chosen to love me and bestow completely undeserved grace on me! The more I read about God's righteousness through His Word, I can't believe His great love in choosing to call me as one of His children.  And that it what makes me fall in awe at the feet of His Grace.

His Word is making me fall more and more in love with Him.  

It makes me think of the words of the chorus of one of my favorites songs:

Give me Jesus. 
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have ALL this world,
but give me Jesus.

All I want in this life is Jesus and I can't wait for Heaven so that I can just be in His presence forever!