:: Summer Reading Schedule ::


wk. 1__June 23—27..............Luke 1-5

wk. 2__June 30—July 4.......Luke 6-10

wk. 3__July 7—11.................Luke 11-16

wk. 4__July 14—18................Luke 17-21

wk. 5__July 21—25................Luke 22-Acts 2

wk. 6__July 28—Aug. 1...........Acts 3-7

wk. 7__Aug. 4—8....................Acts 8-12

wk. 8__Aug. 11-15..................Acts 13-17

wk. 9__Aug. 18-22.................Acts 18-22

wk. 10__Aug. 25-29...............Acts 23-28

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Monday June 23rd :: Lk. 1 :: Dear Theo-philos

Nothin’ like a short chapter to get you going, eh!?

Be sure to post questions you may have while reading.

As I read for myself today I am struck by a rather strange detail in verse 3 of Luke 1. Apparently, Luke is writing his account of Jesus’ life to someone named Theophilos. People disagree about who exactly this dude is, but his name means LOVER (phile) OF GOD (Theo).

Several years back, when I first made a commitment to spend time daily in God’s word, I began to journal a bit on the passage I read each day. (Honestly, it was just a way to keep my thoughts from wandering…) I’d ask questions and write out prayers to God, etc. And maybe because I started in Luke (like we are doing now), I began to sign each journal entry with a particular name: THEOPHILUS: ‘Lover of God’.

For me that’s the takeaway today. The only reason to read the Scriptures consistently is that we genuinely want to LOVE GOD more. We don’t read to amass knowledge or check off boxes on a spiritual to-do list. We don’t read to earn brownie points with Jesus or feel superior to our neighbor. We read the Bible to be and become LOVERS OF GOD. That’s it.

And that’s my prayer for you these next few months.

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