Welcome, friend! So glad you have chosen to join this special look at God’s Steadfast Love for you and for me. I pray that it solidifies in your mind and heart that God loves you deeply – even when you feel the least deserving of that love. He calls us to be His, and once we have said “yes” to Him and asked for Him to save us, we stay His forever. We’ll unpack that together in the month ahead.
We use a method of study that we’ve called the 4R Method. It’s Scripture-based rather than commentary-based. So, what we ask you to do as you follow along is to always do your Scripture reading first. That way, you’ve done the most important part of the study. The Bible is God’s perfect Word to you and me. God speaks through it in a unique way. There is literally no other book quite like it, where the Spirit of God breathes life into the words and transforms hearts. Let’s never skip the most important thing, okay?
This study is also designed to be short. On purpose. So you are less tempted to feel “too busy” for it. We hope you will develop the daily habit of meeting with God through our time together or that you will strengthen a habit you already have. Here’s what we suggest you do each day:
- Meet with Him as early in the day as you can, so you don’t miss out on your time with Him. Set up a time and a place for your meeting and make it a sweet time. Pour a cup of coffee, tea, ice water, lemonade … whatever drink makes you smile … and curl up in a chair or couch or blanket outdoors with a Bible, pen and journal at hand. That’s all you need. (Although doing it with a friend and checking in with her each day to hold each other accountable is a nice “extra” if you want to pursue that – sometimes it’s fun to do a study together with another. Just a thought.)
- Request – Start with a prayer. Ask God to open your eyes to see what He has for you in the passage of the day.
- Read – Read the passage twice, looking for the story and then for a specific verse that stands out to you.
- Record – Open that journal and write down one verse from the verses you read. Copying it out will help you focus on the words more and will give you a written record of what you learned each day of our study together.
- Respond – Write a response to the verse. Why did you choose it?
- If it puzzled you, you might write a prayer like this: “Father God, I just don’t understand this verse. Help me, please, to see why You put it in the Bible and teach me.”
- If the verse challenged you, you might write something like this: “Dear Lord, I feel so convicted. I have neglected my parents lately, and here in your Word you tell me to honor them. Help me to call them, today, and set up a time to visit.”
- If the verse comforted you, you might write something like this: “Thank You Father God for reminding me that You love me and seek me when I go astray. I don’t understand why You bother, but I am forever grateful that you do.”
These are just examples. You write what is on your heart. The Bible is God’s living Word and He will speak to you, dear one, personally and intimately. Make sure you respond at least with a “thank you!”
- Now that you and the Lord have met, read the commentary for the day. See what Sharon thinks about the passage and enjoy hearing her perspective. If you have time, write a comment, sharing what you learned and read other’s comments as we study together.
Let’s build a wonderful online community where we dig in to the Word and then share the treasures we find there. One of the sweetest things about these online studies for me is reading what God has shown each one of you. The Holy Spirit knows just what to highlight for each of us. Feel free to just read if you wish, or comment away and share your insights. Your choice. The main thing is … you are meeting with the Lord and hearing His words for your everyday living.
Father God, as we begin this study, knit our hearts to Yours in a special way. Enable us to hear Your voice and to learn and grow as we read. Teach us, Lord. Draw us ever-nearer to Yourself. And help us to love one another well, as we study together. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
