There is a local song about writing a letter to a loved one, a very well know song and I am sure there was a real purpose in writing such a song. There have been many occasions where whole piles of letters have been found that were written by a person at war to the love of their lives, that have lain hidden for many years, letters full of hope for the future that came to nothing. When they have been found many years after the death of the writer they have become national treasures to those concerned.
Our Father wrote a love letter that brings love to His loved ones and we call it the Bible. [Psalm 143:8] But as all love letters they are not always accepted, however nonetheless, rejected or accepted it does not take away the thoughts of the writer. [Psalm 139:17]
The love letter the Lord God wrote to us has been lost many times over the time of history. In the time of Josiah, they found the “letters” [2 Kings 23:2] of the Word of God and I am sure there would have been much sadness because the pages had not been read for so long. [2 Kings 23:22] By reading the scroll they learned what the Lord wanted them to do and how to act. [Psalm119:105] Ezra did the same when the scroll was produced, he saw why the blessings of God had been removed from their society and acted on the message. [Ezra 9:5-9] It is time for us to dust off the Word, bring it out of the cupboard and into the light. [Psalm43:3] It is time to shout the message from the rooftops, “The Book of the Lord has been found”, [2 Kings 22:8] and even though they had been lost the message behind them had not changed.
What is so important about the messagewe will find within the pages of this Book? It is the Book of Life, a life that can be full of life, a life that can be celebrated as Josiah did once he found the truth of God. [Psalm 119:107]Yes the Bible talks of punishment of the wicked but out of the punishment
comes love and forgiveness. [John 3:16] This love and forgiveness has to be built on something, there has to be a strong foundation and it comes through the knowledge of God’ [2 Corinthians 8:7] His commandments, His love and His grace and what God did - not only to fulfill those promises but He drew us a picture of that love and grace and hope for the future. [Hebrews 12:2] Unlike earthly letters that can be lost these are destined to last forever. [1 Peter 1:25] Letters that not only promise us a hope through the darkness of this world [Psalm 119:74] but give a promise of a future where all the cares of this world will be removed [Revelation 21:4]
Letters of the past are treated with much respect, just how much more should the letters of God be treated. The message of eternal life surely is worth not only respect but also to take a place of honour in our hearts.
[1 Thessalonians 2:13] God’s Word is perfect [Psalm 18:30] and sharper than a two edged sword. [Hebrews 4:12] It can cut to the heart of the vilest sinner to bring him to repentance and yet be as soft as a small voice to sooth the troubled heart. God can have the voice of thunder and at the same time be full of love and grace. [1 John 4:16] By His own finger He wrote 10 Commandments to give direction to His loved ones in how to live in this world. [Deuteronomy 9:10]
God showed all this not just in words but in a full life drama by sending His Son Jesus to die on the Cross for our sins to set us free from the debt we owed, [Colossians 2:14] setting us free from condemnation, as in Jesus there is no condemnation [Romans 8:1] now or in the time to come. [Luke 13:16]
Our Father wrote a love letter that brings love to His loved ones and we call it the Bible. [Psalm 143:8] But as all love letters they are not always accepted, however nonetheless, rejected or accepted it does not take away the thoughts of the writer. [Psalm 139:17]
The love letter the Lord God wrote to us has been lost many times over the time of history. In the time of Josiah, they found the “letters” [2 Kings 23:2] of the Word of God and I am sure there would have been much sadness because the pages had not been read for so long. [2 Kings 23:22] By reading the scroll they learned what the Lord wanted them to do and how to act. [Psalm119:105] Ezra did the same when the scroll was produced, he saw why the blessings of God had been removed from their society and acted on the message. [Ezra 9:5-9] It is time for us to dust off the Word, bring it out of the cupboard and into the light. [Psalm43:3] It is time to shout the message from the rooftops, “The Book of the Lord has been found”, [2 Kings 22:8] and even though they had been lost the message behind them had not changed.
What is so important about the messagewe will find within the pages of this Book? It is the Book of Life, a life that can be full of life, a life that can be celebrated as Josiah did once he found the truth of God. [Psalm 119:107]Yes the Bible talks of punishment of the wicked but out of the punishment
comes love and forgiveness. [John 3:16] This love and forgiveness has to be built on something, there has to be a strong foundation and it comes through the knowledge of God’ [2 Corinthians 8:7] His commandments, His love and His grace and what God did - not only to fulfill those promises but He drew us a picture of that love and grace and hope for the future. [Hebrews 12:2] Unlike earthly letters that can be lost these are destined to last forever. [1 Peter 1:25] Letters that not only promise us a hope through the darkness of this world [Psalm 119:74] but give a promise of a future where all the cares of this world will be removed [Revelation 21:4]
Letters of the past are treated with much respect, just how much more should the letters of God be treated. The message of eternal life surely is worth not only respect but also to take a place of honour in our hearts.
[1 Thessalonians 2:13] God’s Word is perfect [Psalm 18:30] and sharper than a two edged sword. [Hebrews 4:12] It can cut to the heart of the vilest sinner to bring him to repentance and yet be as soft as a small voice to sooth the troubled heart. God can have the voice of thunder and at the same time be full of love and grace. [1 John 4:16] By His own finger He wrote 10 Commandments to give direction to His loved ones in how to live in this world. [Deuteronomy 9:10]
God showed all this not just in words but in a full life drama by sending His Son Jesus to die on the Cross for our sins to set us free from the debt we owed, [Colossians 2:14] setting us free from condemnation, as in Jesus there is no condemnation [Romans 8:1] now or in the time to come. [Luke 13:16]