Thursday, May 10, 2012

Love letters

I am the LORD, your God…you are precious…I love you (Isaiah 43).

An encyclopedia is a compilation of articles that provides an overview of a variety of subjects.  Young people use encyclopedias when doing research for a school project.  Adults sometimes refer to encyclopedias when writing a speech or readying a presentation.  You use an encyclopedia when you want to find out about a topic without having to wade through excessive detail.

A textbook is designed to give you in-depth knowledge about a particular subject.  Schools use textbooks to present a field of study in a thorough and organized manner.  Outside of the classroom, however, textbooks don’t get much use—the detailed information contained by a textbook quickly grows outdated.

An editorial is written to persuade.  The author has a strong opinion on some topic and wants others to agree with him.  He might want his readers to support or reject a piece of legislation; he might want others to give up bad habits or embrace a healthier lifestyle.  Most people read editorials for one of two reasons—either they aren’t sure what to think about a confusing issue and want to see how others look at it, or they feel like their opinion is in the minority and want to be reassured that someone else agrees with them.

What kind of literature is the Bible?  Some think of it like an encyclopedia—you can flip through its pages to find nuggets of wisdom when you’re dealing with some problem.  Others regard the Bible as a textbook, something to be studied carefully and applied to every aspect of life.  And many regard the Bible as an editorial, a series of opinion pieces designed to shape our opinions and influence our behavior.

The Bible does provide wisdom and moral training; the Bible does advocate a certain world-view and code of conduct.  But the Bible is, first and foremost, a letter sent from God to you.  Letters are written to build relationships.  A good letter is kept in a safe place to be read over and over again because its words are filled with love and tenderness.  Letters are used to speak heart to heart—that’s what makes them different from any other kind of writing.  More than any other reason, God caused the Good Book to be written so you can read of His love for you.

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