The Bible Edge
Random Thoughts of a Spiritual Nature II
Nehemiah 8:8
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
If there were a life verse for the ministry of writing and sharing daily devotions it would be this verse. For this last entry in this year long series called The Bible Edge I ask that you bear with me in my folly. May I review this ministry.
These devotions began when I was in Seminary. I was attending classes learning all these wonderful truths as found in our Bible, while my wife was at home caring for our children. I began leaving her short devotional thoughts every morning of something that I had learned the day before in class. From there I began sending these to others, church members and friends. Now these go to people I don’t even know and will probably never meet.
My goal has always been to do that which the priests did in Nehemiah’s day; to give the sense, and cause others to understand that which they read in the Bible. No, I’m not a priest, I’m a New Testament preacher. The nature of these short devotions demand that we take small bites. Here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept, just like it says in Isaiah 28. Some complain that I don’t go far enough, some too far, but in this small space I try to write that which God gives me to communicate. One simple thought a day, that is all I try to do.
Over the years these are the year long series God has given me:
Daily Devotions at Dawn
Daily Devotions at Dawn II
A Year and a Day of Rejoicing
The Business Series (Business by the Book)
Minding your Thoughts
Rēad to Read
The Bible Edge
In other years there have been devotions of a random nature on various topics.
To me the greatest book in all the world is the Bible, God’s Holy Word. As others who are smarter than me do, I don’t correct it. Like others who are more spiritual than me, I don’t force it to fit into today’s societal stream of common thought. Like others who are greater than me, I don’t dig into it, remaking it to fit new and popular ideas. Like others who have more insight than I, I don’t try to understand it all or explain its teachings away. I simply try to help others make sense of that which God says and help them understand in context the scope, breadth, depth and height of the Lord’s plain teaching. I’m only a preacher, that’s all. I know my job, I’m only in delivery. I just throw the paper to the doorstep (emails to your account), I didn’t write it and I don’t defend it, I simply proclaim it in words easy to understand, trying to make sense of what the Lord has written.
Thank you for reading, I trust this has been a beneficial year for you with God’s Word. If you today understand the Bible a little more than you did a year ago, if you can understand a little better that which you read, I am thankful, for God has used this ministry in your life.
As of today, we leave The Bible Edge series and move on to Rēad to Read, Again. An entirely new overview of the complete Bible on a daily basis. This year you will receive 365 devotions based upon our reading through the Bible together. The goal is to help individuals, like you, to accomplish the goal of moving from “I will read the Bible” …. To “I have read the Bible.” Whether it is your first time or your 100th time reading the Bible through, I hope these devotions will benefit both your intellectual understanding and spiritual growth.
Now, on to 2024!
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
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