Yesterday in bible study, I commented that the reason the LCMS is losing her identity as a faithful Lutheran Church is because the preachers and hearers are, with each generation, becoming more ignorant. It seems like every decade, the church becomes more and more uninformed and uneducated concerning the truth of Holy Scripture and the exposition of scripture as found in the Book of Concord. How do we then reverse this issue of ignorance? Well, we first stop ignoring the Word of God.

WE wouldn't say that we ignore the Word of God, but we can definitely say that we don't spend the time we should in meditation and reception of God's Word. We don't daily meditate on the Psalms, a reading from the Old Testament, and the New Testament. Do we memorize Scripture anymore, especially if we are out of Sunday School age? Do we spend time reading through the Psalter every month? Do we take our bulletin from Sunday and read through the readings every day, or get the readings a week in advance and prepare ourselves to hear the Sermon properly? I know if I am being honest, then I am assuredly ignoring God's Word by not being in it as I should, but instead spending time with the words of this world and listening to the devil, the Old Adam, and whatever the world has to say to me. 

So, how do we get on the right track and stop ignoring the Word? Well, we could say that we are going to meditate on the Psalter every month, read the whole bible twice a year, and attend both the early and late services at church on Sunday. However, like an extreme diet, we quickly give up and end up gaining more weight back in the end. Instead, let us take baby steps in piety and do a little every day in order to meditate effectively on the Word of God and receive His benefits. 

So, starting today, I am going to be walking through the bible each day and a little section of the Book of Concord and writing a meditation on it. I pray that this will help you as you grow in the Word, meaning as you grow in the knowledge of how much and to what extent your Lord Jesus loves you. Rather then starting at Genesis and going through Revelation, we are going to start in John, and then begin going through the Scriptures. We are going to do this because John has the most words of Jesus and helps us read the rest of Scripture. For the Book of Concord we are going to start with the Small Catechism. So, look out tomorrow morning for a reading from John 1:1-18 and the 1st Commandment. Fun times as we walk together receiving the gifts of our Lord, Jesus the Christ.

Peace be with you. May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam drowned anew so that you hear only the peaceful voice of your Savior Jesus who says, "I forgive you. I love you. I claim you as My own forever," Amen.

Jesus' Sheepdog