Dear sisters,
¡Hola, hola! And hello, December! This month is going to be a happy, busy month! We all know that, right? This means that we must be ready to anticipate some temptations that normally come along with busy times like these, you know? Like quitting our Bible reading because, well …”we will be super busy.” So be on your guard, Friends. Put on and wear well the habit of being in the Word; make sure the straps are well tied around your waist just like the apron you wear in the kitchen. Plan ahead. Don’t put it off for later, for after the party and the shopping and the cooking and the concert. Let the Word be your joy and strength this season. May the coming of His Word be your food, your very life. Hear it, sing it, pray it, let it be in your mouth. Christ came to us so that we can come to Him. So come! Let every heart prepare Him room!
This week we will read the book of Ruth, Song of Solomon, 1 Samuel 1-20, Psalms 8, 10, 150, and 50 (NOTE: I made a mistake and assigned the reading of Psalm 50 on Saturday, December 9, when I should have assigned Psalm 59 that day. You can change that on your plan and then go to April 14 and change it to Psalm 50).
After reading Judges, especially the last chapters, we will find the book of Ruth so incredibly comforting. And it should be that way, like the gospel: the bad news before the good news. The book of Ruth is a gospel-saturated story that blows my mind every time I read it. It starts saying, “In the days when the Judges ruled there was famine in the land…” And now we know exactly what that means. We know exactly how the days when the Judges ruled looked. We know how terrible it all was, how everyone was doing what seemed right in their own eyes. The land was barren, like the people of God in those days, like Naomi (Mara), like Ruth the Gentile. But God was about to turn the story of two women, and a nation, and you and I, into something beautiful. Redemption, I dare say, is the name of this story. I hope you can watch Monday’s webinar in which we will talk more about how clearly we can see the Gospel in this book.
Song of Solomon is a love poem between a married couple. And we know that just as the Redemptive story in Genesis started in the Garden with a marriage, so the story ends with another marriage in another garden: Jesus, the groom will be married to His bride, the church forever.
I pray that you will read the Psalms and see in them the prayers that can become your very own prayers. May we learn to pray as we read the Word, and pray the Word as we do our chores, Sisters, only by God’s grace.
Let our prayer this week be, “Thank you, Father because you are indeed mindful of me and care for me. This is too wonderful to comprehend! How you saved me! Open my eyes so that I may have eternal assurance of your love for me.” Amen.
I hope you can join us for the Webinar this coming Monday at 10:00 am PST (link below). It is always a joy to know that you are there, listening. Thank you.
Under His sun and by His grace,
Becky Pliego and the team of Ladies Christ Church Ladies Fellowship.
