Reading Someone Else's Mail?

February 19, 2014

Did you ever really think of the epistles in the New Testament as somebody else’s mail, as letters from Paul to people he loved?  Because that is what they are.  This section of “A Year With God, Living Out the Spiritual Disciplines” has been focusing on studying, and as someone who taught how to study, it caused me to think about what I taught and how it applies to the Bible.

When I was teaching about reading effectively, I taught the students to do a little pre-reading – check out what the material covered: what was it about?  Kind of like doing some stretching before running or doing other heavy duty exercises.  Then I suggested that as they read through the material, to look for answers to any of the questions the pre-reading stirred up, so they were reading intentionally.  Finally, they should rehearse what they read, aloud is best, but think through and restate the substance of the reading.

So, I have started reading someone else’s mail, the epistle of First Thessalonians to be precise.  Every day I read it through, and in a couple of different translations.  The first couple of times, my goal was just to get through it.  Then I realized what a waste that was, unless I made an effort to hold on to what I was reading.  I wonder if you have done that, read through a assigned passage with the goal only to get through it, like a good girl.

Anyway, today I read it through a bit differently, remembering that this was a letter Paul wrote to the believers at Thessaloniki.  He loved them and he longed for them to continue in a loving, persevering,  vigorous, and effective relationship with God.  SO, he gave them some encouragement, like “We are bound to thank God always for you brothers as we remember you work of faith, your labor of love and your patience of hope in following Jesus Christ.” And “You became followers of us and of God and lived your faith in such a way that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”  (my paraphrase.)  Can you imagine how encouraged they must have been when they heard these words?

These words pierced and challenged me; would that be my reputation?  Would Paul have said that of me?  And do I encourage believers around me that way?

Well, enough for today!  I am excited about using this method of reading this letter…and maybe I will tell you more that I am learning soon.
photo from apairofpears.com