31 Days of Love in Red Letters

Don’t you just love October? The colors, crisp air, warm drinks, fall festivals, PUMPKINS, and the long-awaited reunion with cozy long-sleeves? I love it all. October leaves much to fall for. 🙂

This October, I’m taking the 31 Days challenge on my blog. I will link up with hundreds of bloggers at the Nester’s place–to write for 31 days.

But because I like making my own rules sometimes, I plan to write on weekdays only. That’s actually based on other bloggers’ suggestions. This way, I’ll live my weekend moments more fully, and who wants to spend a second of a perfect fall weekend indoors, at their computer?

This challenge will be a stretch for me, but that’s kind of the point. It’s all about diving deep into a topic of your choice and pushing yourself to write (and publish) every day (or in my case, every weekday).

So let’s jump right on in, shall we? Welcome to 31 Days of Love in Red Letters!

Last year, my husband was reading through the book of Matthew, when he came to the very last verse. “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” He realized he didn’t have a thorough understanding of all Jesus’ commands, so how would he teach them well?

He studied the four gospels, compiling a list of Jesus’ commands, along with who He was talking to and notes about the meaning. Many mornings, he sits at the breakfast table with our kids before work, teaching them the words of Jesus. This inspired me to write my 31 Days series about the words of Jesus, which in many Bibles are set apart in red letters.

In John 14:21, Jesus says, Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. (NIV)

So if we claim to love Jesus Christ, we will keep His commands. Love and obedience go hand in hand. The Bible is clear that we do not love Him if we do not obey Him. That does not mean we never disobey or that we never sin. In our hearts, we often prefer following ourselves more than we prefer following Jesus. It’s a definite struggle.

But we do not continue in sin if we love Jesus. When we see our sin, we confess and forsake it because we love Him.

Before we can obey Jesus, we need to “have” those commands stored up inside. We should know His words, who they were meant for, and what they mean. It takes time to study His Word, but the reward is great.

Luke 12:21 (NLT) says, A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.

Our reward through this study will be knowing Jesus better. Having a rich relationship with Him. At this point in my life, I can think of nothing better. I want to know Jesus, and know Him more. You too?

Join me as we visit a selection of Jesus’ words over the month of October. This will only be a start, but I hope it will inspire further study.

I treasure your comments on these scriptures and study notes, so please feel welcome to add your thoughts at the end of each post. If you want to receive these posts in your email inbox, enter your email address in the box to the right.

Now go out and ENJOY this beautiful October day!

~Angela

For your convenience, here are all my #31Days of Love in Red Letters posts:

{Day 8}: Take the Stairs

{Day 9}: Beauty of Blessedness

{Days 10-12}: Waves of Grace

{Day 13}: Before Wheat Bellies & Grain Brains

{Day 14}: Of Light