Remember that when we stand before the Lord He will judge our actions AND our motives. We can do everything good from good or bad motives. May the driving desire of our heart be to please Him, the Own Who purchased us with His blood.  “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). (That verse is a reminder to me, mounted above the framed painting of a historic, helmeted, medieval soldier hanging at the end of our hallway. I see it many times a day.)

We read His Word to know Him and how to live for Him. That is a double blessing. We please Him and have assurance of our salvation. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). We don’t read Scripture for points, unless our motivation is wrong. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

One brother, not only encouraged his family but his church family to read through the Bible, and it was a blessing. “A year ago I encouraged our congregation to participate with me reading through the Bible for the year 2025. We had a good participation, even youth as young as 13 participated. This has been a real blessing. We are now doing 2026 also. We planned (what I called) Grand Ole Bible reading Finale Lunch and games next month, focusing largely on the young people and a way to encourage them to continue reading through the Bible in 2026. Everyone of the youth that signed up for 2025 completed reading through the Bible. This is very exciting! I find the more I read it the more I desire more of it.”

God desires to use each of us. First, in our family, but then in every contact and relationship. Be salt my brothers. Be salt. (Matthew 5:13)

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).