Week 7 of Reading the Bible in 90 Days

It is hard to believe that seven weeks have passed and that I am now over halfway through reading the Bible.  Such an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment floods my heart as I look at the placement of my bookmark.  Even though this challenge has been tough at times, there is no way I would give up now.  I've come to far to let anything keep me from finishing God's Word completely in 90 days. 

This week was the end of Psalm and I loved how various praise songs kept popping into my head as I would read.  It was interesting to see the Bible verses that inspired the songs that we sing in church today.  Since we have a musical family, this was especially fun for me and I enjoyed having those songs stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Proverbs is always a fun book to read but what stuck out to me as I was reading was how many times a contentious woman is mentioned.  Four times something that is better than a contentious woman (Proverbs 21:9, 21:19, 25:24, 27:15) is mentioned.  Whether it was dripping water or the wilderness, it was a reminder to me to make sure that I guard my heart against bitterness and anger.  I think women especially have trouble with bitterness because we dwell and stew over the littlest of grievances and I never want to have a contentious heart.  Proverbs 14:1 states "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands."  I want to be the wise woman who builds up my husband and children and makes it a safe refuge from the world.  The book of Proverbs ends with the Proverbs 31 woman that every woman wishes she could be.  I struggle though with verse 15 because I am not a morning person; I am a "I need at least 1 cup of coffee before I can think clearly" person.  I don't know if I'll ever be able to rise while it is still dark with a joyful heart but I will keep trying.

This week I also read through Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.  The theme for Ecclesiastes is that everything is meaningless and it is depressing to read until the very last two verses (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)  The book is summed up: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."  Life is meaningless without fearing God and following His ways.  The idea that kept playing in my mind as I read through Song of Solomon was do not awaken desire until its time.  This book is a celebration of marital love but contains the admonition to wait until the time is proper to awaken love.  Society could take a lesson from that idea and I want to guard both Sweetpea and Buddy from being swept up in a culture that says it is okay to give away your heart over and over. 

The book of Isaiah was started yesterday and it has been a good read so far.  I think I say this every week but read God's Word!  Take the time to read every word, even if you can't do it in 90 days.  God's Word will not return void!