When I was growing up I was taught that God's word was my "instruction manual".  I was told in order to know God I must read His instruction manual and that if I loved God I would put Him first and spend 30 min a day in quiet time.  So I did, because I wanted Him to know I loved Him.  God honored my time with Him, though my approach was more out of duty and obligation to be a good soldier of the Lord than a response to His invitation of love.

Someone said something to me the other day that hit me square between the eyes.  In my 27 years of walking with God, 49 years of life, no one had ever said it like this before.  They said,  "You did not invite God into your life....God inivited you into His." 

Years ago, while teaching some younger women in a study, I was trying to explain to them how important the Word of God was.  As I began to tell them it was their instruction manual, God caught me and stopped me mid sentence.  He spoke to my heart..."tell them it is my love letter to them."  He began to remind me of the love letters my husband had written to me during our long distance relationship.  He reminded me of how I would steal away and read, savoring every word written.  I couldn't wait to get home to see if there was a new one in the mailbox.  Each time a new letter had arrived my heart was stirred with longing to draw away and learn more about the one who was pledging his love to me.  His letters were revelations of love.  I would read them over and over again until I had them memorized.  It didn't take any effort.  I wanted to know, I wanted to be loved on.

I started thinking about this picture with God's word and the picture of the "instruction manual" picture plus how I had been taught about my "quiet time".  What would have happened if I had read my husband's letters like a required reading?  I began to wonder what it would be like to read God's Word like a love letter.  The thought drove me to a deeper understanding of this thing called "love".

I have always struggled with Leviticus.  After all it can be a tedious book to read.  But if I think about it in the "love letter" context then what Leviticus speaks is that because of God's great love for me He sent Jesus to fulfill the law so that I did not have to live Leviticus.  Levitcus speaks of Christ's rescue of my life.  Leviticus takes on a whole new meaning.

The Word started to come alive in ways that I had not anticipated, just by understanding the true picture of God's Word, I was awakened to a whole new world.  They are my love letters, writtien to me, revealing the passionate heart of God towards ME.

I could go on with more....but I'll save the "more" for another time.

Thanks for reading!