You’ve Got Mail (by Ed Allen)

You’ve Got Mail (by  Ed Allen)
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In the summer, two of my grandsons and I were meeting weekly for bible study. When school started it became difficult to schedule time for the study. One of the boys mentioned that a friend had set a goal to read through the bible in one year. I made a commitment to the boys to also read through the bible during the coming year and send to them by e-mail my thoughts on some portion of the scripture I had read each day.

An example follows:
Numbers 19, 20, Psalm 28 & Mark 5
Mark 5:16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to implore Him to leave their region . 18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

(Observation) When Jesus ordered the legion of demons to “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” they ask to be sent into a herd of swine. Jesus allowed it and the swine drowned. The people were afraid and ask Jesus to leave. The cleansed man wanted to leave with Jesus, but Jesus commanded him to be a witness of the Lord’s action to his own people. The man was obedient.
(Interpretation) Jesus does not dwell with a person who does not want Him. Having seen the loss of the swine the people judged the possibility of some additional loss to outweigh the opportunity to know the one whom even the demons feared and obeyed.

rev320(Cross-reference) Revelation 3: 20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. (Application) I would do well to pray before during and after I witness to a man that God would draw him to himself and open his heart to the gospel.
Grandpa

Midway through the year I ask the elder boy if he was benefiting from the emails. He responded that he read them every day. I asked would he like to invite his friend to join us. He did. The friend accepted and we put him on the list.

My wife Shirley told one of our daughters about the activity and she asked to be included also. I shared the request with the boys and they agreed. One said, “Cool, put her on.” This daughter’s kids are too young to read and she wanted to archive the e-mails for their future use. At the end of the first year I offered to continue for another year if the kids were interested in more of the same. They were and I have.

Shirley suggested that I invite all 5 of our own grown kids to participate. When ask, all 5 wanted in on the program. They also agreed that I could list men outside the family who might benefit from the e-mails. Several men that have been or are now in studies with me receive these daily e-mails. Two men who have heard the gospel but not accepted it have also agreed to receive the daily e-mails.

Over the years in my Christian walk I have observed that a daily quiet time is, at once, the most beneficial thing that I can do and the most difficult discipline to maintain. The keeping of this commitment to my grandsons and now others has been a great benefit to me personally.

I have had no requests to be removed from the list. I keep no one accountable to it. One man says he forwards to several others, one of whom he knows, also forwards it on. Occasionally a man will bring one to bible study for discussion.

A given e-mail contains only a few bible verses and never more than one page total. I may offer as part of my own comments an observation, interpretation, application, testimony or illustration. When a cross-reference comes to mind it is included. I keep the application in the first person.

I keep no permanent record, beyond the sent file, for myself in an attempt to keep each days devotion fresh. When this was started I thought it would be instructive to my grandsons as an example or approach to their own individual quiet time. Now it seems that it may also have other benefit to other people that I interact with.

From time to time I do repeat one verse: Acts 17: 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.