James Merritt - 52 Weeks Through the Bible: Fall in Love with the Book That Changed Everything

Obviously, to attempt to take anyone through the greatest book ever written in the history of the world, not to mention it being the word of God, is an admittedly impossible task. Yet this book was born out of a desire to at least give some ESPN highlights, if you will, to not only have a 30,000-foot view but to get a ground-level shot of just how inspiring and important this book is to everyone and every life.

The more I read the Bible, the more I fall in love with its authorGod the Father; its subjectGod the Son; and its producerGod the Holy Spirit. The more I get into the Bible, the more it gets into me, and the more the me becomes like Him. When I drill into the Bible, I am filled with divine truth and thrilled with what it does to my mind, heart, and soul. It is my prayer that this book will whet your appetite to get a shovel and dig into its eternal treasure for yourself, for this book is not meant to be nor could it be a substitute for reading the Bible itself.

I have so many to thank for this project.

Debra Anderson was a joy to work with as she took rough coal from my hands and somehow transformed it into diamonds of narrative that sparkle with fresh biblical truth.

As always, my son Jonathan was an invaluable resource and constant encouragement to get this book to the finish line with chest out and head held high. Man, I wish I could write and think like he doesbut at least he looks like me!

So also is the team at Harvest House, a great bunch of folks led by a great friend and leader in Bob Hawkins. I proudly wear their uniform and am honored to work with them.

I am blessed to pastor Cross Pointe Church, and it is one of the greatest joys of my life to preach to people who love Jesus and his word.

My best friend and wife of four decades, Teresa, is the unseen driving force and support for all I do. I am more in love with her than ever, and if she ever leaves me, I am going with her!

Finally, as I said in my prior book 52 Weeks with Jesus , There is nobody like Jesus. Never has been and never will be. Likewise, there is no book like the Bible. Never has been and never will be.

When the poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott lay dying, he said to his son-in-law, Lockhart, Son, please bring me the Book. The son-in-law was a bit uncertain because Walter Scott had a large library, so he replied, Sir, which book? Which book? The dying saint answered immediately, My son, there is just one Book. Bring me the Book. He brought him his Bible. Yes there is only one book in the end that can bring eternal lifemay my book move you to this one book now and forever.

James Merritt is senior pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Georgia, and the host of Touching Lives, a television show that broadcasts weekly in all 50 states and 122 countries. He formerly served as a two-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Americas largest Protestant denomination. As a national voice on faith and leadership, he has been interviewed by Time , Fox News , ABC World News , MSNBC , and 60 Minutes .

He is the author of nine books, including How to Impact and Influence Others: 9 Keys to Successful Leadership ; What God Wants Every Dad to Know ; and 8 Ways to Hold on When You Want to Give Up.

Dr. Merritt holds a bachelors degree from Stetson University and a masters and doctor of philosophy from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Teresa, reside outside of Atlanta near their three children and two grandchildren.

Follow him on Twitter at @DrJamesMerritt.

Scriptures for This Week

John 18:20-21

John 16:25-28

Genesis 1:26-27

Genesis 1:28-31

John 1:16-18

There Is a Why to My Who

The people who ask questions are the ones who get answers.

I was a seventeen-year-old freshman mamas boy who was now five hundred miles from friends and family, and I was suffering from one of the worst maladies known to the human racehomesickness. The one anchor I knew I could find for the stormy seas I was sailing was a church. So, one Sunday I made my way into one, walked into a group for college kids, and sat down. I wasnt given answers that day. Instead three questions penetrated my heart:

Who am I?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

In order to figure out my who, I needed to address my why.

Everything is designed. Every car has a manufacturer, every building has a builder, every structure has an architect, every arrangement has a plan, every plan has a designer, and every design has a purpose. The first component of the grand story of the Bible tells us the same thing. We were put here for a purpose. We are not here by evolutionary accidentwe are here by divine appointment. No one knows when the human race began, but the first two chapters of Genesis leave no question as to why. It is all about a personal relationship with the God of creation. Scripture devotes more space to describing the creation of the first human than any other facet of creation. God wants all of us to know why we are here.

Relate Your Heart to God

Genesis 1:26 is a watershed moment in the creation narrative. Let us make man in our image after our likeness. This is the first time personal pronouns are used in Scripture. A personal relationship is established between God and the first human being, a relationship that does not exist with any other aspect of creation. God introduces himself for the first time with plural personal pronouns. He doesnt say, Let me create, but he says, Let us create. Who is the us? Biblical scholars recognize this as a reference to the Trinity.

God has always existed in a relationship as Father, Son, and Spirit in one. Out of that, God created usyou and me and everyone you know in a relationship and for a relationship. That is why when God created the first human, he said it is not good for this human to be alone. It is not good for you to be alone either. Therefore, God gives us himself. He is a God of relationships, and he wants us to be in a personal relationship with him.

When God created Adam it was the first time in all of creation that God gets his hands dirty. Up to this point, everything was verbally spoken into existence, but humanity was a hands-on operation. Humans are special, and are to be specially and specifically related to God. The number one reason you are on this earth is to relate your heart to God.

Reflect the Image of God

We are told four times that we are created in the image of God. Something makes humans different from every other created being. We have a unique identity. You have a unique identity. This is why God got his hands dirty. Unlike any other part of creation, we alone have been created in his image and in his likeness.

The word for image comes from a root that refers to a carving. We were carved into the shape of God to reflect him. That is not true of anything else in the universe. No other created being has a mind to know God, a heart to love God, or a will to obey God. We are different mentally, morally, and spiritually. Only humans can have a relationship with God and God only has a personal relationship with humans.

The heavens may declare the glory of God, the moon, the stars, and the planets may reveal the greatness of God, the mountains and the oceans may show us the beauty of God, but only humans reflect the image of God. Plants have a body, animals have a body and soul, but only humans have a body, a soul, and a spirit. That spirit is part of the difference. The spirit is our reflection of the image of God.

Rule Over the Creation of God

God did not put us on this earth to do nothing. From the first moment that the first man took his first breath, he was given work to do that was exciting and fulfilling. Genesis 2:15 tells us, The L ORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. That is a general job description of the human race. We were given this creation to tend and to keep. We are to manage it and take care of it. How is that to be done?