Home Is Where The Bible Is

By Joni and Friends|Published On: December 27, 2019|Categories: 4-Minute Radio Program|

Hey, do you want a strong marriage? Then build it around the Bible.

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and never were truer words spoken. The Bible – not just your favorite parts of it, but all of it – the Bible helps make a rich and satisfying marriage. Like, earlier this year when I was hospitalized for two weeks; I had some really bad health issues. And so for 14 days, my husband Ken camped out on a hard cot next to my hospital bed. I could tell he wasn’t comfortable, and so I suggested that a girlfriend could take a turn. But he refused. Even though the cot was small and cramped, he wanted to be by my side. I kept urging him to “go home hun, take rest,” but he insisted, “Joni, I want to be here; I wouldn’t feel comfortable not being here. Besides,” he said, “I can’t go home; home is wherever you are.”

Wow! Ken has said that to me before. But in the hospital, those words meant much, much more. I mean, I knew they were true; they came from his heart. For Ken and me, home is wherever we are together. And for those two weeks, home was room 318 on the pulmonary floor at Los Robles Hospital. When I laid in that hospital bed listening to Ken sleep, I was near tears, I was, because our marriage was not always this way. There were seasons when my disability would drive him away, almost overwhelm him. And me, too. And so, I laid there in a hospital bed, whispering prayers of thanksgiving, because I knew that it was God’s Word that had made the difference. Like, during that hospital stay? Ken Tada kept his Bible next to his cot, and we kept up with our Reading Through the Bible schedule. Every evening before the nurses changed their shift, Ken would faithfully keep up with our reading schedule in First and Second Kings. And as we read, (and we commented to each other about this), as we read through the Bible together, we shared how we both felt so at home, right there in room 318. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” it says in Colossians. And I love that word “dwell” because it infers a dwelling place, an abode, a real home. Home is wherever Ken and I are dwelling in God’s Word. And I believe that’s why my husband and I consider that our time together in that hospital, it was a blessing. For those two difficult weeks, our marriage grew deep and strong. It’s what happens when husbands and wives look to God’s Word for stability, guidance, hope, encouragement, reproof, correction; it’s what happens when God’s Word is our home. Wherever we are, wherever you are, make the Bible your home base.

And you can start it next week. Because come January 1st, I want you to join Ken and me in reading through the Bible in a year. This will be, let’s see, our 13th year that my husband and I will be reading it in chronological order. With all the events as they occurred, you gain an amazing sense of the flow of biblical history, and you really can see God’s passion to rescue and redeem His people. So get on board. Go to joniradio.org and download your chronological reading plan. And while you’re on my radio page, ask for your free gift; it’s our Bible Overview pamphlet. It lists through all the books of the Bible and where they fit in order, and it’ll be a great tool to keep up with your reading schedule. Keep it handy if you’ve got questions as you read through God’s Word. So, ask for our Bible Overview pamphlet, and sign up to receive my monthly updates on our chronological readings. Let’s do it together! In 2020, may God’s word dwell in your heart. May it be your home base. And get ready for it at joniradio.org.

© Joni and Friends

Bible Overview

This 12-page, fold-out pamphlet offers outlines, facts, themes, and key verses for all 66 books of the Bible. “Bible Overview” is an essential tool for gaining a big-picture understanding of each book of the Bible. Make it a priority to dig into Scripture this year!

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