A Love Note Left Unread

A love note slipped out of a hardcover thriller and stopped me in my tracks. It was simple, handwritten, and tender: “I love you and miss you,” finished with a little heart. The strange part was that the book looked untouched, like the person who received it as a gift never opened the cover, never saw the words meant for them, and never felt the comfort that was waiting inside.

That one moment sent our conversation somewhere deeper. So many of us treat the Bible the same way: we own it, we respect it, we may even move it from place to place, but we don’t actually read it. And when we don’t read Scripture, we miss the clearest picture of who God is, how He works, and how much He loves us. The dominating theme throughout the Bible is God’s love, and it’s not a one-time message. The more you return to God’s Word, the more you notice new details, new encouragement, and new direction for your real life.

We keep it practical and doable. You don’t need to “finish the Bible in a year” to start growing. You do need to open it, read with attention, think about what it says, and let it speak to you like a real letter. If you’re looking for a steady morning routine, a five-minute Christian podcast, or a simple push toward Bible reading and spiritual growth, this is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review with the one habit that helps you stay grounded.

Transcript

A Community Book Sale Story

The Hidden Note Falls Out

The Bible As A Love Letter

How To Read And Listen

Encouragement To Open God’s Word

Closing And Invitation To Return

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mack. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and let me help you start your day right. One of our local community service groups has an annual book sale. They collect literally thousands of books that are donated to them so that they can sell them at unbelievably low prices so that they can raise money for their community projects. In many cases, you can buy a paperback book for 50 cents or a dollar, and you can buy a hardcover for anywhere from five to eight dollars, which is an absolutely fabulous deal. Well, last fall my family and I attended one of these sales, and we walked into this large building that had dozens of tables set up around it with literally thousands of books, all sorted by the author's names. As my family walked in, we all sort of dispersed to find the authors that we like to read and see if there were any books there that we didn't have. And I wanted to pick up a couple books by a guy named Clive Cussler. I enjoy his stories every once in a while. And I went to the table where his books were and I was amazed at how many there were there. And I dug through to find ones I didn't have and collected three or four of them that I paid about five dollars each for. Hardcover books in excellent condition. This summer I needed to read another book that was one that was just sort of, you know, kind of fun, and nothing terribly serious that I needed to think a lot about. I just needed something fun and different, and that's what I go to Clive Cussler books. I enjoy them for that. I chose the book I wanted to read, and as I opened up the cover, a piece of note paper fell to the floor. I picked it up, and the note, very carefully written in a female hand, said, I love you and miss you. Think of me today with a little heart on the end. It was obvious that this book had been given as a gift to someone that this lady loved, but because of the mint condition of the book and the fact the note was still in there, I don't think the person who received the book actually ever saw it. And they missed the message that was inside. When I showed it to my wife and talked to her about it, she said, you know, that's kind of like it is with many people with the Bible. They don't actually open it up and read it, and they miss a lot of the really good stuff that God's put in there. And she was absolutely right. The Bible is full of the amazing truths about God, about how he works, about who he is, about how much he loves us and his plans and purposes for us. You can read through the Bible a dozen times or more, and every time you read through it, you will find something new and something different that you didn't see or understand in that way before. It really is a living and powerful book that impacts us and changes us, and there are many hidden riches inside of it. The dominating theme throughout the Bible is God's love for us. In fact, the Bible has often been described as God's love letter to us. The sad part is that there are so many people that don't understand that God is for them, that he loves them, that he wants to help them, because they really don't understand who he is and what his purposes are. How do we get a hold of what God wants us to really know? Well, one of the most important and key ways of learning about God is to read what He has said to us. Read through the Bible, know the Bible. We don't need to read it in a year, we don't need to read it in two years, but we do need to read it. And I guarantee you, every time you stop and read God's word, and I mean really read it, listen to what it says, think about what it says, let it speak to you. And when you are open to that, you'll find the hidden riches that there are in there. What you don't want to do is let your Bible sit there and not be read because just like that Clive Cussler book that had this wonderful note of love, but they didn't open up the book. They never read the note. The note that says I love you. And every time you open up God's word and read it, he says to us, I love you. So I encourage you to read your Bible. Let God speak to you. Let him encourage you. Let him remind you how much he loves you and he cares for you, and he wants to work with you and in you. And you will be blessed and encouraged. I hope you have a wonderful day, my friends. Take care, and we will talk again tomorrow. Thank you for joining us today, and I invite you to join us every Monday to Friday right here at Starting Right with Danny Mack.