The Story of God’s Love
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is the grand, redemptive story of God’s love for you and me. Nowhere else are we able to peer into the very depths of God’s heart and hear him say to us, “This is how much I love you.” Nowhere else are we able to find absolute certainty in who we are and what we mean to God—all because of our Savior, Jesus.
Welcome to Northwestern Publishing House’s The Story of God’s Love Reading Challenge!
We’re so very glad you’re here. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a reading challenge, this page has everything you need to know before you start!
The idea behind a reading challenge is pretty simple: You choose a book and challenge yourself to read through it in a certain amount of time. Ideally, you do this with someone else—like a family member or a friend—because accountability keeps us motivated to finish what we start.
That’s especially true when you consider that we struggle to find the motivation to continue growing in nonspiritual matters—even more so when it comes to our spiritual growth goal! We daily struggle against the influences of the world around us, the devil’s lies and temptations, and our own sinful natures. Leaning on each other for support and encouragement is how we keep going and growing in God’s Word!
So find a family member or a friend, and join the NPH family as we embark on this journey of spiritual growth! Pull up a chair, crack open your copy of The Story of God’s Love, and let’s read through it together.
God bless your study of his Word!
Click here to view the Weekly Reading Guide blog post.
For online discussion with other Christians on The Story of God’s Love, click here to join the NPH Book Club on Goodreads!
Learn more about the reading challenge by browsing the “Helpful Questions and Answers” section below!
Helpful Questions and Answers
Why The Story of God’s Love?
That’s a good question! For NPH’s first ever reading challenge, we decided to go with this book for a couple of specific reasons:
Many Christians want to be able to read through the whole Bible, and The Story of God’s Love helps you do just that! It’s a condensed Bible that is like reading the whole Bible in chronological order and is meant to summarize the whole plan of God’s salvation for people from Eden to eternity.
This book is recommended for first-time Bible readers who want to get a summary of the Bible before tackling all the details. That makes it a great resource to go through together with a family member or friend!
Each very manageable section of the book has an introduction to help you make the connection with the biblical context and includes a brief prayer that gives an application for each lesson to the plan of salvation and to Christian life.
How do I participate in The Story of God’s Love Reading Challenge?
Simple! Every Monday, starting January 1, 2024, we’ll post a weekly reading guide on our blog site. The guide will highlight which section of the book to read through each weekday (Monday–Friday) and will pose four devotional questions for your consideration after reading. You can download the weekly reading guide for free, print it, and jot down notes for yourself, or you can view the schedule on the blog site whenever you want!
How long does The Story of God’s Love Reading Challenge run?
Good question! The Story of God’s Love is split into 250 easy-to-read sections. If you stick to the weekly reading guide with us, you’ll be done with the book by mid-December 2024. But please read at your own pace! If you want to read through the whole book in a month, a week, or a day, go for it! If it takes longer, that’s alright too—we’ll keep these guides on our blog site so you can read them as you’re able. The goal of this reading challenge is spiritual growth—we’re not going to put a deadline on that.
What do the four devotional questions after each daily reading look like?
Great question! The four devotional questions are based on Martin Luther’s “four strand” approach to reading God’s Word. After reading each section of The Story of God’s Love, it’s helpful to reflect. As Psalm 1 encourages, we have opportunities to meditate on God’s Word every day! These four questions are a great way to do that. First, ask yourself: “What is God teaching me in this?” Then: “What does this lead me to be thankful to God for?” Next: “What does this lead me to confess?” And finally: “What does this lead me to pray for?” God bless your study of his Word!
Can I participate in this reading challenge with my church’s book club or Bible study group?
Absolutely! The Story of God’s Love is a great selection for a book club or a Bible study group. In addition to quantity discounts that apply when you buy in bulk (starting at six copies), the downloadable weekly reading guide on our blog site gives you a framework for your discussion of God’s Word!
It’s not January 1, 2024 anymore. Can I still join the reading challenge?
Of course! The weekly reading guides are designed for you to go at your own pace, meaning that you can start when you’re able. The guides will also remain archived on our blog site. Whether it’s January 1, 2024 or April 3, 2034, we’re glad you’re here!