What a gift we, God’s creation, have been given in the Bible! What a privilege, an honor, and a testimony of God’s unfailing love and his relentless desire to have a relationship with those whom He created in His very image! To know the very thoughts of God Himself is almost incomprehensible (and perhaps why so many struggle to have faith in its unwavering truths).
Yet so often, even among well-meaning Christians, His Word is rarely examined. We have been given a great jewel, golden nuggets from God Himself, insights from our Creator and Savior. How can we not be compelled to open those precious words and hear from the One whose love surpasses all others? How can we not be drawn to the Bible much as a groom is drawn to his beautiful bride and as a small child is drawn to his mother?
I have an intense yearning to hear from God and for His voice to be louder than my own or those of the noisy world around me. This can only happen if I dig into this great gift of God’s very thoughts, His unbending perspective, His unconditional love, all of which are found in the Bible.
Through both logic and faith, I can confidently conclude that the Bible is the true, unchanging, complete, error-free Word of God. Yet if I never read and study those words, I inhibit my life from being made holy by them. Jesus prays to God, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) In order for the Bible to become the living and powerful sword of the Spirit it is meant to be, it must be known.
Knowing God’s Word means faithfully studying it – in small groups, during church sermons, and by spending time daily reading and meditating upon it, sometimes with the assistance of a commentary or side notes and always in a spirit of prayer and humility, not needing to prove self- righteousness, but rather seeking to live right with the Lord.
Many temptations – sleep, work, internet, television, and even other good books - pull believers away from God’s Word. Devotional books may fill a “quiet time”, but nothing surpasses studying Scripture.
Every person can find time each day to read God’s Word. It simply must be a priority – over a nap, over Facebook, over a favorite television show, over a captivating novel, over a workout in the gym, over any task on the to-do list.
Reading the Bible each day is not a requirement of salvation or a method to earn more favor with God. Salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ, and as a Christian, God cannot love us any more or any less than He already does. No amount of good works – including minutes or even hours each day reading the Bible – will change our status as dearly beloved children of God’s.
However, this precious gift of God’s Word should lure all believers to know our Creator better in order to honor, imitate, and glorify Him. Our faith should compel us to both study God’s Word and trust it as the best way to live our lives.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it….” Joshua 1:8
2 comments:
Good blog. I agree with you. Way to sum it up.
Yes! I was thinking like this today while cleaning the toilet... I have spent YEARS doing quick surface cleanings when necessary... but rarely really scrubbing hard. I have had to clean a LOT more lately and have been amazed at what comes off with hard scrubbing that I thought were just stains there forevermore.How true is that about my quick surface-level time with the Lord lately? How much more clean could I be if I dug deeper and allowed Him to SCRUB me. What things that I just excuse now as "Oh, I'm a sinner... I'm just always going to struggle with that" could He truly erase from my life... if I let Him scrub.
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