In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5
When I was five years old and living in Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, New York, there was a summer bus that brought us to the public library. I think it was then that I learned to love books. Reading became my favorite pastime. While other kids were playing tag, I was reading a book. Reading became my comfort and my escape. I would get lost in the stories. Sometimes I even stayed up all night to get to the end of a book!
When I became a follower of Jesus, it was very natural for me to love reading the Bible, but there is something that makes the Bible different from every other book: This book lives. God is present in the pages of the Bible.
As I read the Bible, I realized that God did not give us the Bible as a rule book. It’s meant to show us how to live and how not to live. We learn who to be and who not to be. There are characters who show us the rewards of living for God and the consequences of not living for God.
I have become passionate about the Word of God, not because I am a pastor, but because the Word of God has transformed my life. The power of the Living Word to convict and correct, to comfort and encourage my heart is the reason the Bible has become my favorite book.
Through knowing the Scriptures I have learned how to recognize the voices calling for my attention. Knowing the written Word allows the Holy Spirit to help me discern more quickly where those voices come from.
Sometimes the inner voice is God Himself calling me forward. I know it because I have learned His character as I have read through the Bible's pages. Sometimes it is my own heart that is loudest. I've learned to recognize that echo as I have gotten to know the people in the stories of the Bible. Sometimes I see myself in a hero like Joseph, but, on occasion, or maybe even, more often, I see myself in a villain like Jezebel (the worst of the worst!). Ouch! Those moments are painful, but, oh so transforming.
The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to transform our lives. I know that is true because He has done it for me. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God work together to give us power for life. You cannot separate the Word and the Spirit. They work together to help us know and live for God.
The way people often approach the Bible is to pick and choose verses without looking at them in the context of the whole of Scripture. It would be like picking up pebbles from inside the Grand Canyon. Geologists understand that in order to really understand the pebbles you need to see them in the context of their location. You need to get the Big Picture. If I go to the Grand Canyon and only pick up pebbles, but never observe it’s grandeur from the ridge, have I really seen the Grand Canyon? Every “pebble” from the Word of God needs to be looked at in the context of the “Grand Canyon." You and I need to engage with the whole Bible.
You may not realize that the Bible is one story from beginning to end, not just a collection of stories and rules. Really! It is! It is the story of God’s loving pursuit of rebellious people and His extravagant demonstration of love through the sacrifice of His Son. It is the story of humanity’s fall and separation from God and God’s desire to restore that relationship. All throughout the Bible God is reaching out, man is refusing. Are you looking at your favorite verses in that context?
Every smaller story in the Bible points to that Story. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus and the cross, the Gospels tell about Jesus and the cross, the rest of the Bible looks back to Jesus and the cross but points forward to eternity. The cross, Jesus' sacrificial substitution for rebellious humans, is the climax of the Bible’s story. Everything after the cross points back to the cross as the turning point in the Bible's Story and looks forward to the future consummation of Heaven where humanity's relationship with God is perfectly restored. Oh, what a glorious day that will be! The Bible is not just about a better life now. It is to prepare us for eternity. One Story with a magnificent ending. Can you see why it is my favorite book?
You may not love reading, but do you have a favorite book? I'll be you do. Everyone does! But has that book transformed your life? It might have encouraged you or challenged you, but did it really transform you?
I want to encourage you, Dear Friend, learn to love my favorite book. It will transform your life as it has transformed mine!
Key thought: The Living Word will transform your life!
A Scripture to consider: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5
A YES challenge: How much time do you spend in the Bible on a daily basis? Challenge yourself to start with at least 5 minutes every day and watch God begin to transform you!
Prayer: Father, I thank You for your Living Word. Help me learn to love You with all my mind as well as my heart. Help me to make Your word a priority in my life so that You can make me into the person You want me to be and so that I can live the way You want me to live. Amen.