The Word of Life
“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” (Psalm 119:15-16)
Is the Bible an obligation, something that we know we should read whether we have enthusiasm for it or not—like finishing our vegetables before we head on to dessert? If so, we have perhaps not accurately understood the weight of this Word that God has given us. It is more than literature, more than history, more than theology. It is life.
Many a reader has gotten bogged down in the “begats” and “thou shalts” of the Bible, missing the relevance of those sections in establishing our faith as historical and human. But think about our condition: We are lost in this world, not knowing which way is up. Every midlife crisis or pang of existential angst will force us to admit it, whether we want to or not. Meanwhile, the Bible smolders on the shelf, burning to answer our ultimate questions on meanings and mysteries. It is the revelation of the Divine. It has all the wisdom we need.
The Bible is more than literature, more than history, more than theology. It is life.
Your culture and whichever elements of it you dwell in—whether it’s your work environment, your entertainment choices, your conversations with friends, etc.—will constantly try to pull you into its value system and its own sense of morality. God’s Word, if we will let it, will pry us back out of it. Only the Word can resist the currents of this world and shape us according to God’s design.
Does this mean we should avoid our culture? No, we cannot escape it. In fact, we should involve ourselves in our world in order to influence it for God’s Kingdom. But we cannot be swayed by it. Let the Word be a stronger influence in your life than any other philosophy or value system. Not only should we give it proper attention; we should delight in it, crave it, and savor it. When we do, it will accomplish in us all that God means for it to accomplish. It will make us everything we are meant to be.
“Some read the Bible to learn, and some read the Bible to hear from heaven.”
—Andrew Murray
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©2023 Walk Thru the Bible
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