CHAPTER
4: The Bible
Blog by Megann Graf
Blog by Megann Graf
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting
and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly
equipped for
every good work.”
The Bible is the
Word of God. He breathed it into
existence. Everything in it is from
Him. I know that as a Christian I am
supposed to read it every day. So
why do I have such a hard time understanding it?
Why do I have such a hard time wanting to read it?
Why do I get so irritated when people pick and choose a verse for their
“side” of a debate? And, how can
we say that scriptures support opposite sides of the same topic?
Anybody with me on this??
Well, I have
good news and bad news. The good
news is there are answers to most of these questions! The bad news is that all
of those answers are found in the Bible. Before
you get mad at me, I don’t really think that is bad . . . .but I do think it
is hard. If we believe what
scripture says, then we have to understand that the Bible is a living book.
And, if there’s one thing I know about life, it’s that it never stays
the same . . . it is always changing. Life
is never going to remain the same, so how cool is it to know that, while the
Bible doesn’t change, it does have the ability to mean something new to me
each time I read it.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper
than any two-edged sword,
and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and
marrow, and able to
judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” NASB
If the word of
God is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of my heart, then even if my
mind is reading it and thinking, “what does this mean,” the Word is able to
judge my intentions. If we set an
intention to get into the Word of God and it is our hearts desire to grow and
learn from it, then we have to trust that God will provide that knowledge in His
time. And, we also have to invite
the Spirit of God into that time so that we can rely on the Holy Spirit to guide
us in our understanding.
2 Peter 1:20-21 “Above all, you must
understand that no prophesy of Scripture came about by
the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
For prophesy never had its origin in the human will,
but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by
the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew Henry
wrote, in his concise commentary on this verse: “How firm and sure should our
faith be, who have such a firm and sure word to rest upon! When the light of the
Scripture is darted into the blind mind and dark understanding, by the Holy
Spirit of God, it is like the day-break that advances, and diffuses itself
through the whole soul, till it makes perfect day. As the Scripture is the
revelation of the mind and will of God, every man ought to search it, to
understand the sense and meaning.”
Prayer: God, I
pray that Your Holy Spirit would guide me and reveal to me Your truth as I read
Your word. Discern the intentions of
my heart and I pray that they would be sincere and humble before you.
Help me to understand what I struggle with, help me to see with new eyes
things that should take on new meaning for me, and, above all, help me to
believe that Your word will lead me to a greater and deeper understanding of who
You are. Amen.
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