The Word of God is an obvious place to start on our journey of what it looks like to follow Jesus. The Bible is the Word of God. You've probably heard the anologies that the Bible is God's love letter to His people or our instruction manual for life. Corny or not, both are true. How will you know the heart or intentions of a lover if you never read the love letters? How will you know how to assemble a bike or bake a cake unless you crack open the instruction manual (or recipe book) and follow the directions?
The Bible is TRUTH.
This is not just some story. It's not a legend or myth.
Some recommended resources in studying the validity of the Bible:
http://www.leestrobel.com/channels/Bible.php -- Videos & Articles by Lee Strobel
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/bib-docu.html -- Great article by Jimmy Williams
"[S]o is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).
- God's Word, the Bible, never lacks purpose.
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
- The Word of God is ALIVE! It is full of God's power to change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh... to bring comfort in a moment of despair... to challenge and encourage where needed. God works through the Bible - not as a mere book, but as His words - to speak to His people.
"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" (2 Timothy 3:16).
- The Bible serves to equip us!
The Bible is PEACE + COMFORT.
In a world that attempts to provide peace via a myriad of different facets - whether relationships, chocolate, bubble baths, movies/media, etc. All of these things may act as some kind of "escape" from reality.
One of my favorite authors, Leslie Ludy, speaks to this idea in her book Set Apart Femininity:
"By filling my mind and heart with movies and TV, I was certainly not delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating upon it day and night. Rather, I was meditating on the sights, sounds, and messages of pop culture day and night. I was looking to entertainment to bring the rest, refreshment, and pleasure that was supposed to be found in my relationship with Christ" (73).
Movies and television are not inherently bad, but why would I choose to turn to something in the world when I am in need of peace when the God of the universe has given me this book full of His words of encouragement that will speak directly to my heart and bring all the refreshment and "escape" that I need?!
The Bible is GUIDANCE.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105).
- The Bible lights up my path and directs my course.
Some may argue that the Bible is irrelevant and out-dated. This is definitely not the case as the Bible talks about finances, relationships, marriage, health, leadership, poverty, death, anxiety, doubt, fear, faith, and so much more. ALL of these things are MORE than relevant to life today. They pretty much make up "life today"!
I can turn to the Word of God to find instruction in HOW to live my life and HOW to make decisions. (Unfortunately, I don't necessarily have a personalized life plan - complete with who I will marry, where we will live, and what our ministry will be - drawn out at the end of the book of Hebrews... I wish. BUT, through the Bible, I've learned that decision making requires an ample amount of trust and confidence and faith.)
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On our last night on one of the islands in Panama, one of the church leaders, Marcelliano, asked me to tell him more about God. I was a little caught off guard... there are so many directions you could go in responding to that! I started out by asking if he owned a Bible - assuming nothing. He smiled proudly and said, "Yes, I do." Then I asked if he reads his Bible. His smile quickly faded and his gaze dropped to the ground as he replied with, "No... not really."
Well, there's the issue right there, my friend! I told him that I could stand there and tell him everything I know about God, but it will mean so much more for him to experience God on His own through studying His words in the Bible. It does no good to treat the Bible like an aged book and allow it to sit on a shelf and collect dust. He needed to open the Bible and read for himself; to allow the powerful words of God to work in his life and change him on the inside.
Marcelliano was hungry for truth. He wanted to grow and learn more about God. He even owned a Bible, he just had not been putting forth the effort needed to pursue his own self-development and learn more about this God that he claimed to truth and live for.
What's your excuse? You probably have access to not only a Bible, but other books centered around truth, or podcasts of sermons/teachings, or a small group/bible study, or a Bible commentary, or the INTERNET (hello!). We have so many resources to learn and study and grow, but how many of us put forth that effort and invest time and energy into studying God's Word and choosing to live by it.
We can't be Christians who just keep our Bible on our nightstands and pick it up only to carry it to church... "[So] if we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are [both] speaking falsely and do not live and practice the Truth [which the Gospel presents]" (1 John 1:6, AMP).
Don't walk about in darkness.
Choose to live by the truth... and in order to do that, you need to KNOW the truth!
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