One thing I LOVE about Scripture is that it is relatable (which I’m going to talk more about next week). Maybe you’re thinking “yeah, right! It doesn’t even make sense.” It can, and it really does! When I’m studying Scripture, I always try to look at it as a story, because it is just that. It’s not a book that fell from the sky. It’s a story, written by 40ish men over the course of around 1,500 years. How does that even happen? Seriously?
It’s single handedly God! He is in the details! 2 Timothy 3:16 reads, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work.”
Think about this: There were no computers, emails, tablets, or even paper notebooks to pass this story down. However, these men were able to connect the dots as though they were writing it together, which is just mind blowing to me. If we start in Genesis and we read the Bible as ONE story (both the Old and New Testament), we will deepen our faith and learn more about God, especially about His character and His heart for His people. We will also see that it really is ONE BIG story, not about perfect people, but about ONE perfect person, Jesus Christ. God used Jesus, His One and Only Son, to create level ground for anyone who calls upon His name. That’s what the story is about – from Genesis to Revelation – ALL of it.
What’s fascinating to me is that we tend to take one verse here or there and quote it, and often, we’re quoting it out of context. God doesn’t just give us a verse. He gave us the entire story: His Story. In order to understand it though, we need to read it as though it is that. We need to try to understand the things that culturally do not make sense to us because our culture today is SOOOOO different than it was back then. It’s almost as though we have to look at it through the lens of history, which is exactly what it is.
What we really need to remember while we’re reading or studying are these things:
The Bible isn’t a book about us. It’s a book about God. It isn’t intended to shame us into behavior modification. It’s intended to TEACH us about God, His character, and His plan for all of humanity. In learning more about God, there will be a heart change, which will affect our behavior, but it starts at the heart. We will become more like Him.
The Bible isn’t supposed to be used like a Magic 8 Ball: Asking a question, flipping to a random page, and looking for an answer is kind of fun, but it’s not how we should be using it. Rather it’s there to give us a story. In that story, we can find a lot of wisdom for life too though.
And lastly, the Bible isn’t a one-and-done deal. We don’t read it once and put it down. We read it, and then we re-read it - again and again. Every time I open my Bible, I discover or learn something new, and every time I read it, I love it more than the last time.
Friends, let’s be people of the Word. I want to challenge us all to make it a habit of getting into the Word of God. Not once a week or when we’re having a bad day, but every day. Let’s really get to know God through His Word, which is “...living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). It is both life changing and life giving, and that’s what we all need. At least I know I do.
And before you think: “I don’t like to read,” stop! It’s 2025 and with the technology we have, we can listen to it! It can be read to us as we are driving in the car, walking on the treadmill, sitting on the couch, or doing dishes. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just do it. Get into the Word this week in whatever way that works for you!
Have a great week, friends!
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