April's Verse - Living and Active
29/03/11 13:38 Filed in: Bible
Why bother reading the bible? Surely we can find a way that is more interesting and more fun to spend our time? Why all the focus on a fusty, millennia old book? Well, because frankly, it's much more than just a book.
The verse on the calendar for this month describes it well. It says: “For the word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) This is a book unlike any other. Whenever someone reads the bible, they aren't just filling their minds with information; there's a real change in the reader - God's word has a transforming effect.
This effect isn't always an enjoyable one. God sometimes uses the bible as a spotlight, highlighting our shortcomings, and putting the focus squarely on our sin. He causes us to look past our respectable exteriors and straight into the darkest recesses of our hearts. And if we're honest with ourselves, we won't like what we see.
But the bible doesn't stop there. It's good news. It's just that sometimes to see the good news, we have to grasp the bad. The bible exposes our problem - that our sins alienate us from God - but it also points us to the solution. The bible tells us about Jesus, who has done everything necessary to remove the sin-stain.
It's much more than a book. It's living and it's active. It's God's gift for his people, one of the ways he supports us in a sometimes dark and distressing world. It gives comfort to the despairing, guidance to the uncertain, correction to the mistaken, and encouragement to the worn down
Ask any Christian you know, and I'm sure they'll be able to share their experiences of the bible. They'll be able to tell you how reading it has helped them, how they've found God's word to be a gold mine of wisdom, and a rich source of joy.
God has given us a wonderful gift. It would be a tragedy to leave it unused.
The verse on the calendar for this month describes it well. It says: “For the word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) This is a book unlike any other. Whenever someone reads the bible, they aren't just filling their minds with information; there's a real change in the reader - God's word has a transforming effect.
This effect isn't always an enjoyable one. God sometimes uses the bible as a spotlight, highlighting our shortcomings, and putting the focus squarely on our sin. He causes us to look past our respectable exteriors and straight into the darkest recesses of our hearts. And if we're honest with ourselves, we won't like what we see.
But the bible doesn't stop there. It's good news. It's just that sometimes to see the good news, we have to grasp the bad. The bible exposes our problem - that our sins alienate us from God - but it also points us to the solution. The bible tells us about Jesus, who has done everything necessary to remove the sin-stain.
It's much more than a book. It's living and it's active. It's God's gift for his people, one of the ways he supports us in a sometimes dark and distressing world. It gives comfort to the despairing, guidance to the uncertain, correction to the mistaken, and encouragement to the worn down
Ask any Christian you know, and I'm sure they'll be able to share their experiences of the bible. They'll be able to tell you how reading it has helped them, how they've found God's word to be a gold mine of wisdom, and a rich source of joy.
God has given us a wonderful gift. It would be a tragedy to leave it unused.