I saw an Upper Room Devotional today about how important the Bible is. And I agree . . . but I also have some thoughts I would like to share:
This is so important, but when we think that the Word of God is the Bible instead of being Jesus, we are missing so much. It is easy to make the book and idol, and forget that the words can mean so much more when we know the Lord and the Holy Spirit reveals the meanings to us. Sometimes when people do not open their hearts to the Holy Spirit and just focus on the stories, poetry, history and prophecy in the Bible without believing that God is alive, they lose a great deal.
They do not understand that God personally wants to be in loving relationship with us in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Focusing only on the Bible itself can be like a loving friend or family member coming to visit you in person and instead of spending time talking with that beloved person, and enjoying time spent with her or him. It might be as if you would sit there in front of her or him and read all the letters she or he has sent to you instead of talking, listening, laughing together and just being happy to be in one another's presence.
Yes -- the Bible is holy because by reading it and learning about it we can open our hearts to the Lord -- but it is a doorway -- not the substance of the Lord. And there should not be a closed canon -- when we read the journals and stories about people who have known and loved God, we have a way of touching them in Spirit -- and our lives can be enriched. The most important thing is to be consciously open to the Holy Spirit and constantly seeking to receive God's love and return that love by helping others in loving ways -- beginning with our family members, our neighbors, and everyone who comes into our lives. That is what the Lord of Love wants for us. Love is the most powerful force in the universe . . . the only thing that lasts . . . the only thing that counts.
A CHILD'S BIBLE -- The Upper Room Devotional
"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work." [2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NRSV)]
* * * *
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." [Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)]
* * * *
When I was a child, my parents kept a collection of Bibles in a fancy glass cabinet in our living room. The Bibles were all different sizes and colors, some new and some old. I loved pulling them out and laying them in a row on the carpet. I would smell their leather covers and turn their delicate pages.
On my sixth birthday, I received a Bible of my own. I took it to Sunday school with me every week. Through the years of my childhood, I memorized verses, learned the stories of heroic prophets and godly men and women, and discovered what it truly meant to desire a personal relationship with Jesus.
One passage, Psalm 119:15-16, became especially powerful for me: “I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” The psalmist clearly had a passion for the word of God that I desired in my own life.
As I have prayerfully studied it, God’s word has provided hope and encouragement to me. I have become more capable of withstanding temptation and false teaching, and more and more I have been molded into the woman that God wants me to be.
Jill Armayor (Colorado, USA)
Thought for the Day:
Make a donation to the American Bible Society or the Gideons to provide Bibles to those who need them.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us take the time to meditate on your word, even during the busiest of days. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Children’s Sunday school classes
The Upper Room
This is so important, but when we think that the Word of God is the Bible instead of being Jesus, we are missing so much. It is easy to make the book and idol, and forget that the words can mean so much more when we know the Lord and the Holy Spirit reveals the meanings to us. Sometimes when people do not open their hearts to the Holy Spirit and just focus on the stories, poetry, history and prophecy in the Bible without believing that God is alive, they lose a great deal.
They do not understand that God personally wants to be in loving relationship with us in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Focusing only on the Bible itself can be like a loving friend or family member coming to visit you in person and instead of spending time talking with that beloved person, and enjoying time spent with her or him. It might be as if you would sit there in front of her or him and read all the letters she or he has sent to you instead of talking, listening, laughing together and just being happy to be in one another's presence.
Yes -- the Bible is holy because by reading it and learning about it we can open our hearts to the Lord -- but it is a doorway -- not the substance of the Lord. And there should not be a closed canon -- when we read the journals and stories about people who have known and loved God, we have a way of touching them in Spirit -- and our lives can be enriched. The most important thing is to be consciously open to the Holy Spirit and constantly seeking to receive God's love and return that love by helping others in loving ways -- beginning with our family members, our neighbors, and everyone who comes into our lives. That is what the Lord of Love wants for us. Love is the most powerful force in the universe . . . the only thing that lasts . . . the only thing that counts.
A CHILD'S BIBLE -- The Upper Room Devotional
"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work." [2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NRSV)]
* * * *
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." [Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)]
* * * *
When I was a child, my parents kept a collection of Bibles in a fancy glass cabinet in our living room. The Bibles were all different sizes and colors, some new and some old. I loved pulling them out and laying them in a row on the carpet. I would smell their leather covers and turn their delicate pages.
On my sixth birthday, I received a Bible of my own. I took it to Sunday school with me every week. Through the years of my childhood, I memorized verses, learned the stories of heroic prophets and godly men and women, and discovered what it truly meant to desire a personal relationship with Jesus.
One passage, Psalm 119:15-16, became especially powerful for me: “I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” The psalmist clearly had a passion for the word of God that I desired in my own life.
As I have prayerfully studied it, God’s word has provided hope and encouragement to me. I have become more capable of withstanding temptation and false teaching, and more and more I have been molded into the woman that God wants me to be.
Jill Armayor (Colorado, USA)
Thought for the Day:
Make a donation to the American Bible Society or the Gideons to provide Bibles to those who need them.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us take the time to meditate on your word, even during the busiest of days. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Children’s Sunday school classes
The Upper Room
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