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| Source: triumph30.org |
This purpose isn't earth shattering; in fact, it is what motivates any author or artist to write or create what they do.
But here's my unique, personal mission: to help you see God and His Word for the beautiful, glorious, matchless treasures that they are.
One game I like to play with my kids and friends alike is a game involving word associations. It goes something like this: I say the word "purple" and you say whatever word or phrase that first pops into your mind; it might be "flowers" or "dinosaur" or "eggplant." You get the idea (this is a great game for long road trips!).
I was reflecting recently upon which words one might think of when they hear the word "Bible." It saddened me to realize that some words others might consider include: "boring," "irrelevent," "old," or "hard to understand."
My prayer, dear one, is that you and I would instead associate words such as "truth," "beautiful," "life-giving," and "precious" with God's Word!
But how do we get there?
How do we develop hearts that long after and delight in God's Word, like the Psalmist describes here in Psalm 119?
In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
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.
Deal bountifully with your servant,
that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
I am a sojourner on the earth;
hide not your commandments from me!
My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.
You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments.
Take away from me scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your testimonies.
Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.
Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors. Psalm 119:14-24, emphasis mine
Well, I hope to dive into this concept throughout our next several blog posts, but one very practical way to delight in God's Word, that I want to leave you with today, is to actually know your Bible.
Quite frankly, this begins with actually reading it.
All of it.
Now there are two very important and different ways to read our Bibles. One is to read it devotionally, taking deep-dives into particular verses or passages of Scripture to understand what it says and how it speaks into our lives.
The other way to read the Bible is to read it in its entirety, surveying it for its context as a whole, while not necessarily understanding every passage and how it might specifically relate to your life.
Pastor John Piper purports that BOTH ways of reading the Bible are very important to grow in our knowledge and our love for the Lord. He speaks to both ways of reading the Bible here (and gives his own yearly Bible reading suggestions) if you'd like to learn more!
January is the perfect time to jump on board with a yearly Bible reading plan. I am going to be reading through the Bible chronologically with some of my girlfriends along with Stan and Iva May over at Chronological Bible Teaching. Not sure if you can commit for a whole year? Try my favorite three month plan here.
I'll leave you with two closing thoughts: a full head fuels a full heart. In other words, filling our minds with the truth and beauty of God's Word will necessarily increase our love for God. (To read more about that concept, check out this previous post here).
And finally, perhaps St. Jerome, a church father from the 4th century and author of the Vulgate, the Latin Scriptures, says it best:
"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ"Knowing (and therefore reading) our Bible is not optional, dear friend! It is not a luxury, and it is not just for those whom we deem to be church leaders or the *super-spiritual.*
If you are a Christian and claim to know Christ, you MUST know His Word! May we endeavor to know it more, and see it for the priceless treasure and delight that it is, in 2018!
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