God’s Word is truly something I love. I will never forget when God’s Word came alive to me for the first time. It was about 19 years ago, I was not a new believer, in fact I had been a believer for a long time, but I was in the middle of a very dark season of my life.
I had always believed the lie that God’ s Word was for the minister, or church leaders to understand and truly interpret. It was something I valued, and something I read daily, but it was just that, something I read daily. It wasn’t something I read and believed it could speak to me or I could interpret and it certainly didn’t occur to me that I could teach to others. But God…WOW He changed something in me that cause a fire to be lit that was indescribable.
I had a mentor in my life during this season that begin to show me and help me learn that God’s word was for everyone to come alive in their life. The truth is this is something Jesus wants for every one of us, and HE wants it for us daily.
You may be like me and be living inside that lie that the Word of God isn’t for you to interpret, or perhaps you believe another lie that I did, and that was that I couldn’t comprehend God’s Word.
When I was in early grade school, I had a teacher who spoke words that attached them self to me, that begin to define how I would perceive my ability to read and comprehend. Honestly, those words impacted me all through school, college, and my adult life.
However, God re-writes our story and I am grateful. He is still re-writing my story and re-writes the scripts in our minds. He will tear down the wallpaper in our minds and hang fresh wallpaper if we allow Him to.
If you have ever removed wall paper you know it is not an easy job, you have to work to get it off, and if you have ever hung wall paper that is not an easy job either, you have to be very patient. I remember as a kid wallpaper was a big thing. My dad hung his fair share of wallpaper and it took time to make sure it was lined up, he was always so patient and very particular in getting it hung and it always looked great. I remember one day though, he was really struggling to get it lined up and he said, “ It is a good thing I am such a good man, or I would say horse manure right now.” We have had plenty of laughs about that statement.
There is such a lesson here though and that is to rehang or re-write the story in our brain we have to be patient, particular, and persistent. And honestly, there are days when I just want to say “oh horse manure” and just give up and quit. With out Jesus I would.
I am still on this journey of knowing that God’s word is something that is not only I can comprehend it is some that I can study and I can enjoy.
DL Moody says- The scriptures were not give to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.
Many people see the Bible as confusing, stuffy stories of the past that really don’t relate to us today. That view point is exactly what the enemy would want us to have, because then he knows that we will not pursue the life changing truth of the Word of God.
The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts.
At times we may feel like we are wading through deep waters of understanding trying to decipher
the truth of God’s Word and applying it to our lives.
I like what Dwight L Moody says about the challenge of understanding God’s Word.
He says, I am glad there is a depth in the Bible I know nothing about, for it shows divine authorship. Once, a man came to Mr. Moody with a rather difficult passage, and said to “Mr. Moody, how do you explain that?” Mr. Moody’s’ response, “I don’t.”
The gentlemen went on to say, “How do you interpret it?” Mr. Moody said. “I don’t interpret it.” The gentlemen said, “Well, how do you understand it?” Mr. Moody’s response, “I don’t understand it.” The gentleman said, “What do you do with it?” Mr. Moody said “I believe it! I believe many things I don’t understand.”
God’s truth transcends us, we must be content to believe some things we don’t fully understand.
God delights to reveal His truth and enlightening our hearts and minds. He loves for His children to understand His ways. Deuteronomy 29:29 says The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
So, since God delights in revealing Himself through His word I am going to share over the next few blog posts some ideas and tools to help launch us into regular, satisfying, and even enjoyable practices of Bible reading and study.
View comments
+ Leave a comment