I recently heard a quote that gripped my heart: “The Scriptures were life to Moses and food to Jesus. They cannot and must not be anything less to us. They are the very breath of God.”
How could we dare think we could ever live apart from the Word of God and expect to experience the fullness of knowing Him and bear the fruit that results by truly abiding in Him?
Yet, we do.
We get busy.
We get distracted.
We put the better thing off until we can get to it or even don’t do it at all.
And at some point this leads us to the end of our rope and the end of our own strength, bearing little to no fruit.
The Inward and Outward Working of Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that:
“Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”
This is good news!
When we drift and go astray, we are given clear direction and correction in God’s Word. When we are faced with circumstances that overwhelm our soul, we are given an anchor of truth to hold on to in God’s Word. When we find ourselves wrestling with our flesh, we are reminded what righteousness looks like in God’s Word.
It is in God’s Word where we can find the truth that our souls long to know. It’s because it points us to the One who holds all Truth: our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Paul also states in 2 Timothy 3:17 that “the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.” Not only do we find truth and hope in Scripture, but we also find purpose and mission. We have been given all we need through the pages of Scripture to do God’s work in the world and to live out our lives in righteousness.
The Protection from God’s Word
Studying the Bible and abiding in Christ are where we find our victory in life, for it is impossible to know God without knowing His Word. It is our protection from every scheme of the enemy and our flesh.
We run a dangerous risk and race when we live our lives contrary to God’s Word. As I tell my kids, our enemy, Satan, isn’t running around with a red jumpsuit and a pitch fork. He’s hiding in half truths and compromises, banking on our lack of knowledge of the Truth.
The Transformation from God’s Word
As I have walked through my own seasons of loss, grief, betrayal, and disappointment, I know firsthand the fight and commitment it takes to not allow our hearts to become hard, bitter, and completely devoid of the truths of Scripture.
In tough moments, it can be easy to put someone else on the hook and convince ourselves that we have the right to not let what they did or say to us go. And by go, I mean handing it over to the Lord and living free of offense and bitterness.
For me, the only reason I was able to do this in my own life was by setting my eyes and heart on the Lord. It was within the pages of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus and so many others that I saw myself, my sin, my betrayal, and my idolatry. I was able to see that what others had done to me, I had done to my Lord and Savior. It was this radical realization that broke my heart. I have never wept so deeply over my sin.
This is just one example of how God’s Word has impacted me personally. The Lord has continued to meet me in His Word. He has corrected me and called me up and out.
As we feast on His Word, the things of this world become less shiny and glittery. Making time to be in the Word is critical. If you are too busy to read the Bible, you’re too busy. I promise you this, the more you read it the more you will want to read it!
Stay connected to the very breath of God. This is where we will experience freedom and victory in Christ!
