What do you think of when you open your Bible?
Is it something like, “Let’s get over and done with?” I don’t know about you, but I’ve caught myself thinking that more times than I’m willing to admit.
It’s pretty bad. I mean, how would you feel if you were meeting a buddy for lunch and the first thing that he says when he sees you is, “Alright, let’s get over and done with?”
REVERENTIAL READER
Before Moses approached the burning bush, he was instructed to take his shoes off because he was entering the presence of the LORD (Exodus 3:2-6). And when the prophet Isaiah received the vision of the throne room of God in Isaiah 6, he immediately saw how unworthy and unclean he was when facing the LORD.
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of the people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)
I imagine he was prostrate, trembling in utter fear before God. And this is the prophet Isaiah – probably the godliest of the Israelites. And yet, before the holiness and righteousness of God, he cursed himself as unclean and unworthy.
When we approach God’s word, we ought to have a reverence like these prophets. We’re not just reading from any other ordinary book – we’re reading God’s own words!
What you do in this world will flow from who you are.
Do we really understand what that means? Because unlike Isaiah, we can approach the presence of God with confidence in Christ (Hebrew 4:16). And yet many of us spit on the privilege.
We need a profound shift in our minds about the Bible: Reading it is a supernatural experience. It can be so easy to get caught up in the corporeality of life that we unwittingly carry that attitude into spending time with God.
The Bible is so much more than a book for us to fill our heads with knowledge. It’s not a textbook. Knowledge is good, but if all we want is to extract information when in the presence of God – we probably aren’t going to find intimacy with Him. All we’ll get is information.
RADICAL TRANSFORMATION
Someone once told me that one way you can know the Bible is true, is by its ability to transform lives.
There are christians who busy themselves with theological debates in the wrong spirit, causing divisions in the Church just to be right. And then there are disciples across the globe who are giving up their lives for Jesus, with just their battered Bibles in hand.
Are you reading just to be right? Or is regular time with God’s Word causing you to be sold out for His will and purposes? If the Bible does not change your life in tangible ways, it is nothing more than a manual for you.
“So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.” (Mat 7:17-18).
Jesus teaches us that the only way we can know whether God’s transformation is at work within us is by the fruit we produce. And we know this from the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
I’m not encouraging us to step onto a performance treadmill. All I’m saying is when there’s input from God – there’s output. So the Bible is a catalyst for transformation in our hearts, from which works of faith will follow.
What you do in this world will flow from who you are. If the Word of God is integrated into your life through the power of the Holy Spirit, you will embody the lifestyle of Jesus and it must necessarily affect every deed and word that comes out of you.
DIG DEEPER FOR TREASURE
When we draw near to God, He draws near to us.
Today, follow Moses and take off your shoes before entering into God’s presence. Rid yourself of all the preconceived notions you’ve developed over the years of who God is, and let Him tell you who He really is.
Just as Moses received a revelation of who God is, my prayer for you is that you also will know God is as you discover Him in His Word.
May God give you a love for His Word as you delve deeper into it. May you find overflowing joy in this great treasure you’ve found (Matthew 13:44). May God draw you closer and deeper to Himself.
