“I don’t know
what to do!!! I wish God would just send me a post card!” my friend Sony shared.
Sony’s lament echoes the thoughts of many. We need wisdom and instruction to make good choices.
We want God to guide and direct us—to tell us definitively what to do
and when and where and how. Could you send send us a “postcard” with
instructions, God?
The Bible says God has. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) God knows we need and desire guidance, instruction, and spiritual discipline. That’s why He gave us His Word.
Yet, many Christians admit they find it a difficult, sometimes dry read. Why? For me, the only way to bring the Bible to life is to apply it! Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.”
Simply reading the words in the Bible isn’t enough. If we don’t apply what we read, the Bible becomes nothing more to us than a rather impractical collection of old manuscripts.
So, how do we bring the Bible to life? 2 Peter 1:20-21 says we need the aid of God’s Spirit. Even before we open our Bibles, we should ask the Him to help us understand what we are reading, to engrave God’s truths on our hearts, and to give us the power to put them into practice.
Joshua 1:8 tells us to study Scripture day and night. Pondering even a small portion each morning and evening will feed our souls. Just as we need food every day to stay healthy, we need the spiritual bread of God’s Word daily; a large portion of Scripture on Sunday will not sustain us on Monday.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.”
To get the most out of what we read, East-West Ministries suggests four questions we can keep in mind:
What do I learn about God from this passage? (John 5:39)
What do I learn about people, especially myself? (Hebrews 4:12)Is there an example to follow? (1 Peter 2:21)
Is there a command to obey? (Deuteronomy 28:9)
As followers of Jesus, we want to go where He wants us to go and do what He wants us to do.
Psalms 118:107 tells us that the Word of God is a lamp to guide us in our daily living, a light to reveal where we should walk. And it’s right at our fingertips!
When we eagerly respond to the Spirit’s nudges, we will find the Bible to be a powerful tool God uses to remold, refine, and redirect us. God’s Word can come to life, leaping from the printed page directly to our hearts.
Be encouraged!
©2022 Pamela D. Williams
