Bulletin December 2020
by Bruce Billington
Experiencing God Through His Word
This month, as we continue our theme on exploring who God is, I want to look into the importance of reading our Bibles regularly –in fact daily. Some of the reasons are obvious which we will look at briefly.
1. Reading the word discloses who He is.
We can never and will never know everything there is to know about God. The Bible doesn’t claim that. Its claim is that God has put everything in there that He wants us to know, or that we need to know about Him during our time on earth.
2. It causes us to be in awe of Him.
As we read the various Biblical stories and the accounts of who God is, His incredible power, how He expresses Himself, how much He loves us, how far above all other life He is, we are left only to humble ourselves before Him and offer Him our sacrifice of praise and worship. No other response is appropriate.
3. It teaches us how to live.
The Bible records and demonstrates what God expects from us. How to order our lives according to His purposes, how to handle such topics as marriage and family; economics; justice; education; creative arts; medicine; ecology and on the list goes. It is about proper stewardship of all He has entrusted to us.
4. It enables us to find His wisdom.
As we learn our way around the Scriptures we learn where to look for His wisdom and advice on all the issues of life. In fact, as we plant the depth of His Word within us, the Holy Spirit will often bring it to our mind as we face life’s issues.
5. The process of sanctification.
Reading the Scriptures is like looking into a mirror from God’s perspective. It pierces and divides soul from spirit, meaning, that it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart. As a result, we gain insight into the growth and the resistance of our soul. It reveals what we should be working on in our lives to continue to transform from one degree of glory to another.
Any one of these reasons make regular reading of Scripture both important and worthwhile. But there is another important reason that is often missed. It is one of the great treasures of life in a fallen world.
6. Hope for the future.
Regular reading of Scripture shows how life is moving forward according to God’s plan. The story begins with creation and, despite the fall, reveals how God works with His people to bring about His blessing upon this earth. The Old Testament unfolds the promise of a coming Messiah, who finally breaks into this world, bringing salvation, redemption and His Kingdom with Him.
We see His grace unfolding as He works with and through us to make us part of His story. We see the story of suffering, which we are all part of, and how God reaches out to us as we experience this by first taking it upon Himself.
We see His expression of unconditional love that envelops us, despite our weaknesses and failings – and how, if we pursue and obey His commandments, that His blessing will overtake us.
This is why the Bible is the best book in the world. There is nothing else even remotely like it. However, it can also be abused. In the hands of the wrong people it has been used to produce hatefulness, bigotry, war, mass murder and all sorts of other evil.
How come? Because in all of these situations, the Bible was read without grace. It is a dangerous book in the hands of black and white, rigid thinkers, who want to exact vengeance and punishment upon those they consider don’t meet with their (misguided) interpretations of the Scriptures.
How do we avoid this? The answer is to read the Bible, first to know God and second, to truly know yourself. Read it as a tool to encourage people and build them up, in godly ways. Read it as a book that causes you to serve and to give, respond to its urgings to love one another and to be always seeking the best for others.
Why is it the book of hope? Because incredibly, God believes in humanity – He believes in us all, and He is working always for the best interests of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. He is building a society that will ultimately host the return of the Lord.
All of this, is written in His Word. Read it, embrace it, live it and express it. You will never be disappointed.
God bless you,
Bruce Billington