Preparing Ourselves for Conversations in Scripture
(I’m on vacation this week, but just wanted to orient us for the next few months—hence, a short little post to that end. There are lots of links connecting to previous posts to explore if you wish.)
After spending the past 3 months looking at some key truths about our new identity as believers, I’d like to spend the next 3 months focusing on the importance of a key staple in our transformation from sinner to saint: God’s Word.
I will confess that God’s Word is an acquired taste for me. And if I’m really honest, there are times when it is so much easier for me to read a commentary or a book on Christian living than it is to read God’s Word for myself.
And yet, as I am learning what it means to be a biblical counselor, not just in conviction but in character, I am also realizing that I need to also look at it as more than merely a spiritual discipline to practice in my daily rhythms. It needs to be the lifeblood of my life of faith and transformation. I can pray the psalms, meditate on Scripture, or memorize it but not be in awe of it as God’s revelation to me.
With that said, I believe that a growing love for God’s Word is also a sign of growth and maturity. As my awareness of God’s greatness grows, the more I realize how little I understand of what it means to be His child. And if His Word is His revelation of the truth I need to grow into that understanding, then I will find that the Bible is vital to becoming the new creature He has made me to be.
There are days when I don’t delight in God’s Word. It doesn’t help that it can be confusing, with it’s strange prophecies, puzzling images, or unfamiliar wording. Sometimes the genealogies, laws and temple dimensions are boring to our modern ears. Or sometimes I just feel disconnected to the cultural references and times that seem to have no relation to my own.
And yet, God’s Word is fully sufficient, meaning that every bit of it is included as His inspired Word, His carefully written and curated revelation to us. All of it is meant to nourish us, whether it be milk (1 Peter 2:2) or solid food (Heb. 5:14). All of it points us to Christ, the central focal point of God’s Story (Luke 24:27).
A solid grasp of His Word is essential to connecting the dots—what this blog is about. Though I’ve already written other posts about this topic in the past, I’d like to build on them in the weeks to come. I want to articulate how my personal study of all of God’s Word (not just my favorite portions) translates into life-giving help to others in the discipleship process, that they too might live their lives in God’s Story.
As saints in Christ, we have a new identity, but we still suffer and we still sin. Praise God that He provides us with His Word to help bring us comfort in the hard times and the promise of forgiveness and help in our battle against sin.
Despite being written thousands of years ago, it still is important, sufficient, and relevant today in our lives as saints, sufferers, and sinners. As we grow in Him, may our love and delight in His Word grow as well.
