SEARCHLIGHT
What place does the Bible hold in your life?
SCRIPTURE
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy, never had its origins in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:19-21 NIV
SPOTLIGHT
How do you treat your Bible? Someone, with great insight, made the following comparison: “Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?…What if we flipped through it several times a day?… What if we turned back to get it if we forgot it?… What if we used it to receive messages from the text…? What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?… What if we gave it to our children as a gift?… What if we used it when we traveled?… What if we used it in case of an emergency?…”
These questions certainly make you think about how important the Holy Bible is to you.
The place the Holy Bible holds in your life will determine how effective and productive you will become. Today’s Scripture focus invites you to trust the Bible in order for you to become the most effective and productive person here on earth.
Peter wrote his second letter to encourage Christians to gain a true knowledge of God and to guard themselves from false, hypocritical preachers and teachers who questioned the Bible’s authority.[see 2 Peter 2; 3:3-7] People had come into the church who despised, denied and debated the “prophetic message.” Peter wanted to underline the divine origin of Scripture. He referred to the “prophetic message” which is the term describing the Old Testament in the Bible. However, he included what was being written by New Testament writers who were eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 1:16-18] The Apostle fiercely stated 6 things every person of faith needs to believe to become effective and productive in life:
- The Bible is completely reliable. Read Romans 15:4.
- Believers need to pay attention to the Bible. Read Psalm 119:9-16.
- The Bible is a believer’s shining light while living in a dark world. Read Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23; Psalm 18:28; 27:1
- The Bible authors were human beings. They were not angels or machines. “AI” did not write the Bible. The authors experienced life just as you do. They were not super-human.
- None of the human authors spoke their own thoughts. Dr. Robert Neighbor noted that they did not speak from reason, experience, discovery, or guessing. [Wells of Living Water]
- The Holy Spirit of God inspired the authors to record what man needed to hear. God had something to say to man because God had made man in His image. [Genesis 1:26,27] Man, who is God’s highest form of creation, had fallen out of relationship with His Creator. God wanted to speak into man’s life what had been lost in the Garden of Eden. He wanted to give man the opportunity to once again experience an abundant and eternal life. Read 2 Timothy 3:16 and Jesus words in Matthew 5:17.
Are you relying on and paying attention to the Bible? Will you read the Bible so you can define what is light and what is dark, what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad and what is true and what is false? God longs for you to hear His voice. When you read the words He inspired authors to record in Scripture, you come to know God and His ways.
Think about the content of the Bible. It identifies the inception of life, a true picture of man, God’s character and views toward man, the solution to man’s disobedience, a promising heavenly future, and a revelation of the end times. Are you using the Bible to develop a Godly worldview?
Felix Mendelssohn was a very well-known German Romantic composer, conductor and pianist in the early 1800s. Once he was visiting the great cathedral in Fribourg. This church was known to have the finest organ on the European continent. Mendelssohn longed to play this “grand instrument,” so he asked and even begged the old man who was in charge. The attendant refused by saying, “No, this is a valuable instrument, and no stranger is ever allowed to touch it.” Mendelssohn would not give up and said, “But I will not harm it, and you may stand here and see that I do no damage.” Finally, the old man gave his permission. Mendelssohn climbed up onto the organ bench and began to play. As his fingers played the keys and his feet played the pedals, the organ produced melodies and harmonies that caused the old man to ask, “Who are you?” The master musician replied, “My name is Mendelssohn.” Suddenly the old man burst into tears and said, “I had almost forbid Mendelssohn, the great master of music, to touch this organ!”
Will you invite God to touch your life? Will you allow, Almighty God, the great master of life to write your story? Will you be guided by God’s Word, the Holy Bible? Will you expectantly hear Him speak to you through the inspired Scripture? What harmony would fill your life if you allowed God to write the music score for your life with His music? What magnificent beauty would your life produce if you allowed God, the Creator of the universe, to design your life? What beautiful music would you make for people to hear if you invited God to touch your life? Are you inviting God to divinely guide your life through His inspired Word, the Holy Bible?
SOMETHING TO DO
Decide to take time every day to read God’s divine, written Word. Make a plan. Pick a time. Choose a location. Begin today. Completely read the Bible over a period of time. Constantly consult the Bible for wisdom. Carefully study the Bible to understand what is true, right and good. Consistently obey the instructions and commands of the Bible.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Thank you, Lord God, for speaking to me through the Bible. Thank you for showing me how to perceive life. Thank you for revealing to me who You are in Scripture. And thank you, Lord God, that I can completely trust Your Word to be reliable and true. AMEN