Friday, January 9th

Over the next few days, I’m going to invite you into different passages throughout the Bible that talk about what scripture is and why it is important. Remember, looking at the greater story of scripture, creation, fall, redemption on repeat in the pages of scripture and in your life.

Hebrews 5:12-14- 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

James 1:23-25- 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

John 6:63-68- 63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” ... 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

What do you see with the “what of the word”? What do you see with the “why of the word”?
How do those impact creation, fall, redemption?

Which begs the question for you and me, what voices are we listening to? What “words”/voices are filling our mind and heart?

On any given day, besides the voices in your head, what voices are you listening to? Voice of media, or social media? Be ready for this, watch out for that? You aren’t this, you don’t have enough of that? You could be stronger, thinner, prettier, more bold, more liked? Or what about the voices of the past? You don’t deserve, you aren’t worth it, you will always be lonely? You won’t be forgiven? What about the loudest voice in the room? Strangers voices? Enemies voices? The voice of your boss, spouse, friends? The voices that are ever changing, ever moving, inconsistent voices within our life.

Which is why the Bible is essential on our faith journey. I didn’t even touch on the dependency that Jesus had on the scriptures. But if we see discipleship as the process of loving God and loving others by being with Jesus, being like Jesus, and doing the things of Jesus, the essential way of doing that is spending time with the Bible.

May we embrace God’s story as gold, sweet, a light, sustaining, a fire, a hammer, a sword, seeds, a mirror, and the words of life.