New Sayings
I Thessalonians 2:13 ESV
Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
John 14:6 ESV
James 5:16 ESV
Matthew 5:23-24 ESV
Matthew 18:15-17 ESV
It IS Bible. It's Bible.
Wow.
I have to admit…that’s deep.
I understand if a millennial begins or ends a sentence with Bible, it means truth. I don’t know if the person or people who added ‘It’s Bible’ knows it, but they are absolutely correct!
From beginning to end the Bible is true. The Bible is the Word of God.
I Thessalonians 2:13, “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”
The scope of the Word of God is deep and wide.
The Bible is unlike any other book you’d find on the shelves in the library. That’s because while other books may contain truth, they are not truth proclaimed and approved by God.
Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Simply put, in my life I have found that the Bible is alive and active in our everyday lives. The Bible has never failed to give me what I need.
When I was young my dad told me the Bible was unlike any other book I’d read. I asked why? I was a bit skeptical because I could not see how the Bible could be different from other books.
My dad challenged me to test the statement.
“Okay…how do I test it?”
He told me to think of a question I have about God or life with God that I want to know more about.
I don’t remember my exact question, but I remember it had to do with how I can know when I’m doing the right thing. I went back to my dad and I told him what I wanted to know.
He instructed me to sit quietly, holding my Bible and tell God my question.
Then he told me to wait.
I asked how long…
He said, “for as long as it takes you to get an answer.”
So off I went to my room. I did exactly what my dad told me to do.
Then I waited. I didn’t get an answer so after a while I went back and told him I didn’t get an answer.
He told me I didn’t wait long enough.
Okay. I went back to my room.
More time passed and I was getting frustrated. So I said something like, “just show me the way to know.”
Then I heard a whisper. “John 14:6”.
Uhhhh…okay. So I looked up John 14:6. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.“
I went back to my dad and told him what I heard. And I said, “I don’t know what that means.”
My dad was a wise man and he told me to go back and ask God how that helps me…like what does that mean?
So I went back to my room and I asked how that helps me. It took a while, but I realized that the way to the answer I want is through Jesus. I thought about that for a while and I asked if God/Jesus have the answer to everything?
Yes.
Hummm…
That was just the beginning of my listening journey.
I’ve practiced listening prayer with my Bible for many decades. I have gone to a few churches through the years that had pastors teach classes in listening prayer. Those classes were very helpful!
Patience is helpful.
Practicing confession is helpful. James 5:16 tells us, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Practicing forgiveness is helpful, Matthew 5:23-24 says, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
And Matthew 18:15-17 says, ““If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
Those were the words of Jesus. Jesus gave us the way.
Jesus IS the way.
The Bible is true. Cover to cover true. I could write volumes about how
God has revealed truth to me through scripture. Volumes.
For now I’ll testify that It Is Bible. True.
Scriptural Practice: The Bible
Ask a question and listen for the answer. If it’s a new practice to you, it may take a while to hear the answer. During my early years of practicing listening it took a while. Be patient. Know that God is God and God is able to communicate with you.
In God, Deborah
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