Believe: BIBLE STUDY

When I was a little boy I had a hunger for books. I especially liked books that had really cool covers like the Hardy Boys series. If you have seen them, the cover typically depicted the two brothers in the midst of their most recent adventure that would be laid out in the upcoming pages of the book. On occasion at garage sales I was able to buy a few so by the time I was a teenager I possessed quite a collection of the mystery books. I loved to display them on a shelf in my room. They really looked cool and more than a couple of people commented on them. I even loaned them out from time to time.
 
The problem is that to this day I have never read a Hardy Boys’ book. It isn’t really so much a problem as it is simply a confession that also applies to my interaction with Bibles at various times in my life. I remember feeling a certain sense of “look what I’ve got” with my new Bibles that I would carry proudly into church or page through to feel connected. I wonder if any of you have similar childhood memories. It wasn’t all bad since my sense of pride regarding the Bibles was that I believed it was an important book to have and it connected me to the rest of this group that thought highly of the Bible. I was one of them!
 
Now it is one thing to go through life without ever truly learning of the Hardy Boys’ investigative gifts. It is quite another thing to go through life and choose not to read and engage with your Creator’s letter that He wrote for you. The Bible is not a magical book that magically protects me because I have one sitting on my coffee table. But the Bible is a book like none other because God wrote it and His Spirit takes the words in its pages to feed me with grace, forgiveness and peace.
 
This week’s theme for Sunday is “Bible Study”. We do this because we get to and because we need it. It is a gift to us so that we can know our God and His ways. The Bible starts with “In the beginning God…”, moves into creation, then walks through the history of humanity and God’s intervention. By reading and contemplating the Bible we grow in our understanding of God, ourselves and how to live our lives as Children of God. God’s Word is intended to serve us as our source for life and guide for living the life God prepares for us. It is filled with light, truth and hope.
 
This week’s invitation for you to study the Bible is not meant to be a guilt trip or give you one more thing on your to do list. It is an opportunity to gain God’s perspective on what your life is made up of and how you will process all that comes your way. In its pages you will see how deeply you are loved by God and how He wants you to love others. Try reading it if you haven’t yet and expect it to have something to say that will matter in your life today.
 
God declares the power of His Word in our lives in Isaiah 55.11

• So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 
Living in the Word,
Pastor Nick