BIBLE ALIVE! - Scriptures that changed me
The Bible is the most controversial book of all time.
It has been both revered and despised by people through the centuries. In many countries, the Bible is an illegal book, and those caught with it have been subject to heavy fines, imprisonment, torture and death. On the other hand, it is so precious to many people, that they have given their lives to see it preserved.
Some people believe the Bible is just another ‘Holy Book’, equal to any other religious text.
Some see it as a collection of nice sayings that will make people feel better in times of grief or trouble. Some study it for the beauty of its poetry and prose - but never find the Creator of beauty Himself.
Others study it for its history - but never seek the One who oversees human history and directs our steps.
Some seek academic prowess by achieving theological degrees that are meant to prove they ‘know’ the Bible - but they never seek the Writer, the One who inspired men by the Holy Spirit to write His Words for us all.
At the same time there are millions of people who are daily nourished and strengthened by God’s Word. Through it they receive meaning and purpose for their lives. They bask in God’s love for them and treasure the divine wisdom, understanding and knowledge that become theirs as they continually and consistently delve into God’s Word.
Certainly, a superficial reading of the Word of God can bring comfort, provide details of historical events, be a source of pleasing poetry, and more. But God’s Word to us was never designed to be read at a purely superficial level. We are meant to search out the things of God in the way we would seek treasure. There are secrets to be discovered. There is strength to be found, wisdom, understanding and knowledge to be mined. It is so rich and so vast that a lifetime is not enough time to uncover all its treasures.
The Bible is God’s Word.
Let me put that another way.
‘The Bible IS God’s Word’.
It isn’t a collection of the words of different men. It is God’s Word written down by faithful men who were inspired by the Spirit of God over a period of more than two thousand years. Despite attempts by its critics to discredit it, the Bible has been proven over and over again to be cohesive, historically accurate, scientifically reliable and prophetically sound.
Nor is it a collection of writings that, as some say, CONTAIN God’s Word. The Bible IS God’s Word to you and me. Of those who tell me it CONTAINS God’s Word, but isn’t all God’s Word, I have asked just one question … “Would you tell me which parts are God’s Word so I know which parts to take seriously and which parts I can ignore?”
I am still waiting for an answer.
For my part, I choose to believe that ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for all good works.’ (2 Timothy 3:16)
Clearly God intends for His Word to DO something in our lives. It has the power to teach and change us and it has the ability to be active within us. This is because it is a LIVING Word. It is Jesus revealed to us in written form. By opening our hearts to God and allowing the Word that we see written in the pages of the Bible to challenge us, we release the power of the resurrected Saviour to do the changing.
Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the Word of God being ‘alive’ - in fact, so alive as to be able to know all that goes on in our hearts, and to discern between the issues of our soul and our spirit.
I was nineteen years old before I began to experience the power of God’s Living Word to change me. That has sometimes taken me through deep waters, but it always results in the ‘peaceable fruits of righteousness’ that Hebrews 12 talks about.
So, in this section, I thought I would share with you some of the scriptures that have become ‘alive’ to me, how they have challenged me and how they have changed me.
May I exhort you to ‘let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly’. (Col 3:16). May it be ‘alive’ to you, so it can do its work in you and lead you to live your life in the ‘glorious liberty’ that God intended.