Why the Bible?

 “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.” Hebrews 4:12-13, emphasis mine

God gave me a passion for His word at some point in high school. During certain seasons of life, I would sit in my room for hours and read, hungry for the truth the Word offered in the midst of a fleshly identity crisis. At some point, whether it is middle school, high school, or college, or after, we all reach a turning point in which we ask ourselves, “Who am I?” Often, we look to others around us to answer that question. I certainly have been guilty of such at various seasons. The problem was, it seemed as if everyone had a different answer, and many of those answers were associated on performance or works. The Word of God always reminded me of who I was at my core; and it was this truth that I craved.

As Christians, we often do a poor job of explaining certain lingo we use. For instance, if you live in the South for long, you hear people say they had a “quiet time” or their “God time”, but what does that really mean? The purpose of this is not at all to give a detailed, legalistic run-down of what that looks like in a Christian’s life, nor is it to say there is a right or wrong way to spend time with the Lord. I do, however, want to give an imperfect but personal interpretation of WHY I make a divine appointment with Lord the priority of my day; and hopefully give someone who might think it is merely a legalistic, “this is what I should do assignment for someone who has put power in a book that was written in ancient days but has no benefit for today” mindset, a different perspective.

                                                       A Love Letter for My Lord

Here we are again, Father. It is early, and I feel so burdened and tied down by the tasks of the day already; but I want to spend some time first and foremost thanking You. Yes, Lord, there is so very much to thank you for.  David in the Psalms points out that Your ways Lord, are perfect. (Psalm 18:30). My ways are so very far from perfect. I have been awake for yet a few minutes but already have turned my focus onto self and off of You and those You have put before me; yet Lamentations reminds me that Your mercies are new every morning (3:23). And, oh, the next verse: You are my portion. The Lord of the universe is MY portion.  Thank You for reminding me that I do not have to look to anything else to fill me; I need only look to You. Thank You that You have removed my sins as far as east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Reading through the Old Testament it is obvious that the people were burdened by the task of offering up sacrifices in order to have their sins forgiven, Father. Thank you that, today, I do not have to spend time offering unblemished bulls and goats because of Jesus’s death on the cross for me. I praise You that the sacrifices You ask for are a broken spirit (Psalm 51:17). Lord, as I have asked You to break my spirit of anything but You, I have seen You gently do so.  It’s funny; I always think that it will look one way and it ends up looking another. Your Word promises me that, once again, Your ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30). If that is the case, then I can trust that the way You have chosen to break me of this imperfect world and cling to You instead is the absolute best way. I have seen that in the past as I take time to reflect back on the choices You have made for me in Your wisdom; even if at the time I didn’t understand them. I am weary, yet I know in my weakness You are strong (2 Cor. 12:10). That’s something to celebrate today! Help me to boast in You and You alone (Galatians 6:14). While my load seems to heavy today, I am so grateful You have asked me to allow You to carry the burden and You promise rest in return (Matthew 11:28-30). I know this to be true as I find You refreshing my inner spirit as I am thrusting these burdens onto You. There are so many things that I feel anxious about concerning the future, but I also know that You command me to not worry about tomorrow because each day has enough in its own (Matthew 6:34). How wise You are Father! I’m smiling as I’m reminded that, after all, these light and momentary afflictions are preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond anything I could imagine (2 Corinthians 4:17). And You are right, as always, Father. They ARE light and momentary in light of eternity! Thank You for providing me a way so that I can be assured of that and participate in Your kingdom in the here and now and forevermore. Lord, thank You for forgiving my sins, for sending Jesus so that I can sit here with the Creator and Sustainer of all and be rejuvenated. Thank You that You have seen everything that is going to happen today, that You have approved and allowed it all, and that You are going to work it all for Your glory and our good. (Romans 8:28). Lord, You never said that there would not be trials or tribulations on this earth, but You have promised You have overcome them all (John 16:33). Jesus, Thank You for loving us enough, for loving the Father enough, to not bail on us at the cross. Holy Spirit within me, I pray that You help me to look to You and not my flesh to love others well today and to fix my eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). After all, why focus on dust when eternity awaits? I love You, Lord. Remind me that You are walking with me each step of today. Help these words to not just be words; help me to live them out each and every moment.

I am not sure what it is like to read these words without believing them; but I do know that God’s word never returns void and so I pray that He might use that glimmer into my heart to open Yours up more to Him. If You are a believer, I pray that as You read them You were connected to His heart and that your intimacy with Him was strengthened. I will tell you that this blog is a direct result of the power of God’s word in my life. Most of the time, I sit down to write one thing and His word challenges me to write another. There is nothing in my flesh that would have chosen to open up our life this much to the public, but when I look to Jesus and His vulnerability at the cross, I know this is what He has called me to do. When Jesus opened up His arms, naked and stripped, He was not concerned with His own dignity, comforts, or desires. He loved the Lord enough to abandon all. The Lord loved us enough to not just tell us, but show us, that we are worth it all. I often remind myself that any authenticity or vulnerability He calls us to is nothing in comparison to that which He did for us. We have an Audience of One, friends. He is worth it. His word is powerful. He will change us all from the inside out if yet we would just ask.