The Bible Is From God! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and
majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him today and what came to my heart and mind in Hebrews 4:12-13,

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is
uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give
account."

The Bible, the Scriptures, are called the "word of God". Jesus called
the Bible of his day, what we call the Old Testament, the "word of
God". In referencing Exodus and Deuteronomy he castigated the
Pharisees and teachers of the law for "nullifying" the "word of God"
in favor of the traditions they had developed, Matthew 15:3-9. In Acts
13:46 Luke called the message Paul and Barnabas were preaching "the
word of God" as well. We find the gospel message called by that name
at many places throughout the New Testament. Jesus Christ himself is
called the "Word of God" in Revelation 19:13.

As I understand the phrase, in all cases the term "word of God" refers
to revelation from God: God speaking to us. He has a message for us
that he wants us to listen to, to understand, to respond to. Over the
years the "word of God" has been collected, handed down through the
ages, translated into many languages, and bound in a single volume
that sits on my coffee table: my Bible.

Actually, I have a number of Bibles that I read from and the one on my
coffee table is not collecting dust. The reason is that I believe with
all my heart that God speaks to me, to each one of us, through the
Scriptures, our Bibles. In its pages I have come to know my God, as
well as I know him to date, as he reveals to me things about himself.
He tells us what many of his thoughts are, he tells us how he feels
about different kinds of things, he tells us what his intentions are,
his plans, what he has in store for us. I see his heart on display,
his love for mankind, his loving kindness, his mercy. I also read of
his intolerance of sin, his intolerance of false religions and his
intolerance of those who would speak for him but have not been sent by
him. His judgment is on display in the pages of Scripture.

The astonishing thing is that the more I read my Bible, the more I see
things I have never seen before. It just seems to come alive as I read
it. As the writer of Hebrews says, it is "living and active". I also
find that the Bible points out many things about me, things that are
not consistent with the beauty of God's magnificent qualities and
perfections. It has a way of revealing those things to me and brings
me the encouragement to work on those areas in my life. I feel the
Holy Spirit within me, bringing conviction about those things and
providing strength and endurance to work on those areas in my life. In
short, together with the work of the Holy Spirit within, I find my
time in the Bible something that changes me from within.

I know the Bible is the "word of God" as it sees right through me. I
can think, feel, act any way I want but as I get honest with the
Bible, it is just astonishing how it sees me for exactly who and what
I am: someone who is flawed with a sin nature, but loved and pursued
by God. Someone who has an inheritance in the family of God promised
through the redemption Jesus paid on the cross. The Bible doesn't
sugar-coat a thing. How can any body of literature do that?

God certainly can and does as all things are uncovered and laid bare
before his eyes! How astonishing is the thought that the Creator of
the cosmos has spoken to us and made that word available to us in the
Bible!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

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