The Living Book

Every year, my pastor challenges and encourages us to read through the whole bible in a year. All through out the year he reminds us that we should be not only reading it, but studying it. The King James Version renders it this way in  2 Timothy 2:15

 

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 

 

You see, we go to church, where we get snippets of the bible. We get it in whatever context the speaker chooses to use it. Often times we're going over the same small areas of the bible. If that's all the bible we take in, we are sorely missing out.

 

Every time I read the bible, the Lord shows me something new, something I missed. You all know what I'm talking about. It's like watching a movie or reading a book. You often catch things the 2nd time around that you didn't the first. Some things are more clear the 2nd time around, as well. The more we dive into the word of God, especially to really pay attention to what we are reading, the more we glean from it. 

 

Since Jesus is the word, the word is a live, just as He is, therefore it truly speaks to us. Many times I've sought comfort and found it, because the Spirit of the Lord resonated something, in the bible, with my heart. 

I've learned things, connected things, and understood much better what often is not discussed in church or focused on. I've discovered how cool the genealogies actually are. And how truly connected our present day is to the things written all throughout the bible. 

In fact, some of what I've been gathering from it lately, with a friend, has inspired us to do a more in depth study. We are that intrigued.

Not only that but we've each done studies that opened our eyes to things not typically discussed in church. Like how much positive commentary there is on marital sex. The impact our choices have on others. What generational curses look like.

Quite honestly, I don't blame some people for not trusting, but fearing Abraham. He lied TWICE about Sarah, because he was afraid of dying. We see that the Lord shows these men the danger they are facing, should they continue to pursue Sarah. Yet, the Lord had mercy on the men Abraham lied to and gives them the truth and the choice to do what was right or not to. He did not desire to destroy, but to restore. The men, of course, chose the more positive outcome, returning Sarah to Abraham with the command that no one do them any harm. Not only did Abraham do that, but his son Isaac did the same thing to one of the same men, many years later, concerning his wife!

I did not hear about this in church, but by reading the word for myself.

Maybe that doesn't seem interesting to you. I can say, that isn't one of the most interesting things in the word. So go, read for yourself. Gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding for yourselves. You will, most likely, be surprised by what you discover.