I often think about Bible engagement, and while some of the things I’m thinking about become the basis of the articles I write, there are random thoughts that make it no further than a comment on a sticky note, musings jotted down on a used envelope, or as recently happened on a flight home from Calgary, several sentences scribbled on a napkin.
Thoughts, comments and maxims.
So, mainly because I’m reluctant to throw out the napkin and waste some thinking, here are some random thoughts about Bible engagement:
God’s Word wasn’t given to us so we could master it. It was given to us so we would be mastered by it!
Read many good books, but major on one book – the Bible.
If you deviate from the Word, you drift away from God.
The only book where the author truly loves the reader is the Bible!
Rejection of Christ and His Story results in intellectual and moral anarchy. Without Christ, people search for meaning in racial, ethnic, or sexual identities, or they live immersed in the moment. Sadly and tragically, in searching for a personal soul, people forget the desperate need we all have for transcendence. And transcendence is only found in Christ and His Story.
It isn’t the reading of many books that make us learned or holy. It’s the frequent reading of one book, the Book of books, that develops wisdom and righteousness.
The psalmist says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” Psalm 119:130. Note how the “unfolding” (opening to reveal what is disclosed) of God’s Word gives light. There are no two ways around this. To dispel darkness, we must have unnerving encounters with the Word.
As a Westerner reading the Bible (as it’s geographically, historically, socially and culturally linked to this world), I must remember that it’s not a European book – it’s a Middle Eastern book.
Education devoid of God’s Word leads to arrogant occultism or secular bigotry. So, if Christ is to have the ultimate authority over hearts and minds, then His Word must be at the centre of education.
God’s Word should be the foundation on which every ministry is built. Every ministry value, principle, practice, and expected outcome should be scripturally sound. If there’s no biblical support or precedent for a ministry activity, program, or approach, it shouldn’t be part of what we say or do.
The starting point for marinating children in Jesus’ Story is a deep and progressive study of the biographies of Jesus. Children should know the Gospels from back to front and from front to back. And for this to happen, we’ve got to expose children to the Gospels in ways that unveil them to the extraordinary, glorious, unbridled, beautiful, astonishing love of Jesus.
A moral quagmire isn’t a random occurrence. When the Bible becomes a closed book – ignorance, corruption, avarice, depravity, infidelity, and savagery will take root and flourish.
Without extensive reading and reflection on God’s Word, one can never be a mature Christian or adequately fulfill God’s purpose for one’s life.
When our activities conflict with God’s Word, we tend to correct our behaviour or find a new god.
Do you have any random thoughts on Bible engagement you’d like to add? Feel free to comment. And if you want to use or share any of the thoughts above, please do so.
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Summary
Random thoughts about Bible engagement: God’s Word doesn’t exist for us to master; it exists to master us. Frequent reading of the Bible, not many books, fosters wisdom and righteousness. Rejecting Christ’s teachings leads to moral and intellectual chaos, and only in Him can we find true understanding and transcendence. The Bible should be the foundation of education, ministry, and the nurturing of children, while neglecting it results in a decline in morality and spiritual maturity.
© Scripture Union Canada
