During World War II a South Sea Islander proudly displayed his Bible to an American GI. “We’ve outgrown that sort of thing,” the American replied.
“It’s a good thing we haven’t,” smiled the native. “If it wasn’t for this book, you’d have been a meal by now!”
Do you ever find yourself feeling restless or uncomfortable when you hear someone else quote the Bible in public? Do you find yourself at times living like the American GI, as though you’d “outgrown that sort of thing?”
The truth is, you never outgrow your need for the word of God because you never outgrow your need for the voice of God. Ever since the days of Eden, however, the enemy has tried to stand between us and our most authentic source of life.
Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Why is it so important to hear God speak? Because without a word from God, you are dead before you die. So the devil’s design is very simple: Do whatever it takes to separate you from your source of life.
“Did God really say that?”
“He didn’t really mean that!”
“You keep believing that, and you’re gonna be missing out on whole lot of living.”
“What you don’t understand is that God has a hidden agenda.”
“God’s just trying to spoil your fun with whole bunch of rules.”
“Reading the Bible is OK, but you really need somebody else to help you make sense out of it.”
And the list goes on and on and on and on….
I have learned that you will get from the Bible exactly what you expect. If you expect boredom, shrouded in archaic language, that’s precisely what you’ll get.
Looking for rules? You’ll find them.
Looking for irrelevant stories? Bingo!
Listening for the displeased voice of your religious aunt, grandfather, or childhood preacher? You’ll probably find that, too.
But if you’re hungry for the voice of God, may I introduce you to the one prayer that God has always answered, “yes” for me? There has never – ever – been a time when I asked this of the Lord that He didn’t answer, usually in minutes:
“Lord, speak to me through your word.”
Here’s a sampling of what you’ll get in reply:
- A greater understanding of God’s heart.
- A new or renewed promise that you can build your life on.
- New dimensions of strength or power,
- Practical wisdom or direction for your life circumstances,
- Transformed character that actually makes you a nicer person to be around, and best of all…
- A fresh awareness of God’s love and grace.
Jesus of Nazareth requests your presence alone, at a banquet table prepared just for you.
No RSVP required.
He’ll be there, waiting for you with fresh bread, whether you choose to arrive or not.
I promise, you won’t go away hungry.
Believe it or not, I was raised in a home which thought the same as that American GI. I’ve heard all the devil’s protests (he still comes after me because he thought he had me for good), and I marvel at how God met me where I was and brought me back to Him.
May none of us ever outgrow the need for and the goodness of His word!
Blessings, Andy!
Martha Orlando´s last blog post ..In All Circumstances
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