until then we encourage you to visit a sister blog, https://www.lordletmegrow.com/freebiblestudy
The Bible can be described in various ways. It is a light (Psa. 119.105), a seed (Lk. 8.11), and a sword (Eph. 6.17). It can also be viewed as a gift. In Jn. 17.14, Jesus said, “I have GIVEN them Your word. In 2 Tim. 3.16, Paul wrote, “All Scripture is GIVEN by inspiration of God.” In 2 Pet. 1.3, Peter wrote, “…His divine power has GIVEN to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” Since this is the holiday season, let us consider how some of us might treat gifts that are given to us during this time. Let us notice six similarities between the Bible and a gift.
The gift must be opened to be used. A child knows that! The Bible is the same way. It must be opened to be used. To gain from its pages we must be like the godly man in Psalm 1. We must delight in it and meditate in it day and night!
Some like the gift’s pretty package, but they get upset when it is opened because it is not what they expected. Some react to the Bible in the same way. They are excited to study it and learn until they read something they are not willing to accept. In John 6.66, many of the disciples left Jesus. The context reveals that He was teaching them a hard saying and they would not accept it.
Some play with the packaging of the gift more than the contents. Some treat the Bible that way. They may purchase one with an attractive cover, carry it so others will see them with it, and even put it in obvious places around the house to be seen; yet, they do not practice opening it to get the benefit of reading and applying it to life. Jesus said, “If you KNOW these things, blessed are you if you DO them” (John 13.17).
Some use the gift briefly and then put it away. The Bible is often treated in much the same way. One is curious. He looks in the Word for what he wants. When he finds it he quits looking. He misses what God says in a multitude of other areas. James said, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (1.25).
Some gifts are given that make both the giver and the one who receives the gift happy. That has to do with the attitude of both the giver and the receiver! The Bible is just such a gift. The giver (God) certainly has the right attitude. The receivers (us) must have the right attitude in order to receive the happiness found therein. Psalm 144:15 says, “Happy are the people who God is the Lord!”
Some truly appreciate the gift, noting that it is the thought that counts and not the price. While many truly appreciate the Bible, it ought to be said that both the thought AND the price matter with God’s Word! The thought of the gift comes from a loving Father Who sacrificed His Son for us (John 3.16). The price of the gift comes from a loving Son Who shed His blood for the new covenant (Mat. 26.28).
Think about it!
Kevin Williams