Have you ever heard the phrase, "Perception is reality."? We all perceive things to be a certain way, and our perception is our reality. But does that make it truth? I will use communication in a marriage as an example. Any married couple can tell you the difficulties of communication. He says one thing; she perceives another. Both believe they are right because the reality for each is based on their own perception. But again, what is true? Truth has to be out there. Absolute truth, something that never changes. Without absolute, everlasting truth, there is no standard by which to live.
The fact is that God gave us His truth. It is the best-selling book of all time. It is written in nearly every language on earth, professed by billions of people, and collects dust on more shelves than I would like to imagine. How can this be? Think about that, the Creator of Life gives us His holy, inspired, error-free word that details for us a plan for life and salvation, and it sits around in perfect condition, unopened! Why? Perhaps my own experience may shine a light on that. Until about 2 years ago, I was content listening to someone else tell me about what the Bible contained. Why dirty up my Bible with notes when I could still get the same idea from the pastor? I had heard all the stories of the years in church, so what could reading the Bible actually do for me? I'm already saved, isn't the fact that I have faith that the Bible is true enough? These are all rationalizations that I made to leave my Bible in the same condition that I received it. Unfortunately, far too many people feel like I felt.
So, what changed? To be honest, I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was weighed down with problems. My marriage was falling apart. My job was unsatisfying. Financially, we were lost. Sin slowly crept into my life and I tried to handle everything myself. It was more than I could bear. I fell down on my knees in complete anguish over the fact that I had no control over anything. I spent an hour and half in anguished prayer to let God take over. I knew he could, but the act of letting go was so difficult, but I was so desperate for it to happen. Part of my prayer went something like this. "Dear Heavenly Father, I am dying here. I don't have the strength to keep patching my life. I have so much resentment toward so many people in my life, and I have lost the ability to move forward. I need you Lord. I need you so badly. I recognize that I am not in control, and yet I still haven't yielded control to you. I recognize that I am sinful, and yet I haven't asked for your redemption and cleansing in my life. Lord, I am nothing. You are everything. Please, God, Please take over. I give you all my transgressions, my needs, my thoughts, and my desires. Please change me from the inside to become what you want me to be." The prayer went on and on, but you get the idea.
The change was a little complicated at first, but obvious. I was convicted twice more in the next couple days to get back into some more anguished prayer. This time the focus of my prayers were based on my shortcomings and God's holiness. So, why were these prayer sessions so anguishing? Because we have to allow our sinful self to die in order to receive the grace, peace, and righteousness of our holy God. Trust me, it is anguishing to give up everything you are to a God you can't see. But, without doing so, you will never experience the unbelievable wholeness and serenity that God wants for you. I am so blessed that God brought me to a place of anguish so that my only choice was to get on my knees and ask Him for his grace and forgiveness. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my God cares for me individually. After all, we have a relationship. I couldn't wait to communicate with Him more and find out how He communicates with me.
So, I opened up my nice, clean Bible. There are a lot of pages in here. It's really daunting when you consider a lot of preliminary questions, "Where do I start?", "How fast do I go?", "What if I don't get it?", "I have a problem with finishing things that I start.", "What is my plan to get through this?" Let's face it, so many of us have made a resolution that we were going to read the Bible and ultimately failed in the past. Please let me offer you a few ideas on trying one more time.
1) PRAY, PRAY, PRAY that the Holy Spirit will guide your reading.
2) Set a goal to go through the Bible HOWEVER long it takes. Do not get frustrated with a missed day. It is worth hopping back on board and continuing this effort.
3)Realize that you are reading GOD'S WORD. Soak it in. Don't just pick it up for a cursory glance.
4)Be patient. One chapter at a time, one book at a time, one section at a time. Before you know it, you will begin to make connections to other areas of the bible. This is a big deal. Embrace that moment.
5)Share your knowledge with others. This will reinforce what you have just learned.
Some people or religious organizations will tell you that you cannot interpret the Bible for yourself, and that you must use some organization and/or supplementary material in order to understand it. This is deception by the master deceiver himself. Do not let them hinder your progress. If you get stuck on something, mark it, move on, and come back to it with continued prayer.
Dear Jesus, you went through far more than I can ever imagine. I wish more than anything that I could have been with you when you dwelt on earth and witnessed the most amazing show of kindness the world has ever known. You sought the lowest of the people, and they came to you immediately. People had complete faith in you because the knew you could heal their problems. You came to earth with the power to forgive sins and made people clean. What love you have, and for everybody, not just some. You came into Jerusalem knowing full well that you would suffer an excruciating death and the most amazing thing is that you did all of this 2000 years ago for me, personally. You brought in a new convenant that took the sacrifices of the past and placed the weight of ALL sin squarely on your shoulders and abolished them for us. Thank you Lord for your sacrifice. Thank you for being the Lord over death. Your grace is abundant. Your propitiation for our sins is complete. I love you Lord and I bless your name.
Next time: Why is the Bible the truth?
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