The Bible? Is it Reliable? Can you Understand it?
February 24, 2012
DID YOU READ THE COMMENTS?
Absolutely inspiring!!!!!!!!!!!!
You, the community here at Spiritually Unequal Marriage ARE living out your faith in Jesus. It is so evident that you are filled with love, compassion, and truth. So many of you reached out to our new reader, Celia, with words to encourage. So many of you were vulnerable with your own stories, some of you prayed for her and I saw the body of Christ LIVING OUT LOVE IN ACTION.
Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring and sharing.
If you missed the post and the comments from Monday, click here. You will be inspired, cheer, shed a tear and be moved by the Holy Spirit. And that’s a fact.
But, we still have some more of Celia’s questions. On Monday I spoke to doubts and I pray there was enough in that post and in the comments to grip your soul and to move you forward. And Celia, I saw that you have been back to read the comments and have even started a prayer journal. My sister, see you are already on your way. Funny how Jesus will do that for us, push us along when we least expect it.
Today I want to echo a few of the responses about reading and understanding the Bible. So Monday, was about doubts and salvation, today the Bible. Here is a portion of Celia’s email again:
February 15, 2012, Celia: I have stumbled upon this site yet again....I guess I didn't stumble upon it.....I was seeking it out....and here is this post. Every time I ask someone....a believer....why I don't have what they have.....why I doubt and they don't....why I fall over and over and over again.....I am told this....that I have to learn scripture to say against the enemy. I try....I try to read the Bible....but it doesn't sink in....I read it and I don't "get it".....I read it and I don't hear what other people hear....so I give up. I give up because I doubt....I give up because my husband is so stinkin mean about "religion.
Celia, today I want to answer your question about reading the Bible and understanding it. I know you have also asked in a subsequent question, how can we know the Bible is an inspired work of God and is reliable when it was written by fallible men. That question I think I’m going to ask our community and they can answer in the comments. And I may follow up on it as well but I’m thinking there are some amazing people who can share truth about that here.
I’m also going to hold off talking about what we can do when our spouses are stinkin mean about our faith for another day.
Celia, for me I found Jesus in the pages of the Bible. Let me tell you how that happened and then I’m going to encourage you to do the same.
It was almost 14 years ago that my mother gave me a Daily Bible. This is a Bible that is organized to be read every. single. day. I started reading this Bible on June 13, 1998. A day I will never forget because I wrote in the margin of that day.
This Bible is organized by date to include a portion of the Old Testament, New Testament, a Psalm and a Proverb. It takes roughly about 20 minutes to read it each day. I made a commitment that day to rise 30 minutes early and to meet with God. I began to read that Bible and then pray in a prayer journal. It was then that my life began to change. This change happened slowly and at first. I couldn’t even understand the Old Testament so I just read the New Testament, Psalm and Proverb.
What turned out to be amazing is that I read through the entire Bible in a year. I made notes in the margin. I wrote down events where I saw God working in my life. I recorded things that happened in my family life. That was 14 years ago and since then I have read through God’s Word every year. I now treasure that time that I rise early sometimes 5 a.m. to meet with my King and His son, Jesus.
I have been forever changed through slowly letting God’s Word bring truth to the lies I believed. One important thing about this particular Bible is the translation. It is the New Living translation. It is written in an easy to understand, modern vernacular. If you have a Bible with an old translation you will struggle.
In the early years of my marriage when life was terribly lonely and I struggled immensely, it was this Bible that got me through it. It was this Bible that transformed my doubts, fears, unbelief, anger, ….. all of it to a life of triumph. My life’s not perfect, not by a long shot, but I can tell you I am truly happy and I am living the abundant life.
There is a verse that I absolutely could not understand nor believe in the early years of my faith journey.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
How can the Word of God be a living thing? I don’t pretend to know how it is living and active but I am proof that it is.
In the early years all I had was God’s Word to help me. And it was enough. It’s all I need because if you knock, if you seek, YOU WILL FIND, when you seek Him with all of your heart.
And that’s a promise.
Okay, my friends, can you help me with Celia’s question about how we can know that the Word of God is an inspired Book even when it was written by ordinary men?
Stay tuned for more questions as we tackle some of Celia's thoughts. They are the thoughts our unbelieving spouses have as well. Be blessed, Lynn