!?change?!

I am beginning to see myself more and more in a distinctly different light these days. I have always prided myself in being different even when I was being the same. Fooling myself for years I have acted as if I have been different from my peers when really all I have been doing is playing their game and saying to myself that I am different. I had good intentions but that is not good enough. But now I find myself in a different frame of mind that I am different than a lot of my friends that I used to be around and this time it is not a bad thing.

So I look to the source of this change and there is only one thing that I can see... scripture. I figured that if I was going to have “sola scriptura” (scripture alone) tattooed on my arm then I better start living like it. Now I have to say that it started well before the tattoo was there and now it is great looking back. I think we should value Holy Spirit inspired hindsight because that is where he teaches us about ourselves and how we relate to others and how we are or are not like Jesus. But I determined a long time ago that I was going to take scripture literally, meaning that scripture applies to me right here and right now through the things it says just like it did to the original audience, the only thing that has changed is the culture and the audience. This revolutionized my way of living. Now I look at the Bible and ask these questions, what is it about?, what is it saying to the original audience?, and what is it saying to me? When I ask these three questions then it is really hard not to take the time needed to properly dive into God’s word with the energy and fervor that I should. This is hard because the Bible is living and it begins to shape me and mold me. This is what the author of Hebrews says about scripture,

12For 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. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

This explains it all. God’s word is going to cut us and purge us and tell us who we are supposed to be and how we are to get there. Some might think that this is a stifling thing because they view the Bible as a thing that is all rules. That is so not true. It is the freeing grace that we need that tells us that Jesus became the substitute for our sin and relieved any penalty that we would have to pay with his death. The Bible is about Jesus. From beginning to end it is all about this great redemptive story of an amazing God and his limitless love for an unruly people

So by now you may be saying that how are you different than your friends and how have you changed? This is it; I see so many of my peers, acquaintances, and friends following man made doctrine, philosophies, and theories instead of scripture. Many of these things claim to be like scripture but are only loosely associated with it. Please we must start and end with the word of God. It is our sole authority as followers of Christ. So many times we just use it as a rulebook or a guidepost instead of our livelihood and sustenance. We have got to get back to it. It has the answers and permits creativity that our culture longs for. Scripture contains everything that we need to know the heart of Jesus. Let it change you.

love and serve

jj