We've been talking about the Bible a lot this month. What can we say? We are passionate about the ways God's Word has transformed our lives and the ways we know it can transform yours! The Bible is so much more than a book. It can:
- Show you how deeply loved you are.
- Correct our wrong thinking.
- Talk you off the ledge of fear and anxiety.
- Give you a glimpse of God.
- Transform you.
- Strengthen you.
Whew! No wonder we are so excited about God's Word! But did you know there are some things the Bible can't do? It's true! Despite the life-changing, heart-molding, relationship-transforming power of God's Word, here are five things the Bible simply cannot do.
1. The Bible Won't Earn You Preferred Parking in Heaven
Reading the Bible is a good thing. In fact, I would go so far as to say it's essential in order to know how to please God. But, simply reading the Bible won't give you super star status in heaven. You can't impress God by reading your Bible every day or by memorizing huge chunks of it. If you are reading your Bible in the hopes of earning gold stars with God, you will be disappointed.The Bible is God's Word. Read it to know Him, not to impress Him.Oh, and just in case you're reading it to impress others, here's a little YouTube love that will make you laugh and think at the same time.
2. The Bible Won't Change
"For I the Lord do not change." Malachi 3:6.
How's that for straightforward truth? The Truth found in God's Word will not change based on the culture. It won't change because we don't like it. It won't change to become more popular or to fit in. If God has put it in His Word, you can take it to the bank. It is truly the "solid rock" on which we can build our entire lives. You remember the song about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish one who built his house upon the sand don't you? That's a beautiful picture of why it matters that God's Word will not change. Because God's Word will not change, it is the firm foundation upon which we can build our entire lives. Because the world's version of truth is constantly in flux (kind of like shifting sands), it is not wise to build our life based on what others think. Speaking of change . . .
3. The Bible Won't Automatically Change You
I am notorious for putting Bible reading on my to-do list. I have the tendency to lump it in with checking email and getting the laundry done. If I'm not careful, I can start to look at it as something I'm just supposed to do as part of living a good life. But cleaning out my inbox never changed me from the inside out. Neither has folding a load of laundry. The Bible is not just something I do, it is a blueprint for something God wants me to become but that doesn't just happen automatically.That's why James 1:22–25 says,
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."
As we read the Bible, lets get in the habit if asking God to help us be doers.
4. The Bible Won't Wither
With the 10 Commandments being removed from schools and courtrooms and increased debate about the validity of God's Word, you might be wondering, Will God's Word go out of style? Maybe. It may not always be popular, but God's Word will never disappear. It's here to stay.Isaiah 40:7–8 says,
"The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."
You and I are the grass in this word picture. We are here for a brief moment, and then we are destined to wither. (That's a nice way of saying we are gonna get old and die). But not God's Word! It will stand forever. Think about that for a moment. The Bible was here long before you arrived on the planet. It will be here long after you are six feet under. It is permanent. Eternal. It goes on and on and on.
5. The Bible Won't Speak While Closed
There's a reason why I sit at my computer and peck out blog posts day after day. It's simply this: I want you to fall head over heals, crazy in love with God's Word.
Ultimately, I want you to read your Bible. Often. Because I know from experience as you get into the Word, it will get in to you. That can't happen if you keep it closed.
- I want you to see it as the living Book that it is.
- I want you to grasp that long after you're gone, God's Word will remain.
- I want you to get that it is how we hear from God and live like He has called us to.
- I want you to leave it on your to-do list, but not to impress God and others.
So, what did you read in God's Word today? Is there anything else the Bible can't do?