Information or Transformation

Information or Transformation

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

How do you read the Bible? Sparingly, avariciously, casually, studiously, sporadically..? (Put down the Thesaurus Jordan, the point is made.) There are as many ways and reasons to read the Bible as there are for attending church, roughly about 8 billion at current count. Because God pursues each one of us individually and specifically, there are that many responses to that pursuit. Our Holy Habit of the week is to be shaped by Scripture. And while its importance should be obvious, it still bears due consideration. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:16-17) To be thoroughly equipped implies quite the level of action, does it not? The verse does not read, so that the servant of God may be theoretically ready, if in case, someday, somehow, possibly down the road it may come in useful. “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). God wished us to be equipped for the works He has prepared for us. We are His vessels in this world to be used according to His purpose. In other words, studying scripture cannot be an outcome-driven process; we cannot study and pray desirous of our own pursuits. It must be an abandonment of our own wants, to place ourselves squarely in the Father’s plan, working only toward His will, and for only His goals. Our trust must be absolute in His faithfulness and in His goodness which transcends our own by unimaginable lengths. So how we read God’s Word should reflect how we approach our relationship with Him. In total obedience.

There was an element in our discussion which helped to point out how this looks practically. To shape ourselves with Scripture as opposed to, say, culture. Our culture, much of it based on some pseudo-Darwinian, “survival-of-the-fittest” mentality, is obsessed with comparison. Since there is little in the way of a firm moral foundation, our yardstick is measured by everybody else, what they are doing, how they are doing, and how happy we assume them to be. Much of this is seen on social media, where people go to great lengths to paint a picture of how they wish their lives to be perceived, many times in direct contradiction to the life they are actually living. Why do we feel encouraged to lie? Why must we impress digital strangers with fictitious events and skewed moments? Because our culture is diseased with envy and pride. Envy over the perceived “successes” of others and pride over our equally perceived superiority to others still. But our lens is smudged with assumption and guesswork. Most of the folks who discussed this notion on Tuesday used some version of the words, “higher” and “lower”. This is our culture at work in a nutshell. The entire idea of a scale or hierarchy of people is ludicrous at best in light of Scripture. An intelligent woman I know once told me, “The best of men are still only men at best.” Scripture tells us, “Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” (Isaiah 2:22) To compare two people is to compare trash heaps. Isaiah 64:6 reminds us, “and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”. Our mad scramble for meaning outside of Scripture leaves us misshapen and forlorn; culture, social media, nor any invention of mankind will offer us the fulfillment we find from God’s Word. So it’s best to stop looking elsewhere.

So now that we see the utility and necessity of studying Scripture, it’s best to look at the how and why. As before, there are plenty of rationales that exist to open the Bible. But the why is critical. The question was raised, Do you open God’s Word to be informed or transformed? Like our habit discussed last week, the essential element is one of the heart. Is God the central focus of your Bible reading or are you? Seeking transformation, not information, requires a humble approach, an entirely open mind, and an inquisitive heart. It begins, not at our own understanding, but an acknowledgment of our lack of understanding. This also reflects our relationship with God, do we only look for the path toward our own goal, or do we submit ourselves to His path? These questions are highlighted in moments of crisis. We all face them. What is our response? To despair, or grow frustrated are likely signs that our trust and our minds are fixated on ourselves. Those responses can be calls to us to right our minds and re-orient our hearts toward God. A constant study of His word helps keep us on that narrow path. We were never meant to accomplish this task alone. That’s why we were given Scripture to begin with. “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11). God does not play with dice, His actions are always purposeful. We were given Scripture to use it, to know Him, and to live by. It must be a priority of ours to avail ourselves of it.

Priorities shape our time. We always manage to find time for the things we want to do, no matter how hectic our calendars look. If we are to be transformed by Scripture, we must read it, we must meditate on it, and we must do so with some semblance of regularity. Luckily, our modern times allow us innumerable options to do so! If we are to prioritize the things of this world, we will be filled with the offerings of this world, which don’t amount to much. Pride and envy drive so much of the misery that surrounds us. Ever wish you could rise above it? It begins knelt down in prayer. Head bent toward God’s Word. Heart and mind both open to the direction that can only come from the Potter’s Hands. Be molded by Scripture. Be fashioned by His voice. You were knitted together in the womb by God Himself, allow HIm to continue to build you up as only He can. Allow yourself to be shaped by Scripture. Let it alter the tenor of your thoughts, let it construct the words you speak, let it guide the actions you take, let it build the habits you practice, and let it lead you to the destiny planned for you.

Jordan Williamson