kguy Uncategorized

We are his church

1 Peter 2:4-10

There’s a hazard in Christianity of forgetting who we truly are in Christ.  We talk so much about sin and about being sinners, rightly so, but we sometimes forget the rest of the story.  Have we gotten so caught up in our own sinfulness that we have felt defeated, unloved, even rejected by God? 

Sin is a part of our story.  By nature, we are objects of God’s wrath, his enemies, wholly rejected by him.  But the story doesn’t end there. 

Even in the depths of our sin, God called to us, inviting us to come to him.  We came as sinners.  But Peter reveals the glory that has been ascribed to us through Christ as believers.  Now we are his church, his bride. 

Throughout the Old Testament, God primarily uses the temple as his dwelling place, the central place of worship for the people, and the earthly representation of his glory.  Peter takes a few verses in his letter to contrast the church with that temple.  But Peter isn’t talking about the New Testament church as a building, even those beautiful, majestic buildings downtown.  He speaks of it as the people of God, those who have believed in Jesus and are saved by him. 

The foundation of the church is Jesus, our cornerstone (2:6).  He is the starting place, the essential and indispensable foundation on which the church is built, rejected by men but precious and chosen in the sight of God (2:4).  He is the living stone (2:5), the first among many who will be built up in him and through him to become the church of God.  This church is living and growing, in size and in maturity, just as its stones live and grow and as new believers join its ranks.

We are the spiritual house (2:5) of the Lord, the new temple.  We are where God dwells, within his people through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  And because he resides in us, we are also where his glory dwells.  We are walking, talking beacons of God’s glory, and together as a church we become a pillar of fire declaring who God is to this world. 

We are a holy priesthood (2:5).  There is no longer an elite class of priests who has special access to God or higher status within the church community.  All believers have unfettered access to God, all are set apart to offer spiritual sacrifices (2:5) like praise and worship, thanksgiving, gifts and service, and even our very lives (Rom. 12:1).  The whole temple system of separation – Gentile to Jew, woman to man, man to priest, human to God – all the separations have been demolished, creating something wholly new, a priesthood of believers.  This honor and privilege of access, indwelling, and glory is ours not because we are worthy of it, but because his Son is worthy of everything. 

Now we are a chosen race (2:9), chosen by God like a man wedding his bride.  God declares us a holy nation, set apart in devotion to him and his glory, belonging together in unity and shared identity.  We are a people of his own possession; we are his and he is ours.  We are purchased, ransomed, redeemed and bought at a price, so that no one else has claim on us.  We who God once declared “not my people” (Hos. 1:9) are now called God’s people (2:10).  Our identity is established for all eternity because we bear the name of the God most high.  Once we had no mercy, because God doesn’t give it to those who reject him.  But now we have all his mercy, because he gives it freely and abundantly to his own (2:10).

You and I, we dwelt in darkness, in sin and death, captivity and slavery, loneliness and desperation.  But God our Father called us out of that darkness and into his marvelous light (2:9), into life, redemption, righteousness, freedom, forgiveness, justification, intimacy, contentment, joy, peace, and abundance. 

And he did it so we could proclaim the excellency of him who called us (2:9).  The church, this living, growing masterpiece of God’s glory roars praise of our Jehovah El Elohim, the Lord God of gods, the Lord God over all. 

Lord, we are rooted and established in you, built up on you, our rock and our cornerstone.  We are your church, your bride.  You poured yourself out for us; may we now pour ourselves out for you.  By your Spirit, help us to shine your light into the darkness, to be the light of your glory here to this world.  May our fire burn bright as we are united as one in you, a fire that cannot be quenched.  Amen.

kguy Uncategorized

So then what do we do?

1 Peter 1:22-2:12

Our blessed Father has given us mercy and grace, life, and an inheritance.  He has called us to live out our faith in holiness, knowing that we will face judgement and knowing he has already rescued us from that judgement, declaring us righteous when we chose faith in Jesus Christ. 

We are no longer strangers to God, children of wrath, or those without a name.  We are no longer slaves to sin and death, but are free.  By faith in Jesus Christ, we become beloved children of God, carrying his name and his inheritance. 

So then what do we do?

We love (1:22).  Just as our God loves us, we love God and we love others.  To love is to obey (Jn. 14:23) and, in loving we imitate our God who is love (1 Jn. 4:8).

Our obedience to the Lord leads to purity, never to sin.  In our purity, we love each other in humble brotherly love, without expectation of gain or return.  We love each other earnestly, sincerely, with great effort and priority.  We love because of God’s great grace to us, and we give this grace to others. 

This is holy living.  In a right relationship with God, understanding who he is and what he has done for us, wanting to please him and be like him, we respond accordingly in pursuing holiness, rejecting sin and choosing obedience.  Therefore, we seek to love others well, with pure hearts (1:22).  As they experience our love, this helps them understand who our God is and, in turn, grow in their desire for him.

We love in the light of eternity, knowing we have been born again (1:23) in and through our eternal, never fading, never to perish Jesus Christ (1:25).  This is what we are built upon, a sure foundation and an eternal hope.  As we grow in obedience, we grow in holiness as we reject sin.  We grow in love.  We are not the old anymore; the old has gone and the new has come.  This is permanent; we won’t go back but are new forever, born of the imperishable seed (1:23).   

So we slough off what we used to be and step into newness of life in Christ.  Here there is no room for malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy or slander (2:1).  We put away what harms others, because this is not love.  Love seeks the good of others. 

And how do we do this?  If we seek to love by our own conviction, strength and power, sin will win.  Instead, we must look to the Lord.  We must long for spiritual milk (2:1), the living and abiding Word of the Lord (1:23) in which we find what is good, pure, true and holy.  In feeding on what is good for us, like a newborn baby on milk, we grow up in our salvation (2:2).  We learn to live holy and we grow in looking more like our Lord. 

If we have tasted that the Lord is good (2:3), we have tasted with delight and we desire more.  And if we don’t desire that spiritual milk, what have we filled up on instead?  Like a child full of sweets who doesn’t desire more food, but whose body isn’t actually satisfied, we fill up on what is not good, not beneficial, not best.  Come back to what satisfies.  Come back to our Lord.

He is good, so good. 

Lord, give us desire for you.  Quicken our hearts for the one who loves us best.  Whet our longing for the Word that gives life.  Convict us so that we feed on you.  Fill us up with you until we are bursting with contentment, and so what comes out of us is you, your holiness and your love.  Amen.

kguy Uncategorized

All my deeds laid bare

1 Peter 1:17-21

The idea of judgement carries a lot of weight for us.  In today’s world, we feel judged constantly – for what kind of mother people think we are, how our boss perceives our performance at work, what our words online may or may not mean.  Judgement carries the burden of other people’s qualification of who we are, the kind of person we are.  What’s frustrating, of course, is that other people judge us unfairly and even incorrectly with alarming frequency, and we often have no control over that whatsoever.

When the Bible speaks of judgement, though, we can be assured that our judge will judge us with full knowledge and understanding of who we really are.  Peter even speaks of the Father judging impartially, without favoritism for any single individual or any group (1:17).   Of course, that’s also overwhelming and perhaps almost terrifying to consider. 

And this judgement, of course, isn’t merely to decide what the judge thinks about us, it’s to determine the condition of our eternal existence.  This judgement carries weight, the weight of eternity.  And it is inevitable, inescapable.

I know with certainty that my judgement should be an awfully fearful thing.  The Father’s judgement will be decided according to one’s deeds (1:17), and I know that my deeds will never measure up to the standard set by my holy God (1:16).  I will never be good enough to achieve the perfection of righteousness demanded, to be without sin and its consequences.  His authority in my life and his absolute standard of perfection motivates both a respectful fear of the Lord and a desire to pursue holy living. 

And yet I know, no matter how I try, I won’t be able to actually live perfectly holy. 

Yet there is good news.  I have a ransom in Jesus Christ (1:18), who paid the penalty of my sin so at judgement I will receive the inheritance of eternal life.

In this judgement, though, our every deed and thought will be made known (1 Cor. 4:5).  After all, how does God judge man’s deeds without a thorough inventory of them?  The Lord will review them all, and I will have to endure seeing the quality of my every action, every word, every thought contrasted against true righteousness. 

Even in that time of reckoning, though, my Jesus comes through.  Every action, word, and thought is covered.  Every sin has been forgiven thanks to the work of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  Even in that moment of judgement, I will be praising the Lord for his full and complete forgiveness and redemption.  Even at judgement we will have the chance to marvel at the incredible work of our Jesus, the God of our salvation.

Jesus’ blood, more precious than silver or gold, paid the ransom (1:18) and the penalty (1:19) for our sin.  His sinless offering, like a lamb without blemish or spot (1:19), offered to God on our behalf, cleansed us of all unrighteousness and will allow us to stand at judgement unafraid of the outcome.  This was the plan the Father hatched before the foundation of the world (1:20), before mankind was formed and before the first sin, in order to rescue us unto himself, because he has always been coming for us, pursuing us, wooing us unto himself – him our rescuer, our redeemer and us his beloved. 

Our faith and our hope are in God (1:21), because our deeds will never be enough. 

Lord, when we stand before you at judgement, we will count on you and not ourselves.  We know your work of salvation is enough.  We know that we will never do enough or be enough on our own.  And yet you made the way for us.  You came for us with a banner of love and an offer of eternity.  You call us your own and give us your name.  You are not just enough, Lord, you are abundantly, immeasurably more than we could ever have dreamed.  You are worthy of all of us, all our faith all our hope, and all our love.  Amen.   

kguy Uncategorized

Prepare for holiness

1 Peter 1:13-16

Tissues, baby wipes, hand sanitizer.  Check.  Change of clothes for both kids, towel for drying off or dusting off.  Check.  First aid kit.  Definitely check.  Snacks.  Most definitely check.

My van holds a lot of stuff, stuff that makes me feel prepared for whatever situation my kids manage to find.  Your diaper bag, your purse, or your backpack may be similar.  Perhaps your desk at work is full of treasures, just in case.  Feeling and being prepared helps us in the tough moments to not react but act, knowing we have our arsenal ready for what lies before us.

Peter calls us as believers to have our minds prepared and ready, not for the antics of a preschooler, boo-boos that befall us, or even hunger pains at the work desk, but for holy living (v 13).  Consistently choosing holiness grows out of this preparedness, so we are ready to make that choice and not merely reacting to life’s circumstances.  Be sober-minded (v 13), he says, rational and sensible, exercising restraint so we won’t conform to this world but to Christ.

As obedient children (v 14), we heed the call to be like our Father, whose command is to be holy as he is holy (v 16).  This holy version of ourselves is not the same as we were before we set our hope on Christ.  Our passions then were ruled by ignorance (v 14) and focused on ourselves.  Now we fix our eyes and our passion on the Lord.  Because we are made new in Christ, we are able to pursue holiness now, although we won’t achieve true and perfect holiness until we are fully sanctified and made like Christ in heaven. 

This process of sanctification begins when we are made new in Christ at the point of believing and accepting him as our Lord and our Savior.  The power of sin over us is broken (Rom. 6:14) by the freedom and rebirth we experience in Christ.  However, this doesn’t mean that we no longer sin, but that we don’t have to sin.  We are able, through the power and working of the Holy Spirit within us, to resist the temptation to sin (Gal. 5:16).  Sin holds less allure and influence over us as we grow in our understanding of and desire for righteousness.

Our sanctification continues throughout our lives, all the way until our death when we meet our Lord in heaven (1 Cor. 15:23).  None of us are perfect; we are still in process, a process that the Lord will carry on to completion (Phil. 1:6).  Peter’s call to holy living reflects the truth that God plays a role in our sanctification, but we do as well.  If God commands us to be holy, we can only conclude he means that we must participate in the process of becoming holy.  We must submit to the work that God does within us as he grows us up in holiness, and we must pursue that holiness of our own accord. 

And this is where we must prepare.  We must prepare to pursue holiness.  We must decide how we will handle the temptation to sin.  We must plan to submit to the Lord’s commands.  We must choose to submit to the work of the Holy Spirit within us.  We prepare our hearts and minds for holiness, so when the tough decisions come we are ready. 

This pursuit of holiness, submission to the Holy Spirit, and obedience to the Lord’s commands unleashes the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) in our lives.  We experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as we cooperate with God’s work in our lives.  There is joy in sanctification, joy in holy living and peace in knowing we rest squarely in God’s will for our lives to be holy as he is holy. 

As we pursue this holy living and as God works within us, we will begin to more closely resemble our first love, the Lord Jesus Christ.  We will display more traits of his character, his  love God and others, and his laser focus on the will of our Father.  We become a beautiful picture of our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Rescuer.  And what’s more beautiful than him?

Father, we are grateful that you invite us into your holiness, that your plan for us is to make us as holy as you are.  You have promised you will accomplish the work of holiness in our lives, that you will carry it on to completion.  The responsibility for finishing this work lies with you and not us.  What grace!  And yet God you invite us into the process, allowing us to participate in our own sanctification.  What a privilege and what an honor, and yet what a responsibility.  Lord, help us fix our eyes on you, for you are the one who teaches us what true holiness is.  And Father, as we walk out our days, may we see a growing holiness as we become sanctified to become more and more like Jesus, our love.  Who else would we want to be like but you?  Amen.

kguy Bible study, Uncategorized

Faith that endures trial

(1 Peter 1:6-12)

September was a hot, dry month for us here where I live.  Smarter people than me talked about record years, but all I know is that it hasn’t rained much.  As the month neared its end and now that October is here, it’s time for the farmers to get to work.  

Harvest time has arrived for tobacco.  Although I don’t particularly like what the plant produces, it is beautiful to watch it grow.  As the summer comes to an end, the leaves of the tobacco plants turn a beautiful lime green.  All around the fields are full of row after row of lime green glory.

But drive by the next day and the fields tell a different story.  Lime green stalks stand bare, stripped of all their leaves.  Limp, ragged leaves lay strewn haphazardly across the road, having blown off the trailers hauling the tobacco harvest. The once beautiful fields now just look dusty and forlorn with rows of naked stalks.

As I view field after field whose grandeur has been wiped out, I wonder if I don’t look the same in affliction.  Trials are real.  They leave us stripped bare, limp and scattered, barely upright.  I admit that given the choice, I would choose an easy, tension-free, peaceful to the point of boredom life.  But Jesus promised trouble would inevitably come (Jn. 16:33). 

Peter too recognizes God’s power to guard us (v. 5) does not shield us from all difficulty.  Our lives and our circumstances are bound up in troubles and trials that grieve us (v. 6) and test our faith (v. 7).  We are burned out and burned up, the flames licking our faith, warping it and scarring it as we walk through suffering of all kinds.  

Yet the trials are not without purpose.  God’s priority for us through the trials is to prove the genuineness of our faith (v. 7).  I imagine this isn’t so much proving our faith to him, the one who knows everything about us, but proving our faith to ourselves.  In the trials, our faith burrows deep as we struggle to determine if God is truly worthy.  And we discover he is endlessly faithful, wholly able, always willing.  Even in the wrestling with him, he proves our faith in him is never misplaced and will never be let down.  

And when we have proven our faith genuine and at the revelation of Jesus Christ, God himself will praise, glorify and honor us for this tested and proven, but not perfect, faith (v. 7).  I imagine approaching God to offer him my dinged, charred, warped, smudged faith, and receiving his joy that I used it long and well.  Clinging to this faith through the turmoil says I believe it is worth it, I believe he is worth it.  To survive with that faith intact at the very end, however mangled it may be by then, proves that I deemed it a treasure and a priority, and proves it is real and genuine because it was tested, tried, and used.  This is the faith that lets loose God’s salvation in our lives (v. 9), since it is through faith we are saved (Eph. 2:8).  

From the original sin of Adam and Eve, God has been plotting and moving and preparing this plan of salvation until finally ushering in Jesus to secure this for us through his death and resurrection.  The prophets of the Old Testament wrote of it, searched for it, inquired God about it (v. 10-11), sought it desperately, and yet it wasn’t the time.  Even the angels long to know this salvation, since salvation is for man and not angel (v. 12).  God has come to rescue us from our sin, death, and ourselves, and we usher him in by faith.  This extraordinary salvation is ours, our blessing and our privilege.  

Knowing this salvation, what can we do but love the Father who gifts it (v. 8)?  What can we do but rejoice with joy that our hope is secure (v. 8)?  In knowing God and receiving his salvation, we are marked with love and joy, now and forever.  Whether in trials or not, confident in the salvation we have now and the completed work of salvation that is to come, knowing our full inheritance awaits us, along with God’s own praise, glory and honor for our faith – in this we rejoice. 

Father, the trials are real, the weight, suffering, indignity, and brokenness in them.  But yet you are there, calling us to yourself and inviting us to experience more of who you are, the author and perfecter of our faith.  Although we face trials, you have already obtained for us our greatest need, salvation, and secured our eternal future with you, that we may know you and enjoy you forever.  What love, what goodness, what grace and mercy!  How great you are, how good you are, how you love us.  You are worthy of all the glory, all our praise and worship, all the honor, and even more, now and forever.  Amen.

kguy Uncategorized

Our incomparable inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-6)

Note: This site will be following along with a group study of the book 1 Peter in the Bible. I invite you to read 1 Peter and follow along with us here as we dig into the beauty of God’s Word.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (v. 3)  Peter starts in the place Jesus taught him, with praising and glorifying the Father, assigning God his rightful place above us all.  He is our Father in heaven, hallowed in name (Mt. 6:9).  When we bless him, we assign him our highest honor, declare him holy, and give him our praise and worship.  This is where we start, before anything else, remembering who we exalt.

Peter follows by recalling what God has done for us.  But what God has done for us is inextricably linked to who he is.  God is great in mercy (v. 3), choosing to not give us what we deserve.  What do we deserve?  “All have sinned,” (Rom. 3:23) and “the wages of sin are death” (Rom. 6:23).  If God chose to give us what is rightfully ours, we would all face condemnation for our sin and not just physical, but also spiritual death.  

Yet because of his mercy, God chose not to leave us for dead.  Instead he rescues us to new life (v. 3).  Our God is the God of life – of second birth, of living hope, of resurrection. He gave man life, breathing his own breath into Adam and handcrafting Eve.  He spoke all life on earth into existence.  He came in human form that we might have life abundantly.  We were made for life – abundant, rich, joyful, fulfilling life.  And although we chose death, God chases us down to offer us life.  Yes, this is his great mercy.

And this is grace. Not only does he rescue us from what we do deserve, he gives us what we don’t deserve – life, hope, resurrection (v. 3), and even more.  He has stored up for us an inheritance, a spiritual inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading (v. 4).  It does not spoil nor decay over the passage of time.  It is never tarnished nor flawed, but remains pure and perfect.  It never loses its value or goodness, as it is without change.  Nothing in our world is imperishable, undefiled or unfading, except what is of God.

We are guaranteed that this inheritance is safe, kept in heaven for us.  It is ours, sealed for us until the time we receive it.  God uses his own power to guard me until I receive that inheritance (v. 5), guarding me for it and it for me.  Who else could safeguard such a treasure?  Who else is trustworthy to shield our eternal inheritance? His constant watch and powerful guard over us preserves and sustains us until we receive the prize. 

This incomparable inheritance speaks to the heart of who God is.  The measure of his mercy and grace for us is inestimable, the depths of his love for us unreachable.  He gives generously to us all things, even himself.  He is our irresistible God.  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ indeed!

Father, you draw us to yourself by the very nature of who you are. In knowing you, we are drawn to love you.  You are most generous with your blessings, most generous with yourself.  You invite us in with your grace, mercy and love.  May we find the delight of our souls rests in you and you alone.  Amen.  

kguy Uncategorized

Grace in the now and grace in the becoming

John MacArthur calls Peter the disciple with the food-shaped mouth.  I identify strongly with this weakness of Peter’s, having a special knack for inserting my own foot squarely into my mouth on many occasions.  Although my verbal faux pas live on in my memory, Peter’s indiscretions were recorded for posterity throughout the Gospels.

I hear Peter say, “But if you say so,” when Jesus instructed him to cast the fishing nets again.  Peter, the professional fisherman, reluctantly followed Jesus’ instruction, doubtful that Jesus might know better than him (Luke 5:5).

I hear Peter blurt impetuously into the very face of the living God “You will never wash my feet!” as Jesus humbly kneeled before him (John 13:8).

I hear presumptuous Peter brag “Even if everyone else falls away, I will not” before he denied Christ three times (Mark 14:29).

But maybe most astonishing to me is when Peter told Jesus at the transfiguration, “It is good that we are here.” (Matthew 17:4). I imagine him saying it with an air of pride and importance and ignorance of what he is witnessing.  Here before him was the glory of God in human form, something many would dream of but few would witness.  And Peter, in the midst of all of this, couldn’t help but feel pride and say aloud his own importance at being there.  

Perhaps I’m misinterpreting Peter.  Maybe as he stood there, his heart was more aligned to submission and service than I give him credit for.  Many times the words emerging from my mouth do not come across in the way I intend them.  Maybe Peter suffered from the same problem.  

Peter’s foot in mouth syndrome revealed something important about his character.  Peter was bold in word and deed.  He was the disciple who asked the most questions of Jesus, more than the other disciples combined.  He was curious, inquisitive, seeking, and was audacious enough to ask of Jesus the things that he wanted to know.  He was also quick to answer Jesus’ questions.  He answered wrong many times, and yet rarely did Jesus rebuke him for it.  Jesus seemed to appreciate Peter’s boldness, his quickness with his words.  Or at the very least Jesus was not bothered by the way Peter responded to or asked questions. 

With Jesus being God and God knowing everything there is to know, we can safely assume Jesus knew Peter’s personality well before he called Peter to be a disciple.  It wouldn’t be a jump to conclude Jesus appreciated Peter’s boldness, even having plans for that boldness – to use it for his glory, his church, his kingdom. Maybe the things we are most concerned about in our own personalities are the very things that Jesus will mold and use as we serve him wholeheartedly in faith.  

Peter didn’t have to clean up his personality, squash his boldness, or keep his foot out of his mouth before God began to use him.  Jesus’ willingness to choose Peter showed confidence that Peter could glorify God both as he was and as the man he would become, both in the right now and in the future, as Peter matured and grew through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the right now, I’m a weary mom with a loud and strong personality who thinks and says the wrong things too often.  Yet Jesus delights in using me now, as the woman I am.  

At the same time, I am becoming.  Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus continues to transform me, to grow me, to sanctify me.  And in the becoming, I also glorify him.

Peter wasn’t always called Peter.  It was Jesus who changed his name from Simon to Peter, meaning “rock.” When Jesus changed his name, Peter wasn’t much of a rock.  He would still say questionable things, answer wrongly, have Jesus call him “Satan,” and deny Christ three times.  But Jesus knew how Peter would mature.  By changing his name, Jesus seems to call Peter into a better version of himself, to give him vision for the man he could become.  

This is the journey motherhood has been for me.  The moment that baby looked up at me the first time, I realized I was wholly unprepared and ill equipped to be a mother.  Yet all through this season, I have heard Jesus calling me into a better version of myself.  I sense the vision for the woman he wants me to become as he sanctifies me and grows me to look more like him.  That growth doesn’t happen smoothly, without pain, or without mistakes.  But it’s happening, just as it did for Peter.

God is big enough to use all of us, just as we are, for his glory.  He is great enough, powerful enough, and good enough to continue to grow us over time.  He loves us and delights in inviting us into his work and his glory always.

Even you.  Even me. Even Peter.  

Lord, you created us with these personalities, strengths, and even these weaknesses.  You delight in who we are and in who we are becoming, in and through you. Give us the desire to serve you faithfully and to glorify your name both now and forevermore.  Amen.

kguy Bible study, Uncategorized

Dear Friends

            What if we could confidently approach Scripture, knowing that when we sit down to read it, we will come away with exactly what God wants us to get in that moment?

            What if we didn’t need anyone else to help us understand our Bible?  Not a pastor nor a Bible study book, not even commentary nor that smart old lady at church.

            What if, every time we sat down with the Word, we knew that God was inviting us in, opening himself up to us, showing us the depth of his love and care and concern for us? 

            What if it wasn’t about checking Bible study off our list for the day?  

What if we were sure your Bible study (or lack thereof) had no impact on our standing before God, declaring us either a good or bad Christians?  

            What if?

            When approaching Bible study, so many of us are anything but confident.  Or maybe we actually are confident… confident we are doing it wrong, confident we aren’t understanding the Bible, confident there’s some secret we don’t know.  We might still read, but walk away unsure. We don’t trust ourselves, our wisdom, our understanding when it comes to the Word of God.

            But what if what we are really saying is that we don’t trust God?  

            As a believer in Christ Jesus, God has given you everything you need to read, study, and understand His Word.  

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.  The spiritual person judges all things… 1 Corinthians 2:14

            Before we believed, we lacked understanding of Scripture and were not even capable of it.  But now we have spiritual discernment, thanks to the Holy Spirit working in us.  

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13

            One of the roles the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is that of teacher (John 14:26).  As we study the Word, the Holy Spirit illuminates Scripture, allowing us to understand what we read and to interpret what God means.  Through the Spirit, we receive spiritual discernment, not because of our own smarts, but because of God’s great desire to connect intimately with us.

            By giving us his Word and his Spirit, God is inviting us in.  He is beckoning us from the pages of Scripture.  Come, see me.  Understand me.  Know me. And in knowing me, love me.  It’s a beautiful picture of God’s desire for us, that he would give us this book full of himself and the power, access, and authority to know through its pages a holy God.  

            And if that wasn’t enough, God actually gives us himself in the form of the Holy Spirit, God himself living and residing in us. Who are we that we should receive such immeasurable grace?

            What God has not given us is the right to open His Word and make it about ourselves – what we like to do, what we think is right, what we want God to be.  When we have God’s Spirit in us, conviction will come when we lose sight of what Scripture is really about.  Being part of the larger church community is one way God keeps us in check.  If what I think I’m reading doesn’t stack up with what I am hearing in the body of Christ, I know it’s time to seek counsel. The conviction of the Holy Spirit is real.  It’s swift. And it’s unrelenting until we seek truth, confess and repent of our sinful desire to make the truth of God fit our mold. 

            But we don’t walk into Scripture in fear that we will mess this up.  We walk into Scripture with the confidence that God has designed his Word to be understood and has given us the very key to understanding in the Holy Spirit.  He has set this up for us to win.  

            And this Scripture comes with power – the power to change us, to transform us into the likeness of Christ, to root out sin and shed light in the dark places of our hearts, minds and souls.  It is alive and gives life.  It cuts away what is dead and grows what is right.  

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

            Will you trust God?  Will you believe that his design is right and good and trustworthy? Will you believe with confidence that you can understand Scripture because he has given you everything you need to do so?  Will you step out in that faith?

            Lord, you long to show us the depths and riches of your Word.  You desire to meet us there in the pages, unleashing the power of your Word in us. May we be brave enough to come with our confidence in you, knowing you have given us all we need to study your Word. May we boldly seek you and know by faith we will find you.  Amen.