Bible, Spiritual Growth
What do you do when the Bible feels lifeless?
What do you do when you know better, but the Bible feels lifeless?
Let me start with a story. If you know me, that’s where I always start.
We were at Sunset Crater Volcano.
We walked along and through black rivers of hardened volcanic flow. When we reached a paved path, I could almost hear the little people in the “Wizard of Oz” singing, “Follow the yellow brick road. Follow. Follow. Follow the yellow brick…. It wasn’t yellow, but when you have a paved path in a national park, there must be something worth seeing at the end of it. So we followed it.
A small bridge over a crevice led to a bench.
It was a cloudy day so it was actually cool enough to sit down and take in the beauty. As the clouds floated past the sunlight peeked through like a spotlight on different areas of the garden. My eyes followed the sunlight, like a cat follows the reflections of a shiny object on a wall. Groupings of rocks, golden Rabbit Bush, fiery red sky rocket plants, white apache plume with white flowers and pink feathery seeds created the simple but extraordinary desert garden. The volcanic rocks were textured and jagged with artistic planting like that of a master gardener. Each vignette was artistically different, but magnificently arranged-color, texture, spatial design was delightful!
I believe that’s how Precious Holy Spirit wants to walk you through the Bible.
Not with drudgery, one boring word or one abstract thought after another, instead, He wants to light up one beautiful treasure after another for you. He wants to make the Bible come alive. He wants to reveal truth to you. Truths that will help you know Jesus better. Insight that reveals His character and nature in ways that makes not only the Bible come alive, but make YOU come alive in the process.
I haven’t always loved the desert.
I was totally bored the first time I went to a desert. My eyes grew tired of all the naked mountains. Up and down, around and through passages cut through solid rock nothing looked very different.
The desert is alive?
But after I took my kids to a desert animal zoo; I realized the desert is alive. You just have to look differently. You bend over. You look for tiny tracks and even scat. You walk slowly. You look for movement and then follow the movement with your eyes. You look in the shady places where creatures are trying to keep cool. When you begin to see things you’ve never seen before and creatures you’ve only dreamed of encountering, you fall in love and you want to do it all over again. Once is not enough. So you hike hot trails and drinks tons of water, because you want to see more.
That’s how it is with God’s Word.
It’s not a dusty, boring book.
It’s alive. It is precious. It is life changing.
And when you really meet Jesus in the pages of His story, you’ll want more.
Even when you know the stories, you’ll come back because it’s not just the stories, it the person—Jesus– that you want to see and experience as you read. You’ll hear His voice talking to you, giving you advice in the pages of Scripture. Life giving advice that will teach you how to live life and how to live it to the fullest and learn to experience His abundant life.
Ask Precious Holy Spirit to help you fall in love with the Bible.
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 attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NIV
I want to encourage you to make God’s Word a priority in your life.
Savor words and phrases slowly, thinking about them throughout the day. Asking Precious Holy Spirit to give you understanding. Ask Him questions about what you are reading. Allow Him to use verses to guide your paths and shape your values.