Life in HIm

S: You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39-40

O: Jesus credits the Pharisees with being diligent students of the Word, but he says they've missed the One the Scriptures teach about—Him. They go to God's Word thinking it will give them life, but they fail to see that it teaches about Jesus—the One who can give them what they're looking for.

A: How often do I study the Scriptures with suspect motives. So I can feel good about checking off my spiritual duty. Or, so I can impress others with my biblical knowledge. God's Word frustrates those approaches, and the only time it rewards me is when I go there seeking Him. I believe the Bible is God's Word. I just don;t always treat it that way. If He's truly speaking in it, then I go there to hear Him, to hear Him speak the "words of life".

P: Dear Lord, make me hungry for you in your Word. Let me read it to learn the sound of your voice and hear your heart. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear, so that I don't miss the One who gives eternal life.

Timeless Talk

S

(Matthew 13:52) And [Jesus] said to [His disciples], "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

O

In Heaven's Kingdom, King Jesus is inseparable from His person and His presence--this is the great treasure, and His Word is an expression of that. In this parable, the King's Old Testament and New Testament revelations of Himself merge into a whole preview of Heaven. Good house managers use both Testaments to make Jesus' presence the center of abundance for their households.

A

Millennia ago, King David recorded that God's Words revive souls and cause hearts to rejoice (Psalm 19:7,8). I, too, long to feed my family with fresh insights into ancient revelations, and to be guided by the Holy Spirit so they are indeed fresh, timely, and beneficial. The cool thing is, unlike fragile antiques, God's treasures are durable: everyone in the house can grapple with God's Words as they use them and share them.

P

Great Teacher, thank You for the treasures in Your Word and the availability of Your Spirit to help us appreciate it rightly. Thank You, too, for the recorded testimonies from across the centuries of others who have thrived because of treasuring Your Word. Thank You for making our lives richer through their stories.