More... Exercising with the Word

In the beginning was the Word...

John 1:1

I have in my possession several pairs of shorts, a number of T-shirts, a couple pair of yoga pants and a sturdy pair of running shoes.  I even have a gym membership.  But what if I never put on my exercise gear?  Would having that gear benefit me?  Yesterday I got all dressed up to go to the gym for a workout, the first in quite some time as I've had injuries that have prevented me from feeling free to go.  I felt great about my decision, anticipation swelling in my mind.  But before I had opportunity to depart for the gym, the pain in my side that I've suffered from for a number of weeks came rushing back upon me.  It is quite likely that it was all in my mind, but it did have its effect; I didn't go.

Any medical practitioner will tell you that if all you ever do is dress for a workout but never go you will never receive any health benefit.  I could dress for a workout every day of my life, feeling quite comfy in my gear, but I won't get one ounce healthier if I never take the step of actually exercising. 

I own quite a number of Bibles, several Bible dictionaries/concordances and a couple of Bible handbooks; I have no fewer than three Bible apps on my phone plus a Bible concordance.  What would happen if I never once used these Bible resources?  Just as with my exercise gear, if I don't use it, it doesn't bring me any benefit.

May I remind you of the goal here?  Aren't we looking into how we "find" more of God?  I submit to you that God has given us His Word as a means of growing deeper into Him, getting "more" of Him.  Paul is emphatic when he describes to Timothy the character and purpose of God's word:

Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one 

way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, 

correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. 

Through the Word we are put together and shaped up 

for the tasks God has for us.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 MSG

There are numerous other passages that give us understanding about God's Word and it's work in our lives but perhaps the most poignant I can think of is found at the beginning of John's gospel.

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

2 

He was with God in the beginning.

3 

All things were created through Him,

and apart from Him not one thing was created

that has been created.

4 

Life was in Him,

and that life was the light of men.

5 

That light shines in the darkness,

yet the darkness did not overcome it.

 The Word became flesh

and took up residence among us.

We observed His glory,

the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father,

full of grace and truth. 

John 1:1-5,14 HCSB

This passage gives us a variety of important characteristics of God's Word, several which I would like to spend a little time touching on because they are key, I believe, to finding ourselves with "More" of God.

Jesus is the Word.  

I find it very helpful when I sit down to read or study God's Word to think of that time as relating to a Person.  And John is very clear...the Word is a Person.  In fact, He is a very important Person!  

Have you ever been given an audience with a very important person?  I have on a few occasions.  Once I was introduced to Steve Camp, who was a pretty big deal as far as Christian artists were when I was in college.  I was pretty giddy with excitement as my friend, Kris, introduced me.  Shouldn't this be how we approach Jesus?  Isn't He, after all, the creator of the entire universe?  There is none more important.  Steve Camp is a splash in the bucket next to Jesus.  Every person on this earth is a mere shadow, an image if you will, of the real deal, Jesus Christ.  When we are in God's word, reading or studying, we are exercising relationship as long as we understand this.

The Word is Life

Have you ever worked in a very hot environment?  You can work up a mighty thirst if the conditions are just right.  I remember, on a mission trip my church organized, helping to move quite a number of plywood sheets about 50 feet from an outdoor location to an indoor one.  Not too difficult, right?  Only I was doing this in the sweltering sun beating down on Southern Mississippi in August.  It was hot and humid and it was a nearly cloudless day.  The homeowner we were helping watched us toil and brought some ice cold Gatorades to us in a gesture of great care.  I remember slaking my thirst, more thankful for that bottle of Gatorade than I had been for anything in awhile.  In my dehydrated condition that Gatorade was life to me.

When I've been too full of myself or just plain ignorant and haven't seen God's Word as Life, I haven't typically approached reading it and engaging it with fervency of any kind.  I don't crave it or cherish it as a person suffering from dehydration might crave water.  I don't cling to its life-giving words.  That's why I always go to the Author and ask Him to readjust my thinking so that I might cherish what I read and learn more of Him, connecting to Him as my life.  This builds relationship.  And that is really what Bible reading and studying should be primarily about.

Awhile back I found myself in the position of leading a Bible study with a small group of women.  I had one student who might have been the star pupil in a classroom of philosophy students.  She loved to study, often going beyond what was obvious and looking for all sorts of extra information she deemed relevant to the study.  But that seemed to be all that the Bible was for her - information.  Her merely academic chatter quenched the Spirit's moving in that Bible study.  It appeared that the Bible to her was for growing her intellect, not bringing life to her depleted heart.  We all need the life that God imparts through His Word.

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
 My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.  (Psalm 42:1-2)

The Word is Light

When I was a child I lived in a home that didn't have a "normal" basement; it had a root cellar.  It felt like a very creepy place to me.  The uneven floors and walls were just packed dirt.  It was cold and full of spider webs, which presumes that there were likely plenty of nasty creatures living there.  I would never have gone down there except that is where my mother stored the food that she canned in jars and the potatoes we dug from the garden for the long winter.  I was quite literally afraid of that "basement" and am still uneasy in unfinished basements today!  I was frequently asked to retrieve things from the root cellar.  Fortunately for me there were lights hanging from the ceiling that would expose the dark, shadowy places or I'm not sure I could have dared venture there at all.
   
Spiritually speaking, we all have dark places in our lives we wish we could just forget and would prefer not to venture.  And that is precisely why we need The Word so badly.  We need the light that God's Word will shine into our lives, exposing not just our sin but also the wounds that hold us back from experiencing the kingdom of God fully.  

And not only does it expose, it also guides.  We can know how to proceed when the light is before us.  

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105

Your testimonies are wonderful;

    therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;

    it imparts understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130

It is crucial we grasp that God's Word, yes, and even God Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ, is the Light that has the ability to expose, guide, heal and  impart understanding in every part of lives.

The Word is Grace and Truth

My witty husband likes to refer to us as "Grace" and "Truth."  He is "Grace" and I am "Truth."

This doesn't bother me for I find that without truth in my life I am not grounded.  But if I am not careful my truthfulness seeking takes me perilously close to life-damaging behaviors that have no consideration for others.  My husband, on the other hand, almost always thinks the best of people unless he is given a reason to not trust them.  He is like-able if not somewhat prone to be gullible. And he is sometimes taken advantage of in the process.

Jesus, the Word, is not like either of us.  He is balanced in both truth and grace.  He always speaks truth into those around Him but the grace that He consistently administers to people  is purely stunning!  I am reminded of His encounter with the adulterous woman.  (John 8:2-11)  It was a test, really!  The scribes and Pharisees who were constantly trying to find fault with Jesus brought Him what they considered to be an impossible challenge.  They brought Him a woman they had caught in the act of adultery.  If you think about that picture a minute numerous problems arise.  But the real issue here is Jesus' response to the conundrum with which these wily religious fanatics try to pin Him.  They figure that no matter what response Jesus gives them they will be able to accuse Him of being a law breaker.  But what Jesus does instead is beathtaking.  He turns to the accusers, sinners themselves and states simply, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7)  Then He stoops and starts drawing in the sand.  He hurls no accusations.  He makes no threats.  We don't know what He wrote but the effect is profound.  Every single last accuser leaves.  I suspect that Jesus has shown them the real truth about who they are and by throwing any stones at all they recognize they would condemn themselves as well.  Jesus then turns to the woman and asks, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"  The woman must have been astounded, "No one, Lord."  Jesus does not release her without acknowledging her sin, yet He does not rub her nose it but rather frees her to live in both truth and grace.  "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."  (John 8:8-11)  Jesus operates in both truth and grace; sin is acknowledged but a way out is given.

Living with more of God means living with more of Jesus, immersing ourselves in His Word, hanging on every word He has said.  He will meet us there.  It may not feel like the earth moves under our feet each time we open the Bible, but mark my words, consistent consumption of the Word will move our hearts and transform our minds.  It will deepen our relationship with our Heavenly Dad and give us hope for each new day.