WE ARE TAUGHT, FROM THE TIME WE ARE YOUNG, that we must become masters of so many things. We are to master our English or mathematics lessons. We are to master our piano or trumpet lessons. We are to master our relationships. In some sense, if we are to succeed in our life we must master our worlds, not matter how limited or large they may be.
This call to mastery extends to the life of the follower of Jesus Christ as well. We are to master our prayer life, and the handling of the Holy Scriptures. We are to master living the Spirit-filled life and the work of witnessing. Once again, we seek to master our world, but the problem is as Christians we are not called to be masters, but to be mastered. We are called to the role of servants not sovereigns.
This problem often raises its ugly head in how we deal with God’s Word. We come to it seeking to discover the “secrets to successful living,” or to discover God’s will of our lives, or to unearth the one golden nugget that will solve the crisis in which we presently find ourselves. True, the Holy Scriptures can help us to live, and it can give us direction for our lives, and yes, it can even help us deal with the present problem, but the Word of God was given for a much deeper reason.
The Word of God is just that, the Word of God. It is God’s Voice to us. It is that which helps us to know God. It is His revelation of His character and His desire. It is not about us, but about Him. And what an awesome reality that is. God, the sovereign creator, has revealed Himself to us, His image-bearing creation. God, in His love and grace, has made Himself known to us. How cool is that?! And, what better reason to devour its truth?
I guess, with taking some liberty in quoting Scripture, we could say, “For God so loved the world He sent His Word…” (John 3:16 and John 1:1, 14) May we all handle this Holy Book for the Holy Word that it is, and let’s read on.