At the coronation of King Charles the Third, he was handed a Bible and was told these words…
“Sir: to keep you ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, receive this Book, the most valuable thing that this world has to offer. Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God.”
Apart from the actual scriptures read, I think these were the most life-giving words that were translated and broadcast around the world that day.
I wonder if it raised the world’s curiosity levels. I wonder if anyone turned again or turned for the first time to God’s word, to find the saviour within the pages and the life he died to give them.
On the mount of Transfiguration, God underlined the importance of the things Jesus said when he told the apostles “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ words and the apostles’ teachings were recorded and along with the Old Testament writings, we now have the completed word of God in the form of this book – the Bible. The small print of God’s revelation in creation.
God is the divine communicator and the main way he communicates with us is through the Bible. All scripture is God-breathed, full of spirit, life, power, and truth, and it’s where we get to hear God’s speaking voice.
Not just his speaking voice to the world at large – as if that wouldn’t be incredible enough! But his personal word to us, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It’s through the Bible that we can get to know the King of kings, the prince of peace, we can build a relationship with Jesus there, and hear his plans for us.
In principle reading the Bible has never been easier, most of us have got one, two, three, four or more copies. We also have access to it on the internet and apps, and we don’t even have to read it – we can get celebrities to read it to us online, or listen to it on the radio.
But apart from Sundays and in our small groups, do we?
I certainly have times when I get distracted with other things and my regular habits flounder, but eventually, God draws me back to his word.
Getting to know someone takes time and dedication – sometimes we have to show up even when we’re not in the mood or when it’s not a good time. That’s just how it is with those we love.
But if we believe that the Bible really is the most valuable thing this world has to offer and that Jesus who we can get to know between its pages is the saviour who died to give us life, then we need to devote ourselves again and again to the word of the Lord.
It’s a challenge to get started sometimes, but there are so many ways – small groups, reading plans, setting reminders on our phones, using an app like the Discipleship Cycle, or finding a study buddy.
Whatever it takes, let’s get into good habits of immersing ourselves in the scriptures and prayerfully inviting the Holy Spirit to speak to us there, until we can wholeheartedly say with the psalmist “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path”.
You can now watch the Fuelcast video this was written for here: https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2023-06-23-divine-campaign-the-bible
(For Part 1 in this series head to https://seventy-two.network/2023/06/divine-campaign/)
