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There are 66 books in the Bible and I confess that I don’t love them all equally.
Are you shocked? Disappointed? Surprised? Relieved?
It’s true. I catch myself looking at my year long Bible reading plan and sighing in relief when I hit the Epistles or Second Corinthians, then inwardly groaning when I land on Leviticus or the Song of Solomon.
Can’t we just stay in the good parts, I silently tell the creator of the universe? Can’t we just skim over the genealogies or skip the parts I can’t pronounce?
Is it really all for my growth and edification? Is it possible that God meant for me to learn something from Joel, Amos, and even Obadiah?
When I was training residents, we used an expression for trainees who liked to pick their patients based on the chief complaints they liked. We called it “cherry picking”.
Left to our own devices, many of us would prefer to cherry pick our way through the Scriptures. Forget the parts about circumcision and God’s wrath. Let’s focus on love, mercy and the part where all things work together for good. Keep it light, baby, I only have time for the good stuff.
I’d like to give you 3 reasons why every part of the Bible is equally relevant and beneficial for your life.
1. Because GOD said it. Remember the last time you were in love? It didn’t matter what the guy said, it was the fact that he said it that mattered. The point of the Bible isn’t just that it’s the Bible, but it’s the fact that God wrote it. God breathed every word in it. I sometimes lose sight of that. I start thinking of it as an instruction book, but it’s so much more than that. It’s God’s living word to me. It’s my means to hear what God is speaking. It’s amazing, and I want to hang on every word of it, because I love God – and He loves me.
2. Because God MEANT it. Look, if it didn’t matter it wouldn’t be in the Bible. God isn’t like us – He doesn’t speak for the sake of hearing His own voice. He means every word He says, and has it there for a reason. Just because you and I don’t get the full gist of it doesn’t lessen the need for it. I remember the first time I read Hebrews and how powerful it was to understand so many of the Old Testament rituals in the light of Jesus Christ. If God says something, He means it. So listen up!
3. Because God reveals IT. Here’s the best part of reading the parts of the Bible that you don’t get: God reveals it to you! He makes known the hidden things of His word. That’s pretty incredible. He does it through His Holy Spirit living in you, follower of Christ. He does it through the preaching of God’s word. He does it little by little by little. That’s a pretty incredible notion. It matters. It makes sense. It is yours to hang on to when you need it.
I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about God’s word. I love it. I need it. And I will do whatever it takes to understand every little bit of it – even the parts I’m tempted to skim.
What about you? Got any ideas on how to get through the difficult parts of the Bible?
