Snapshot


 

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. John 1:1

 

The other day I heard a teaching on the wrong way to study the Bible. The speaker made some very valid points. I agreed with most of what she had to say. One thing she said bothered me a bit. She said that we should never just open the Bible and expect to receive a message from God. In fact she said that was dangerous. She gave a few extreme examples to prove her point and while I understood and somewhat agreed with her theory, there is another side to the story.

          Do you like to look at photos? I love it! I love spending time looking at pictures. Considering how many photo albums I have, not to mention plastic bins, yes, bins plural, of shoe boxes full of loose pictures, there are plenty to look through. It’s fun to see the images and remember when they were captured. Some of my pictures are so familiar that if I had the talent, I could draw them from memory. Others aren’t as recognizable which brings a different set of emotions. I love seeing a picture I believe to be an old favorite, only to notice something I’ve never observed before.

          That is how I see just opening the Bible. The stories, lessons, songs (psalms) and truths there are precious to me, just like my pictures. The speaker I heard spoke only of the dangers. She mentioned verses that taken of out context would be disturbing. She didn’t mention how it feels to open the Bible and see a verse that was a lifeline or one that just always brings a smile.

          Is opening the Bible and simply reading a verse, a paragraph or a chapter Bible study? No, but it is a way of communicating with our Abba, with Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit it can make the difference in a tough situation.

          Suppose you’re having a bad day. You pick up a photo album and open it to see the face of a loved one. That face, that dear face, is smiling widely right at you or it’s a candid shot that perfectly captures the personality of that loved one. You smile and feel your spirit lift. The Bible can do that and more. The right verse, psalm or parable at the right time can’t change circumstances but they can remind us that we are never alone and that we are loved.      

          I don’t recommend the open and hope method as a form of Bible study. There is a dangerous aspect there.  I do however offer it as a means of staying close to our dearest Friend. Just like with the photos, five, six or more may just be images or words but when you see that one your heart fills with love. Every now and then, we see a verse we thought we knew so well only to find a new meaning in the words. God’s Word is real. It is alive and it never stops blessing and teaching us.

          The Bible is God’s love letter to us. Once we’ve read through and are familiar with it, it’s okay to just read a snippet now and then as a reminder of how deep that loves goes.

 

 

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