A Brief Meditation of What the Scriptures Mean to Me

Last evening we had a very good discussion about the role of Scripture in our lives. There were a lot of very interesting comments and highly challenging questions among the group. As I sat there, taking it all in, I felt very thankful for our community in a couple of very real ways: (a) that it is a place of safety where followers of Christ can echo concerns, doubts, struggles, and thoughts, even if those things may not be what is considered traditional; and (b) that Scripture is such a significant part of our lives that we devote such energy to its discussion, role, and action in our lives.

I am thankful for The River and one of the reasons for my ongoing love for her is the plain fact that its community is struggling to be authentic with not only how she lives, but with what she believes and the real-life implications of what those beliefs are.

Going back to the discussion about the Scriptures for a couple of moments, I began to reflect upon this in my life today and asked myself some basic questions as life occurred. As I was reading the Scriptures this morning, I asked myself the question, “What difference does this make to my life?” As I work with recovering addicts who are in search of rescue from their hellish addictions and insufferable selfishness, I ask myself the question, “What difference does this make to their lives?” And as I am tempted to do wrong on a daily basis and frequently God’s words (yes I did say “God’s words”) come to mind, I do find myself asking again, “Does this make a difference in my life?” My summary is that I can’t imagine a world in which God is acting to renew all of creation and bringing about His kingdom without what has been considered to be such an essential part of the life of God’s people down through the ages. I still see this word as the “Sword of the Spirit” slicing and dicing people who are in need of change, testifying of Jesus, giving people life, rescuing souls, and calling God’s people to join Him in the grand act of recreation.

As I close this, I am reminded of the English pastor Charles H. Spurgeon’s famous quote about the Scriptures. He said that the Bible is like a lion. You don’t defend a lion; you just let him out and let him go and he can defend himself. That may sound really trite to some, but it still resonates with me today, because although much has changed about me and my view of the Bible, the Bible is still very compelling to me, because I still believe that God’s Spirit using it along with God’s People is necessary for true God-produced change.