"Mommy, Have You Finished The Bible?"

 

Joshua is in kindergarten and has recently learned to read. He is so excited and we are so proud. When I say he reads, I mean he really reads. He reads the title, the author, the illustrator, the title page, the dedication page and then from start to finish. At dinner the other night he said, "Hey mommy, have you finished the Bible yet?" I wasn't sure what he meant by finished so I asked "How do you mean finished?" "You know, like you have read it all and you are done with it." I explained to Joshua that it is important to read through the whole Bible and to know the whole counsel of God's Word, but that we are never finished with the Bible."You mean you can read it over and over again?" I shared with him Psalms 119:130 NIV "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple."  Joshua and I talked about how each time you open God's Word it is new and as we unfold it and study it, God uses the power of His Word to shine the light of understanding in our hearts revealing to us what He wants to teach us. "That's neat mommy, how God's Word always has something new to teach us." I agree with Joshua. It is neat. It is beyond neat. It is supernatural. It is the power of the Holy Spirit revealing God's Word that is alive and active.Hebrews 4:12 NIV "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart"  I explained to Joshua that it is different from when you watch a movie and see something you haven't seen before or read a book and understand it differently. The Word of God is living and it is active. It is powerful and it is life changing. We can read it over and over and over again and God can use it to reveal sin, encourage passions, form visions, build testimonies, tear down strongholds, the list goes on and on. Does that not get you excited???? I got so excited explaining this to my 5 year old. I was even more excited that he understood and thought it was neat. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ this understanding of His Word should revolutionize our lives and make us ravenous for His Word. Matthew made an interesting observation the other day. We go to school and work 5 days a week to prepare to stay in this world for a short time and we go to church 1 day a week to prepare for eternity. "Something just doesn't seem right about that." he said with furrowed brow. I agree, but just as I told Joshua, we have God's Word 24/7 and His Word is always preparing our hearts for eternity. We just need to be in His Word. How could we stay away from a "book" a "letter" that is living, that is active, that is sharp, that gives light, that penetrates deeply, that judges our thoughts and attitudes? God's Word does all that and more. How can we not read it cover to cover and again cover to cover and devour every morsel asking the Holy Spirit of God to divide our soul and spirit, joints and marrow and to transform our thought and the attitude of our heart? So I ask you, "Have you finished the bible?" As I told Joshua, you are never finished with the Bible. So grab your coffee and find a cozy chair and unfold His Word. The light and understanding are there.