In the Beginning...

Like many Christians, I never made time to actually sit down and read the entire Bible. I knew certain passages, of course, and I always enjoyed the sermons at church, but the thought of reading all 66 books seemed a little overwhelming. I have a full-time job that requires a lot of travel, and finding even a moment of spare time seems impossible at times. (I'm sure many of you can relate!) I was also a little hesitant because, quite frankly, reading about men who lived and died thousands of years ago didn't seem very appealing. (I love history, but I would have preferred reading about Civil War soldiers or WWII flying aces.) Also, I wasn't really sure how these stories could actually help me. If I needed spiritual guidance for a specific problem, I knew I could simply look up the subject matter or a keyword in the back of the Bible and find a passage or two that would help me through my day.

A few months ago, however, I decided to read through the books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelations. I was inspired to do so after my pastor made some excellent points during his three-part series on the character of God. Too many Christians, he said, base their entire faith on one or two stories in the Bible without knowing God's character or plan for our lives. Some spend their lives condemning sinners to Hell, opposing homosexuality (Genesis 19) and screaming for the death penalty (Genesis 9:6, Exodus 21:23-25), while others (on the opposite end of the spectrum) refer solely to the Lord's command to love and forgive (Matthew 22:39, Matthew 18:21-22). They use those passages as an excuse not to correct or oppose behavior that offends or hurts God. They use it as an excuse to water down the message of the Bible and to accept beliefs and practices that God clearly opposes. These two groups of Christians, he said, have never taken the time to really know God. They take a few passages, or a few stories, and mold God to fit their own agendas and beliefs about what God should be.

But to truly be a faithful Christian, we must know and understand the God we have chosen to love and obey. A responsible citizen, for example, wouldn't choose (or dismiss) a presidential candidate based on one single statement to the media. A responsible citizen would choose a candidate based on his or her voting record, personal conduct and his or her stance on a variety of issues. Likewise, we should know God's stance on all the issues if we are going to accept Him into our lives. Otherwise, we are not really giving our lives and hearts to the God of the Bible. We are giving our lives to a god we have created in our minds, in which case, we can't really call ourselves "Christians."

Being a "Christian" means believing that Jesus gave His own life to save us from the penalty of sin, which is death. In other words, we had been condemned to death because of our sins, and Jesus, in His great love and mercy, took our place so that we could live. Being a Christian also means believing that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that Jesus is the living Word. So being a faithful, responsible Christian means knowing what that Word is. If we don't know the Word, we don't know Jesus.

(John 1:1-In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.)

When I realized that I didn't actually know the Word (or the God I worshipped and prayed to) I knew it was time to make some changes. I opened my Bible to Genesis 1:1 and began reading. And to my surprise (and great joy) passages I had never understood suddenly made sense to me. Everything I read gave me a deeper understanding of the God to whom I had pledged my life and love. And I found so many ways in which to relate the Word to my own life in the 21st Century.

I haven't finished reading it yet, and I probably won't for some time (it is a long book, after all). However, I decided to start this blog as a way to share my thoughts and insights to those--who, like me--may have been intimidated by the idea of reading the Bible. It is also for those who might not be Christians, but wonder how the Bible could possibly relate to modern life. But to be clear, I am neither a Bible scholar nor a student of theology. This is simply a blog to show the many ways in which the Bible has helped me. And above all, I encourage those of you who enjoy this blog to examine the Word yourselves. God speaks to His children in special, unique ways, so I might have insights that wouldn't specifically apply to you, just as you might have thoughts and insights that wouldn't apply to me. Most of the thoughts I write here on this blog, however, apply to everyone.

And again, the most important thing to remember is that the Word itself is far more important than any blog or book you could read. The Word, after all, is the direct story of God's love for us.

Blessings to all,
Jenn