April 21 – Not Of Human Origin

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  -2 Peter 1:20-21  (NIV)

We have a promise from the Apostle Peter in his second letter to all believers about our Bible.  The promise is this, the Scriptures come to us from God. They are trustworthy and true.  Peter is making it clear, Scripture is not of human origin, nor is it the result of human will. The emphasis is that no part of Scripture was ever at any time produced because men wanted it so.  So the Bible is not the product of human effort or origin.  In the OT alone, the human writers refer to their writings as the words of God over 3800 times. The prophets, in fact, sometimes wrote what they could not fully understand (1 Peter 1:10-11 NLT), but were nonetheless faithful to write what God revealed to them as they were carried along and moved by the Holy Spirit. We can therefore trust this promise that Scripture is the Word of God and written down by those who God inspired.  This same Holy Spirit dwells within in all believers to help us discern and understand this Word of God.  Let us seek His guidance to understand what has been given to us.

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November 16 – Quote to Remember

 “David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand,  I will not be shaken.”  Acts 2:25 (NIV)

We quote Bible passages each day on this blog because we believe that what was written long ago about God was written for our benefit.  It can be applied to our lives these days just as it was applied to those who believed God when the words were written.  Quoting scripture has been practiced for a long time.  Today's verse was a testimony by David who wrote many songs we have in the Book of Psalms.  He had experienced the Lord's presence and His strength in his life. About a thousand years later, the Apostle Peter quoted David's words because he too experienced the presence and power of the resurrected Lord Jesus in his life.  So now, almost 2000 more years later we can quote these words even as our own testimony.  We know our Lord is with us as He was with David and with Peter.  He is with you who read this daily blog and He will keep us strong too.  He is always before us and at our right hand. He promises we will not be truly shaken even when we feel uncertain.  That's why we return and quote these promises each day. 

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November 6 – Being Made Complete

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

We have a wonderful resource in our Bible which our God has provided for us.  God has given us His Word, and His people have recognized its value from the earliest days.  So, when the Apostle Paul wrote His second letter to Timothy, he stressed this fact in the verse we have today.  God has a purpose in inspiring the writers of Scripture to write what they wrote.  And He has followed through by preserving these writings so that we have them available to us today, many centuries later.  God has helped His people to maintain the scriptures as He intended so that we may know His plan and purpose for our lives.  And what has been God's purpose?  It has been to equip each of us to carry on His work in this world of reaching others with His message and offer of salvation.  So, as we read God's Word, as we study the Bible, as we listen to others teach us from it, God is making us complete by equipping for every good work.

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September 27

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 (NIV)

We may have interpreted this verse as referring to memorizing Scripture. It is true that when we memorize a Bible verse it is like hiding its message in our heart. And it is also true that a verse that we have memorized can come back to us some times to warn us against doing something wrong. But let me suggest that we can also hide scriptural truth in our heart without really memorizing exact words. So when we hear the truths of God’s Word taught we can accept them for ourselves and make them a part of our living. They will then help us to live right and avoid doing something wrong. So when we hear God’s Word, let us do as the psalmist did – hide it in our hearts.