Scripture

The first year Lori and I were married, we lived in “married student housing” at Oklahoma State University. I had already graduated from college and was teaching and coaching. Lori was finishing up her last year. A couple of miles from our small apartment was a Braum’s ice cream store where cones were fifty cents a scoop at that time. I won’t lie…there were nights we craved, longed for, and yearned for a Braum’s ice cream cone. We would search our apartment for loose change until we had scrounged up a dollar and then happily headed to Braum’s. Now when we visit family in Oklahoma, we still make sure we enjoy a few Braum’s ice cream cones during our stay! Peter instructs us that there is something more important than food that we really need to long for.

The Book of Eli is an apocalyptic story set thirty-some years after an event decimated the earth and left a small population wallowing in depravity. While the storyline of the movie does not fit into the Bible’s description of the end times, there is a powerful theme of the “living and abiding word of God.” Eli’s “book” is the last remaining copy of the Bible, and his mission from God is to take it “west.” Nothing will stop him, not even his nemesis, who understands the power of Scripture and wants it for less than noble purposes. One does not need to watch The Book of Eli to understand the power of God’s Word.

Many Christian homes are filled with books on parenting. The books address everything from discipline to college decisions. Most of the books are good as far as they go, but there is one Book that must be on the top of the pile. Honestly, we would be better served if we would put down all the other books and pick up “The Book”.

Homes have personalities. Some are warm and inviting. As soon as you walk in, you want to sit on the couch and relax. Others are cold. As soon as you walk in, you want to walk out. Some homes are fun. There is laughter, joking, and comfortable interaction. Some homes are wound so tight you can cut the tension with a knife. What’s your home like?

Far too many Christians today are all about wanting the awe. They just don’t have much interest in the Scripture, fellowship, communion, and prayer part. Today’s passage reminds us that God leads us to awe…through the basic disciplines of the faith. 

Have you ever heard someone pray and pray and pray, and you wondered to yourself if the prayer would ever end? Yeah, me too. That’s not to say all long prayers are bad. There are plenty of inspired drawn-out prayers in Scripture. The problem occurs when we think that length equals quality. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded us that a simple conversation with God can be powerful.  

Solomon’s teaching on wisdom always leads us back to God’s Word—the source of spiritual wisdom and understanding. There we learn of a God who loves us with unconditional love and embraces us through the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross. Our union with Jesus changes everything.

Scripture is profound. It describes the eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God who sent his Son as a substitutionary atonement for our sin, imputes our sin on him, and imputes his righteousness on us. And Scripture is profoundly practical. When you see a hot-tempered person, for goodness sakes, keep your distance from them whatever you do.

To “glorify” God means to “magnify” him by demonstrating his greatness in words and actions.