Tongues

Imagine being in a crowd hearing several different languages spoken from faraway lands, feeling left out, confused, and so unsettled that you're about to leave. Suddenly, you start to understand someone speaking in your own language, so you decide to stay and get closer so you hear more clearly what they're saying. You are amazed at what they are saying, so you get closer to see who is speaking. Then you see the person is a foreigner so you listen even more closely. Other people don't understand and think that they're lunatics. Being filled with the spirit, they were speaking in a different language that their friends didn't understand so their friends thought they were drunk.  But no, you know that they're not crazy because you can understand them speaking sanely in your own language!

This is what happened at Pentecost. 

"Tongues" is just another way of saying ... foreign languages that you don't understand... like French, Greek, and Hebrew. 

DIY

It's always interesting to me what is NOT mentioned in the Bible...

Simon said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you've spoken may come upon me." Acts 8:24

The Bible doesn't say whether or not Peter and John did what the magician had asked them to do. The very next verse just says they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. (Acts 8:25)

Peter had told Simon to repent and pray to the Lord for forgiveness. But instead of doing what they him to do, Simon responded by saying, no, you do that for me. 

What would you do?

What would you do if you told someone how to receive a precious gift, but then they just responded, no, you do it for me? 

Would you just keep on walking to your destination telling the good news to everyone else you see along the way?

Jesus told the twelve apostles, "if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town." (Matthew 10:14)

So in other words, Peter and John did what Jesus told them to do. 

Context

Philip brought many Samaritans to Christ, and many of them were healed. Even Simon, the magician, became a believer and was baptized. But since they didn't receive the Holy Spirit, Peter and John went there to lay hands on the Samaritans and pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. When the magician saw that they received the Holy Spirit after laying hands on and praying for them, Simon tried to buy that power so he could perform that wonderful miracle too. (Acts 8:4-19)

The problem is you can't buy with money that which is freely given.

Yes, you have to believe. But that's not all.

"Even the demons believe... and shudder!" (James 2:19)

Peter said his heart was not right with God. Peter said he had to repent and ask God to forgive him. (Acts 8:20-23)

But Simon couldn't do that. He wanted someone else to do that for him.

Repent - apologize, be sorry, regret, have remorse, be ashamed, be humbled, ask for forgiveness

We each have to be accountable for our own repentance. No one can do that for you. 

God knows our heart and our thoughts. That relationship is between you and God alone. 

You can't earn it with good works. You can't buy it with money. You just have to ask for it and it will be freely given to you, if you believe and repent.

Sinner's Prayer:

Dear God, I acknowledge my sins before You. I believe You sent Your Son Jesus to die on the cross to take the penalty for my sins so I could be forgiven. I am sorry for my sins and I want to live the rest of my life the way You want me to. Now I turn away from my sin and turn to Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Thank You Jesus. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Amen."

Are you a good person? Will you go to heaven?

Keep Doing Your Part

Then, when you tell other people the good news, you can't beg them or push them. It has to be their own belief, their own faith, and their own personal relationship with God. You did your part by telling them and praying for them. You keep doing your part. Let them do their part. Let God do His part.  

Easier said than done though, am I right?

Especially when it's someone you love and care for. You can't stop loving them no matter what.

They will know us by our love for each other. 

Seems like prayers aren't working or not enough. 

But praying to God is the absolute best thing you can do for them. God loves them too, just as much if not more. I know He is working things out for good. I trust Him because God loves us. We have to keep on praying and keep on praying for our loved ones. We can't beg them or push them, but we can give them to God. 

When I keep on praying for my loved ones, all I hear from God is...

"Be still and know that I am God."

Strangely that is extremely comforting to me and fills me unexplainable peace from God.

God's got this. 

Thank you Lord in advance for answering my prayers and bringing my loved ones to you. Please Lord soften their sweet precious heart, hold them, let them feel your loving presence, grace and mercy. 

Let Go, let God. 

Stephen

The apostles were so busy spreading the gospel, they delegated some of their responsibilities to several men who were chosen to be leaders because they were faithful, reputable, and filled with the Spirit. (Acts 6)

If you are faithful with little, then you will be faithful with much. 

One of these chosen leaders, Stephen, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. He was so full of grace and power that those who opposed what he was doing could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking... Consequently, they instigated and stirred up the people, so that they could bring him before the council, and then even went so far as to set up false witnesses against him and against Jesus. But all the council saw was the face of an angel. (Acts 6)

No matter what they did to Stephen, it didn't work. The light of Jesus was shining too brightly in Stephen.

Stephen told them about everything that God had done... that what God had foretold came true, about God's fulfilled promise, about how God rescued Joseph, that God brought something amazingly good out of what men meant for harm out of jealousy, about about how God used Moses, who was rejected and exiled from his home... and yet these stiff-necked people still resisted the Holy Spirit. (Acts 7)

Stephen told them the truth. The truth pierced their hearts with conviction, and they didn't like it.

These people were so outraged that they threw stones at Stephen. As they were stoning him, Stephen, said that he saw the heavens opened up and that he could see Jesus standing at the right hand of God. As they were still stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," falling to his knees, crying, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Then he fell asleep. (Acts 7)

Unbelievable. How in the world was he able to forgive them, even as they were torturing him to death?

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, actually saw Jesus with his own eyes at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Hence, even though he was being beaten to death, he asked God to forgive his tormenters. 

Ironically, Stephen ended up being like Joseph and Moses, the very people he was just talking about. 

"We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

God is working, even though we can't see it. God is good. God doesn't make the bad things happen. He has a plan and a purpose for good things. 

God uses bad things that have happened as opportunities to work in us and through to bring something. God. 

When something unexpectedly good happens, that's how you know it's God. That's how God works. He wants you to pray, seek him for help, and He wants to help you. He deserves all the honor, glory, and praise.  

God can bring something good out of what men meant for evil.

Stephen had tremendous faith and amazing courage. He wasn't afraid because he knew God was with him and would deliver him. Stephen's incredible faith helped him so that he could surprisingly forgive those that hurt him. 

Dear Lord, my Creator, you are good, you are in control, and I trust you that you are working things out for the best. 

Please Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit, help me to have faith and courage, give me your strength to forgive as you have forgiven me through your son Jesus. Thank you Lord. 

Let your light shine

"All who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel." Acts 6:15

Stephen was full of faith and power as he did great wonders and signs among the people. They weren't able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. So they spread false rumors about him so they could seize him and take him to the council. But everyone on the council saw the face of an angel when they looked at him. Stephen was so full of the Spirit that everyone could see the light of Jesus in him.

Similarly, the face of Moses of shining when he came down the mountain after talking with the God. (Exodus 34:29-30)

God's light is so bright that Moses was only allowed to look at him through the cleft of a rock. (Exodus 33:22)

Jesus is the Light of the World. (John 8:12)

I only hope that everyone can see the light of Jesus in me, just like that song we sang when I was a child...

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel, no! I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." 

That line about hiding the light under a bushel reminds me of this verse...

Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lap and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

I am not the light...no, but, Jesus is the light, and He is shining His light through me. 

We are to let Jesus' light shine through us so that others will see. 

The problem is that we have to let Him. 

Let... That little word has a huge meaning.  

Let - to not prevent, to not forbid; to allow, to permit, to give permission to, to enable, to agree to

Yes, I have free will. I have to surrender, to submit, and to obey the Lord. I have to let God work in me and through me. I have to let the Lord shine through me.

We can be afraid and try to hide His light that is in us. Or we can ask God to give us His strength, boldness, and courage to let Him work through us. 

I'm also reminded of another song, "Shine Jesus shine" by Graham Kendrick... "As we gaze on your kingly brightness, so our faces display your likeness, ever changing from glory to glory, mirrored here may our lives tell your story, shine on me."

We have to turn our eyes to Jesus so that he can shine through us. 

We are ambassadors for Christ... in Christ we become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

We are only a vessel for God to use, if we make ourselves available and submit to His authority.

Just like Moses had to put a veil over his face, the enemy is putting a veil over the unbelievers trying to blind them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ Jesus, who is the image of God... For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:3-6)

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

Putting a veil over the light does not completely hide the light. Even in the blackest darkest room, the tiniest speck of light can pierce the darkness. 

Dear Lord, let your light shine through me! I pray that you fill me with your Holy Spirit. Fill me overflowing. I pray that people see the love of Jesus in me. Give me your words to speak. Give me your love for others. Thank you Lord. 

Saints

People who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are called...

Christians 

Believers 

Followers 

Disciples 

Brothers and Sisters 

Paul addressed the Corinthians as Saints. This is an interesting word that I never considered before. I always thought a saint was a holy person who was dead. But Paul said that Believers in Jesus are called to be saints. 

1 Corinthians 1:2 says those sanctified in Christ Jesus are called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Saint 

1. a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death.

saint"

2. a very virtuous, kind, or patient person.

I never thought of myself as a saint before. But I guess that makes sense according to the second definition. 

I am a sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. 

As believers in Christ, we are called to be virtuous, kind, and patient. But I can't do that alone. I need to walk in the Spirit. 

I am not perfect, but Christ in me, I ask daily to be filled with the holy spirit. 

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

God knows

A Levite had given all that he had, but another deceitful man gave only a portion and hid the rest for himself. (Acts 4:32-5:2)

"Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God." Acts 5:4

God knows everything. You can't hide anything from God. God knows our deeds, our thoughts, and our hearts. You can't lie to God. Only God knows the truth.

So just because someone says something, doesn't mean it is true. We need to listen to God and what He tells us. This is where righteous judgment comes in.

God owns everything. We are just stewards of what God has given to us. 

You can't cheat God, because it's all His anyways. You can't keep what wasn't yours to begin with. If you are not a faithful steward with what He has given you, then God will just take it back and let someone else be His steward. 

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you reign over all. In your hand is power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, we thank you our God and praise your glorious name." 1 Chronicles 29:11-13

Thank You Lord for all that You have given us, and please help us to be good stewards with what You have entrusted to us. 

Boldness

When Peter healed the lame beggar, he did it in the name of Jesus. When the people asked him about it, Peter gave the glory to God, stating the man was healed by faith in Jesus. Then he preached the gospel to them as an eyewitness of how Jesus fulfilled everything God foretold, and telling them to repent and believe. (Acts 3)

About 5000 people became believers that day because of it. (Acts 4:4)

The religious leaders were annoyed and asked Peter where this boldness came from. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and all the credit for healing the beggar was given to Jesus.  (Acts 4 1-12)

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished, and they recognized that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13

The religious leaders couldn't deny that the man had indeed been healed, but they were afraid and warned Peter and John not to speak in Jesus' name anymore. (Acts 4:14-18)

So Peter and John told their friends how they were threatened... so they all prayed together, praising the Creator, lifting their voices together to cry out to God for help. (Acts 4:23-24)

"Now Lord, look on their threats and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Jesus. When they had prayed, the place where they assembled was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the Word of God with boldness." Acts 4:29-31 

They all believed and they were all in agreement.

God answered their prayers. 

They prayed for boldness, then they spoke with boldness.

The men were uneducated and common. The boldness came from being filled with the Holy Spirit and praying by faith in the name of Jesus. 5000 people were saved because of Peter and John's faith in Jesus.

We need to pray for boldness. We need to pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to believe. We need pray in the name of Jesus. We need to have faith in the Lord. 

Dear Lord, please give me the boldness to speak to others about You. I pray that others are healed and saved through the power of the name of Jesus, that they might know Your love, mercy, and saving grace.

Thank you Lord, Amen.

Trials vs Temptations

Blessed is he who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 

We will have trials.

We will have temptations. 

We will especially be tempted during trials. 

During trials, it is very easy to give in to our temptations. 

If we remain steadfast during trials, then God promised that we (who love Him) will be rewarded. 

It is an effort on our part to not give into our temptations. 

We're tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. 

Falling into temptations vs. Entering into temptations 

Fall - count it all joy knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. 

Enter - Choices and Decisions 

You have free will. You have a choice to flee from or to give into temptations that lead you to sin.

Sin does not satisfy our desires. 

Sin breaks our fellowship with God. 

Confession of sin restores fellowship with God. 

The love of God covers multitude of sin. 

You have to want more to be free from sin than to have the sin. If you want to be free, confess now to God and ask Him to rescue you, forgive you, and restore relationship with him. 

How you respond to temptations will reveal integrity and maturity. 

Flee from temptations. Know the word. Dwell on the word. We all need safeguards to protect us. Abide in Christ, not in temptation. Walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. 

It's not instantaneous, it is a process that takes time. Bad habits are hard to break, but we can form good habits instead. We are adaptive creatures. Be flexible in the Spirit. 

If we love God, then we will be rewarded for our efforts to not give into temptations during trials. 

A trial is not a temptation. 

A trial is a situation or a circumstance. 

A temptation is an object of desire.

The object of desire is not necessarily sinful, but can lead the person to sin.

God tempts no one, but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. James 1:13-15

All people are tempted. 

We each have our own desires, our own weaknesses, and our own temptations. 

What tempts one person may not tempt another. 

Giving in to temptations can and will lead to sin.

What is so terrible and important to remember is that the momentary happiness is fleeting and quickly disappears. But the joy of the Lord is my strength! 

It helps to stay away from what tempts us, but we can't always avoid them. It helps to be prepared ahead of time so that we know what to do when we are faced with a known temptation. 

Temptations are not from God. 

God is holy and separate from evil.

James 1:16-18 says... 

God doesn't change. 

God the Creator gives good gifts to His children. 

God created us.

We are His children. 

We are brothers and sisters. 

We are His first fruits of all his creatures. 

God loves us! 

God wants to bless us!

God wants us to love Him!

God wants us to look to Him when we are tempted by our weaknesses.

Thank you Lord for helping me...

to learn from my mistakes, 

to grow from past experiences, 

and to turn to you always. 

Thank you Lord for all your blessings, your love, and your joy. 

God speaks

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. " 1 Corinthians 1:17 

The Lord sent Paul. 

Paul was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:1)

Paul obeyed the calling on his life to tell others about Jesus. 

But Paul didn't have to speak eloquently. The power of the cross speaks for itself. 

Just like when my daughter and her troop were selling Girl Scout cookies. The girls were not eloquent in their sales pitch,  and yet their booth sold out of cookies. The cookies basically sold themselves.

We have to step out in faith and let God take care of the rest. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say. The Lord will bless our efforts when we obey His call. God will use what we say and do for His glory. 

God speaks for Himself. 

Yet, He chooses to use us (who are weak and unwise by worldly standards) to show His power,  so that when we boast, we boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) 

Jesus = wisdom from God. 

To Him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb, be all blessing, honor, glory, and power forever. 

Unity in Christ

The very first issue Paul addressed in 1st Corinthians was division in the church. This brings to mind a couple well-known quotes...

"United we stand. Divided we fall."

"In essentials - unity.

In non-essentials - liberty. 

In all things  - charity."

Mark 3:25 says a house divided against itself won't be able to stand. 

Paul is appealing to all brothers and sisters in Christ to agree and to be united. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

We, as believers in Jesus, are brothers and sisters. 

Our unity is in Christ. 

Our identity is in Christ. 

In non-essentials,  liberty... Agree to disagree on the little things that are causing strife and division. There are some non-essential things that we may not agree on, but don't let those little things divide us. 

We need to stand firm together, in one spirit, and in one mind. (Philippians 1:27)

Nothing else matters if we don't have unity in Christ. Our identity is in Christ. Once we can agree on the essential truth, then everything else will fall into place. 

They will know us by our love for each other. This is where charity comes in. We are called to love and to give grace to others. (John 13:34-35, 1 Peter 4:8-10,  Matthew 10:8) 

Giving grace to someone is humbling, yet immensely rewarding with the gratifying peace of God. 

We were saved by grace! (Eph 2:8-9) Not because we deserve it. We did nothing to earn it. 

Giving grace to someone is not for them. No! Giving grace is for you...for your own sanity, your inner peace, your own personal joy. Don't let those little things take away your joy. 

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

Easily overlooked

Before I start studying 1 Corinthians, I need to go back to Acts 18:1-17 when Paul went to Corinth to preach the gospel. It's so easy to miss little details when reading this section, so digging deeper helps. 

I always thought of Paul as a preacher. But I see that Paul had a job making tents, and "reasoned" and "persuaded" in the synagogue on the sabbath. The fact that he worked at a regular job throughout the week is an interesting detail. He is just a regular person like me who works all week and goes to church on Sunday. Look at how much Paul accomplished just one day a week, and probably just one person at a time.  When I read that he reasoned and persuaded, I realized he wasn't preaching the sermon in the synagogue, he was just a congregant like me fellowshipping before and after the church service. Just by having a simple conversation with someone and getting to know them, Paul led so many to Christ. 

Another interesting detail I had missed was that Paul was probably afraid. I always figured Paul was so bold and strong because he was so influential. 

The passage does not say specifically that Paul was afraid, but we can infer that he feared others would harm him.

Acts 18:6 says the Jews "opposed him and blasphemed"... so he left the synagogue and went to a believer's house, "next door to the synagogue." The very next verse says the Lord told Paul, "Do not be afraid,  but speak, and do not keep silent, for I am with you, and noone will attack you, for I have many people in this city." Paul's boldness and strength came from the Lord. 

Not only did Paul bring many people to Christ, he led the Ruler of the synagogue to Christ... another interesting detail. In closer reading, it looks to me as if Crispus and Sosthenes are in fact the same person, whose name changed when they became a believer. Can you imagine bringing the Ruler of the synagogue to Christ? Makes sense why "the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul." (Acts 18:12).

No wonder he was afraid. But the Lord was true to His promise (Acts 18:10), and brought other believers to Paul's defense (Acts 18:14). So when the Jews lost their battle in court, they took out their vengeful frustration by beating up Sosthenes, the Ruler of the synagogue who became a believer in Jesus Christ. 

My last interesting detail that is easily missed...because the passage in Acts doesn't say what happened to Sosthenes after he was beaten. 

The fact that Sosthenes survived the brutal beating and didn't let that dissuade his new firm held belief. He 

continued in his faith alongside Paul, as he is so briefly mentioned in the first verse of 1 Corinthians, as "our brother," as a witness or maybe as someone who transcribed Paul's letter. 

It's easy to just read a passage, close the book, and move on with the rest of your day. But taking just a little bit more time to delve a little deeper in a passage will be worth the time and effort exponentially.

For tips on how to study God's Word, click here.

Dear Lord, please help me to not just read the Bible, but please help me to actually study Your Word. Help me to hear what You are speaking to me through Your Word. Help me to learn and to grow.

God sees you

I was reading in Genesis about Hagar. I was wondering why Hagar is named in the Bible. How often do we read something and the person isn't named? especially a female?...especially a servant?

Hagar was an Egyptian maidservant, and yet her story is so important that she is given the honor of being named in the first book of the Bible. 

Hagar escapes and runs away from her mistress who dealt harshly with her. (Genesis 16:6)

You know how you read a story and think, oh yeah this is familiar, I already know that. But I remembered the story all wrong!

I always thought Hagar ran away because Sarai despised her and treated her so terribly...but no!

Sarai became despised in Hagar's eyes. (Genesis 16:4) ...meaning, 

Hagar could not stand the sight of Sarai anymore.  Hagar was disgusted to even look at Sarai anymore. 

Hagar is the one who changed her attitude after she got pregnant with her master's first child. 

She was given the honor of being the mother of Abram's first-born son! But instead of being humbled by this honor, she felt entitled to more respect. She was jealous of Sarai and hated her for being the master's wife. She didn't want to be a servant anymore because she's the mother of the master's heir. 

So now imagine how Sarai feels as her maid is acting more indignant towards her. So Sarai says to her husband, look at how she is treating me now like she's all high and mighty like she owns the place now! She's not doing her job like she used to and it's all your fault! It's certainly not my fault! How are you and God going to fix this? (Genesis 16:5)

Sarai is the one who came up with the whole plan in the first place, but it's his fault because he heeded the voice of his wife. (Genesis 16:2)

The man is supposed to be the head of the house so he's responsible. 

When Adam took the fruit, he sinned because he heeded the voice of his wife instead of doing what God told him to do. (Genesis 3:17)

So Abram told Sarai, She's your problem, you deal with it. 

This probably infuriated her to no end that he wouldn't defend her and stand up for her as his wife. So then in her anger, humiliation, and frustration, she takes it out on her maid to try and put her in her place. 

If Abram had dealt with the issue himself, maybe Sarai wouldn't have been so harsh with Hagar.

So really, each of the three people involved are all to blame for their own actions. 

So when Hagar runs away, probably to go back home to Egypt, God stops her and asks her a question. 

***Does God ever ask a question He doesn't already know the answer?***

"Where have you come from, and where are you going?" (Genesis 16:8)

He knows she's running away from a problem, but running back home is not going to solve it. 

God says, I need you to go back and face the problem. Not only that, I need you to change your attitude and submit to the authority that I have given. If you obey Me, then I will bless you exceedingly. (Genesis 16:10)

So Hagar says, You see me! God actually sees me! 

Hagar's heart was softened because she knew God saw her! (Genesis 16:13)

Dear Lord, please help me to hear you and obey your voice Father God. Please soften my heart and change my attitude. Thank you for helping me to learn something new from a story I thought I already knew. Thank you for teaching me to not take something for granted so quickly but to dig a little deeper. Thank you for helping me to be humble and filling me with your Spirit. Thank you Jesus my Lord and Savior! Amen. 

Living Word

 I try to read my Bible almost every day, but I don't always post in my blog what I gain from my Bible reading because it is usually too personal. That just proves to me that it is The Living Word!

I love it when I read something thinking... oh, I have already read this before, I already know this story, but then I learn a little something new that pertains to what I am going through currently!

The Bible is God's Word, His love letter to us, to each and every one of us individually, because He loves each of us. He loves us because He is Our Creator, and we are His children. He speaks to us through His Word every time we read it, if only we take the time to glean from it and hear what He has to say to us. 

"For the word of God is alive 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."  Hebrews 4:12

So if the Bible is God's Word, 
and the Word is Jesus, 
then the Bible is Jesus?

How is this possible?

God's Word = The Bible  (2 Timothy 3:14-17, Revelation 1:2)

The Word = Jesus (John 1:1, John 1:14)

The Bible = Jesus

If A = B, and B= C, then A = C

If God's Word is The Bible, and if The Word is Jesus, then the Bible is Jesus?

• Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophecy
• The Scriptures point to Jesus

Matthew 5:17

Romans 8:1-4

John 5:36-37, 39

Hebrews 1:1-4

John 3:16

Romans 6:9

Hebrews 4:12

The Living Word

Jesus is alive! We serve a living God! God's Word is alive! God speaks to us through the Bible when we read it, learn from it, and put it into practice in our daily lives. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you so much for speaking to me personally when I read my Bible. Help me to stop and listen to what you are trying to tell me. Help me to hear and understand you, Lord. Thank you Lord for your guidance, your mercy, and your patience with your sheep.