What are you seeking when you read the Bible? Knowledge? Wisdom? Comfort? Joy? Strength? If we are honest, we often pursue the Word of God as a tool to improve our circumstances while we remain in control of our own lives. Jesus’ disciple, Peter, communicated a very clear message for us to experience The Almighty’s purpose for the Scriptures.
Crave a relationship with God: “Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3). Peter was referencing an experiential intimacy with the God of the Universe as King David had shared one millennium prior (see Psalm 34:8). He is the Bread of Life who sustains us (see Deuteronomy 8:13). Jesus revealed: “Whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life” (John 6:47-48). When we fully surrender our lives to Christ, we begin to crave a relationship with Him above everything else because we recognize our total dependence on the Sustainer of the Universe.
Jesus taught the religious elite that the Bible was a means for us to humbly pursue and to know God: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40). Life is translated from the Greek word zoe, a vibrant, spiritual, eternal, and abundant intimacy with God in Christ. Zoe is the reason God created us. Only Christ satisfies our God-given desires to know and be known, to love and to be loved, to serve and be served.
Do not crave the world, allowing it to choke out the Word from your life. Instead, crave the Word to grow to be like Christ as His Holy Spirit illuminates your life. Crave a personal relationship with the God who created you because He is truly good, and this is His design for your life. To enhance intimacy and wisdom in your connection with your Heavenly Father, read the Bible as a common practice. Prior to reading, ask God, “What do you want me to know, do, or change?” Meditate on your selected passage and apply it to your daily calendar. The God who took Peter from owning a business to advancing His Church will transform your life to grow His Kingdom in the hearts of everyone you encounter.
Episode 311: Three Habits of Highly Destructive People, Part Three: Pride from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.