Shaped By The Word

The Authoritative Source

I catch the news everyday – the radio program, Morning Edition; Wire services on the internet; international and local Network Television news; and Night Line before going to bed. I like to be informed.

However, in light of our current sermon series, one thing should be clear; the above programs are not my authoritative sources on sex. No, that would be the Bible.

In addition to sex, we face a host of significant challenges – the war in Iraq, Pre-Emptive Strike Theory, terrorism, radical Islam, Israel & the Palestinians, global warming, foreign oil dependency, poverty, high school drop out rates, gang violence, abortion, Aids in Africa, health care in America, the costs of education, racism, the quality of public education, and potential economic recession.

We may think of these as political issues and no doubt they all have political dimensions. But more importantly, they are all inherently moral and spiritual issues.

The question is, “Where do we get our primary input for determining our approach to these critical concerns?

I appreciate television, radio, internet and newspapers. I appreciate books, documentaries, conversations, and talk radio. But I also believe these sources are terribly insufficient to shape a truly Christian approach to any of these issues. They inevitably fail to account for the “new way of being in the world” that was inaugurated in Jesus.

Romans 8:29 says, “He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.”(MSG)

We need to be shaped by the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Life-Long Commitment

It is primarily through the Bible that we come to know the mind and perspective of God; that we have our desires, expectations and will formed to match his; and that we avail ourselves of the power of the Spirit to be healed and transformed so we can be like Christ in the world.

This requires a consistent and life-long exposure to God’s voice and power through the written word of the Bible. It is like sitting in front of a fire on a cold day in February. Initially you feel its warmth but after awhile you literally become warm. The heat has been transferred into your own body and you have been changed.

Over the years that I have followed Christ, I have tried to give myself many and varied exposures to this life-shaping Word. Here are some that I have done and recommend:

Read – I prefer to read from a contemporary translation like the Good News, New Living Translation, or The Message. I have read the Bible from cover to cover a few times in my life, but have mostly made my way slowly through books of the Bible.

Listen – I have listened to dramatized readings of the Bible on video and CD.

Pray – I create prayers, and sometimes songs, from its words. None of these are worth publishing, but are simply expressions of my heart to God. I have also used the Divine Hours, compiled by Phyllis Tickle. This multiple-volume series is based primarily on the Psalms.

Reflect – I often sit, read a little, and listen for God’s voice and heart.

Study – I have spent countless hours over the years pouring over and trying to decipher its meaning and significance for my life and the church. I have read books on theology, biblical analyses and commentaries on specific books of the Bible.

Write – I have filled seven journals over a period of 20 years with my understandings, prayers and responses to the Bible.

Memorize – I have committed small portions of the Bible to memory.

Discuss – I have talked with others, especially in small groups about the Bible’s meaning and implications for life.

Live – I have tried, tried again, and am still trying to live what I learn from the Bible and allow it to transform my thinking, feelings and behavior.

The Challenge

I do not do these things because I am a pastor, nor do I do them because they are easy. I do them because these disciplines are needed in order to grow deep with God and in order to change. I know the temptation to create a million excuses not to study or find time for these disciplines. But things of great value are rarely easy.

In our fast delivery world, we like to give things a try and, if they don’t deliver quick results, we try something else. But the Bible does not give up its secrets or its power easily. The Bible requires patience. It’s more like a good friendship or a marriage. It takes a lifetime commitment to understand its complexities or mine its rewards. There are seasons – good and bad, high and low. Sometimes you drift apart but the commitment gives you time to drift back. Sometimes you feel like you really know the other and at other times, you wonder if you know them at all.

I encourage you to shed all excuses and plunge into serious and committed pursuit. Become one who is changed, shaped by the word through the power of the Spirit. It is life-changing and it is worth it.