“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” – Bill Shankly.
Well, for some, football is that big a deal; for others, there are certainly more important things than the adventures of football or even any other sport.
Our last post touched briefly on some reasons why we bother about the Bible; today, we’ll follow that up with a similar thought.
To assert that, for a Christian, reading the Bible is a matter of life and death, is not far-fetched at all, well at least, not in comparison with a game. For according to The Bible – we live by faith, and that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by The Word of God. It is the means by which we feed our faith.
Yet faith is not an end in itself, rather a means to an end; a means to holiness without which no man shall see the Lord (Heb 12:14).
A matter of life
There’s a side to reading the Bible as a matter of spiritual discipline – a form of exercise and rhythm that we strive to adhere to; yet there’s a graver dimension of reading it as a matter of life. In other words, we come to the Bible, gasping for breath, because we know that faith cannot be sustained without the word of God. Jesus, rebuking the devil in the wilderness, alluded to the warning given to the Israelites that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”. Indeed, it is that indispensable!
Stripped of all technical jargon, a Christian is one who submits to the authority of Jesus as Lord and saviour. It is more than identifying with a church, or having our names on a baptismal certificate, or even having the ability to quote scriptures effortlessly, rather, it is a lifestyle shaped and informed by Holy Scripture.
Choosing the important over the urgent
The goal of reading the Bible is to know God, savouring His beauty, His wisdom, His majesty, amidst the many other attributes that are beyond all telling. The question before us then is this – in an age of ever increasing distractions, how do we fight for faith?
At the risking of stating the obvious, I would suggest that a good starting point would be to take some time to review and refocus. Yes, there are urgent tasks to be attended to, so are there important ones. How do we overcome the challenge of sacrificing the important on the altar of the urgent?
Wonderful piece of writing and great reminder of what is more important. I’m inspired, thank you very much.
Thanks Sheri, we all need that reminder.
The word of God is life. Period.
Indeed it is! Thanks for reading, Joy.