How often do you sit down to read the Bible and think: “What does this passage teach me about God’s character?” Maybe your first thought it more likely to be: “What does this passage say about me?” or “How does this passage tell me to live?”
If being a Christian isn’t just about doing the right things and checking the right boxes, but about having a relationship with God then we need to switch that up a bit.
How can you have a relationship with someone who you don’t know anything about? You can’t. In order to learn about God you need to read the Bible taking note of His attributes and character throughout.
Certainly, the Bible does give us guidance and tell us how to live, but we aren’t the main character. It’s about God first and foremost. The Bible tells us about God and then who we are in relation to Him.
Let’s look at an example of this:
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
If you look at this passage thinking “What does this say about me?” then your answer may be something like this: I should be content, I don’t need to worry about money and material things because God will always be with me and that’s encouraging and makes me feel good.”
Now let’s look at this from the other side. What does this passage say about God? God is a faithful provider worthy of our trust.
If you have learned that God is a faithful provider worthy of your trust, then what is the natural response to that? To trust that God will always be there and take care of you so you can be content with what you have.
See how you get to the same conclusion, but in a more positive way? Instead of trying to be content “because the Bible says to” you are content because you trust God’s provision. Try it out next time you’re reading and see if you notice a difference in how you approach the Bible.
