Devotional
Most of us approach the Bible as something we read. We open it, take in the words, maybe underline a verse, and close it. But Scripture has a way of turning that around on us. The Bible is not simply a collection of ancient wisdom or moral guidelines. It is living and active. It has a way of finding the things in us we would rather not look at. The pride we have dressed up as confidence. The unforgiveness we have called self-protection. The self-sufficiency we have mistaken for maturity. The people of Nazareth heard Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah. They were impressed at first. Then He began to apply it, and they were furious. The Word had moved from something they could admire to something that was reading them back. And they rejected it. It is a sobering pattern. We can become so comfortable with Scripture that we use it to evaluate others while never letting it evaluate us. We quote it outward but resist it inward. Encouragement: letting the Word read you is not a threat. It is an invitation to freedom. What it exposes, God can heal.
Bible Verse
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1
Reflection Question
When you read Scripture, are you genuinely open to being challenged and changed by it, or do you tend to read it through the lens of what it means for others?
Quote
“Let me tell you about the Word of God. You don’t read the Word of God. The Word of God reads you. It reads you. It reads me.”
Prayer
God, give me the courage to let Your Word speak honestly into my life. Where it convicts me, give me the humility to respond.