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“There is a very subtle form of idolatry called bibliolatry.”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (p. 67). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

So, what is Mark saying?  What is bibliolatry?  I’m glad you asked.

Mark says, “It involves treating the Bible as an end in itself instead of a means to an end. The goal of Bible knowledge isn’t just Bible knowledge. After all, ‘knowledge puffs up.’ The goal is learning to recognize and respond to your heavenly Father’s voice so you can grow in intimacy with Him.”

Mark later says, “I have a little formula that I share quite frequently: the Holy Spirit + caffeine = awesome. As the pastor of a church that owns a coffeehouse, I’m not joking. And my office is right above the coffeehouse! But here’s a more serious equation: Holy Scripture – Holy Spirit = bibliolatry. When we take the Holy Spirit out of the equation, we’re left with the letter of the law. And the letter of the law isn’t life-giving. What you end up with is rule lawyering like the Pharisees and a lifeless religion called legalism.

“One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is quickening, and it’s the difference between information and transformation. Ironically, quicken is the same word used to describe physical resurrection. In much the same way, the Holy Spirit defibrillates our spirits with His Word so we experience a little resurrection every time we read God’s Word. He brings dreams back to life. He revives faith, hope, and love. He delivers on promises we’ve given up on."

We all as Christ followers need to be in God’s Word every day so we can learn but we also need to experience a little resurrection.  We need our dreams brought back to life, and our faith, hope, and love revived.  

Could that be what you need today?


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