Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (p. 76). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Oh, we want to make everything easy, don’t we?   Or we make things too difficult so we won’t try. Mark says, “I wish that hearing the voice of God was as easy as reading, but it’s not. It requires meditating, praying, and contemplating. Ironically, it’s only as we slow ourselves down that the Holy Spirit quickens us. But there is one more piece to the puzzle. “’Christianity has not so much been tried and found wanting,’ said G. K. Chesterton, ‘as it has been found difficult and left untried.’ You can’t just read the Word, meditate on it, pray through it, and contemplate it. You have to do it. Until you obey it, you’ve simply been educated beyond the level of your obedience.” Mark goes on, “’I wonder what would happen,’ said Peter Marshall, ‘if we all agreed to read one of t

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (p. 73). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) What kind of relationship do you have with the Bible?   Mark says, “I’m afraid that for some the Bible is like a painting that hangs on the wall. We occasionally give it a glance, but it’s nothing more than a pretty picture to look at. It’s as static as the status quo. Why? Because all we do is read it. We don’t do it. The Bible comes alive only when we actively obey it. ” Mark goes on, “The Word of God is as powerful as the four words ‘Let there be light,’ (Gen. 1:3) which are still creating galaxies! The Word of God is as powerful as one word, Ephphatha , which is opening deaf ears and asthmatic lungs! The prophet Isaiah said that His Word does not return void. (Isaiah 55:11) The prophet Jeremiah said that God is watching over His Word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12) So let’s

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