Scripture’s Daily Use
We’ve learned a lot about the Bible this week, and today let’s remember how Paul said to Timothy “as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of” (2 Timothy 3:14 NIV11)
Continue in it. Keep on reading it Timothy! Keep on living it! Continue living the Scripture-soaked life, don’t stop!
We need to hear this today: that we need the daily soaking of our mind in Scripture. And it’s not so much about amassing knowledge. Yes, to some extent it is about learning and getting to know the stories and words. But it’s more about soaking and cleansing your mind.
Cleansing Through Scripture
The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm with his young grandson. Each morning, Oupa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his Bible. Pouring over the text, looking at the illustrations, he sought his daily wisdom. His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, “Oupa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?” Oupa quietly turned from putting coal in his stove and said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back some water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house. Oupa laughed and said, “You will have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was “impossible to carry water in a coal basket,” and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. So he scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.
Out of breath, he said, “See Oupa, it’s useless!” “So you think it is useless?” the old man said, “Look at the basket.” The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean.
Daily Scripture Transformation
“My boy, that’s what happens when you read the Bible,” said Oupa. “You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will cleanse you and change you from the inside out.”
Many of you have joined me in reading the Bible in 2 years, which we started in July. And as we’ve been reading systematically these months, it has done just what it did to that coal basket! I don’t remember much of what I’ve read, but it’s cleansed me daily. It’s helped me daily. It’s equipped me daily. It’s shaped me daily.
Because this is no normal book. It is the inspired Word of God.
Read the Bible, friends. Daily sit at the feet of God by spending time in His Word!
Pray before you read and ask for His help. Pray while you read and turn the words into prayers. Pray after you read and ask that the Word would sustain you through the day.
And all through the day throw your mind back to the Word you read that morning.
Soak your life in this book daily. And see how God transforms you.
