90-Day Renewal
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Encouragement From God's Word
copyright@2004 by Donna Partow
www.donnapartow.com
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so
that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope. Romans 15:4
Okay, so we've figured out that woman cannot live on spiritual donuts alone. Unfortunately,
even those of us who have moved beyond junk food often eat the same stuff day after day.
In some parts of the world, people don't have much choice: They are lucky to get bread and
water or rice and beans on a routine basis. I once met a beautiful young MK (missionary kid)
who was raised in the Peruvian jungle until her late teen years. When she came to America
for the first time during her parents' furlough, they sent her into a grocery store to buy
cereal. Big mistake, Mom and Dad. The poor girl just about had a nervous breakdown right
there in Aisle 9. In Peru, cereal is cereal. One box. No choice. In America, cereal is a
billion-dollar industry.
Nevertheless, even with the vast array of food choices available to us, most Americans tend
to get stuck in dietary ruts. Chances are, of the zillions of brands and flavors available, you
eat the same cereal every day. And I'll bet you've been eating the same one for years. Day
in. Day out. Lunch is a no-brainer, too. For the under-twelve crowd, it's peanut butter and
jelly. A grilled cheese sandwich or pizza if they are lucky enough to get a hot meal.
Teenagers eat Burger King or Taco Bell. Every day. Come dinnertime, most of us go for
meat and potatoes or a casserole. It becomes a routine, and we find ourselves eating the
same handful of meals, week after week.
Jesus noted, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on EVERY word that comes from the
mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4, emphasis added). Today's verse points out: "EVERYTHING that
was written in the past was written to teach us." Second Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that
"ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Every. Everything. All. Getting the picture? Not just a few favorite verses and pet passages.
Not the same old, same old. Every word. Everything that was written. All Scripture.
There are places in the world where the whole church shares one Bible. Entire "people
groups" have only a portion of the Scriptures in their native tongue. These believers have no
choice: bread and butter, rice and beans. We've got all of Aisle 9, not to mention the rest of
the grocery store and Super Wal-Mart.
God has set before us a smorgasbord of spiritual food. So why do we eat the same stuff over
and over again? "I don't understand the book of Revelation. Whatever's gonna happen is
gonna happen." "The Old Testament is irrelevant. We're not under all those weird laws
anyway. Besides, who cares who begat who?" "Paul's letters are soooo long-winded. I don't
want to get bogged down in all that dry doctrine anyway. I like to read the Psalms."
There's a real danger in being such finicky eaters, my friends. We'll miss out on all the rich
morsels hidden throughout. There's something special in every book in the Bible. For
example, did you know that Christ is portrayed in each and every book? Consider this:
In Genesis, he is the seed of the woman
In Exodus, he is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, he is the atoning sacrifice
In Numbers, he is the bronze serpent lifted up in the desert
In Deuteronomy, he is the prophet Moses saw
In Joshua, he is the captain of the army
In Judges, he is my deliverer
In Ruth and Esther, he is our Kinsman-Redeemer
In 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, he is the Promised King
In Ezra and Nehemiah, he is the restorer of the nations
In Job, he is my Redeemer
In Psalms, he is my all in all
In Proverbs, he is my pattern
In Ecclesiastes, he is my goal
In Song of Songs, he is the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star
In the major and minor prophets, he is the Promised King yet to come
In Matthew, he is the reigning King
In Mark, he is the servant
In Luke, he is a man
In John, he is very God
In Acts, he is ascending, seated, and sending the Holy Spirit
In the letters, he is Christ filling and indwelling the church
In Revelation, he is Christ returning and reigning.
I'll bet you didn't know that, did you? It just goes to show that "all Scripture is God-breathed"
and "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us." Okay, so here's the
challenge. Read through your entire Bible. This year. It's the same challenge I set forth in
every book I write, but have you taken me up on the challenge yet? If you would truly satisfy
your spiritual hunger, then you must feast on the whole counsel of God.
A good step in the right direction is subscribing to The Word for The Week, the on-line devotional that
arrives in your in-box every Monday morning.
Excerpted from the book, Standing Firm, by Donna Partow (Bethany House, 2001)