May 30th – Proverbs 30: The WORD

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” – Proverbs 30:5

God’s word is absolutely amazing. Only God’s words could have power in them thousands of years after they were spoken. The bible is the most amazing piece of literature ever produced. Consistently, it’s been a bestseller as long as we’ve had the printing press. The lives of countless millions, including some of the wisest and most influential people of our time, have been guided by its message. Critics say that the Bible was written by men and they are right! But the Bible’s origin was not in the heart of men, but directly from the Spirit of God. The word of God says about itself:

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” - II Peter 1:20,21

Even in the church today we have an almost anti-word movement. These folks emphasize a relationship with the Holy Spirit apart from a living connection with the word of God. Many believers think that allegiance to the scriptures is somehow high treason against the Holy Spirit. But what they forget is that the Holy Spirit is the one that wrote the book! Our relationship is guided by the word of God. But even more than that, we must realize that the scriptures are not JUST a book. They are a person.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

This is why at times the scriptures seem to “jump off the page” and it seems as if the Bible was written just for us. He (the Word) is trying to reveal Himself to us. I am sure; there are many that reject a relationship with the Author of the Word (the Holy Spirit) for knowledge of the Bible. There are also some that reject knowledge of the scriptures for a relationship with the Holy Spirit. But we don’t ever have to make such a choice, we can have both!

If we will take refuge in the Word of God we will experience His protection like a shield. Remember, the Word isn’t just words on a page, it’s a person! We’re not hiding away in a book, but abiding in the shadow of the Almighty!

LIFE LESSON:

The Word is a person, not a book. By rejecting the book, you neglect the person.