I began reading 1 Peter this week. It's a bit strong, but here we go. "For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal living word of God." (1 Peter 1:23) We know this to be true because our salvation is found in Christ... "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." And we read in John, "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone." So, Jesus gives us our salvation as the eternal living Word of God.
Yet, there is practical application in the last sentence of verse 23 of 1 Peter. "Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal living word of God." If we stick our noses in the eternal living Word of God (aka The Bible), won't we be face to face with Jesus, His very character and nature? Our "new life" will be evidenced in us as we get into God's Word. When we are seeking God through the study of His Word, He infuses the very life of Jesus into us.
From a life lived apart from the intentional study of God's Word, I can safely say that the opposite is also true. I spent my Christian life beginning at age 8 until I was 29 believing that I should read the Bible because that's what good Christians do. I had it on my list of must-do's, but never seemed to be consistent. At the ripe old age of 29 1/2, I decided I was going to win this battle (ha)! So, I created a spreadsheet containing my own personal ideas of what I must do each day in order to be this good Christian woman I thought I should be. Needless to say, the spreadsheet never had every item checked on a single day. (Some days had nothing checked off!) It was in this process that I learned reading my Bible is not about gaining brownie points with God or feeling good about myself. It is about allowing God access to breathe "new life" into me.
We need this "new life" otherwise we die a little each day. "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." (1 Peter 1:24-25) We cannot do this thing, live on earth, in our own human strength. It is fading. But, the Word of the Lord breathed into us brings forth new life through Christ Jesus.
Not only do we need His life breathed into us, but God has more to offer us than church on Sunday and heaven after we die! "You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation." (1 Peter 2:2) God wants to share more of himself with us. He wants us to share more of ourselves with Him. It's called relationship. Here God becomes relevant to your very specific tasks, needs, heartaches, joys, and you begin to participate in His purposes. You can experience His fullness there!
Be mindful, fullness is never totally achieved this side of heaven. No one reaches the goal, including me. "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." (Philippians 3:12)... And, I "cry out for this nourishment, now that [I] have had a taste of the Lord's kindness." (1 Peter 2:2-3)
So together we, the body of Christ, determine to not be satisfied. "So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don't need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding." (Hebrews 6:1-3)
Crave His life breathed in you by His word. (And when I don't crave Him, I ask Him to stir in me a deep yearning for His presence.) "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you, my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy." (Psalm 63:1-5)
