At times I am amazed at the way believers treat God's Word. I'm not talking about mistreating it physically by throwing it around; I'm talking about how God's children treat it on an emotional, intellectual and spiritual level. My concern doesn't stem from how we handle the Bible with our hands but how we handle it in our hearts. When Paul wrote Timothy about his ministry he didn't fail to mention the importance God's Word played:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16(.

According to this we cannot - we must not - treat the Bible with contempt because it is a product of Almighty God. The word translated "breathed out" is Paul's catchword for the divine inspiration of every text of Scripture. Just how inspiration works is not spelled out in this passage and so we must turn to 2 Peter to get a clearer understanding of the process.

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

Simply put, God, through the Holy Spirit, providentially moved in the lives of 40 men over a period of 1,500 years to write 66 books to contain what He wanted them to write to reveal His glorious gospel to humanity. Each human author had his own personality and style of writing; God did not erase that, He used it. Since Scripture is a product of God, when we disrespect the Word we disrespect Him. When we neglect God's instruction, we neglect Him. It's like a parent who gives their child instruction and direction and then that child ignores it and goes their own way thinking they know better.

If Calvary Church is gospel centered then we must be centered on where God revealed this wonderful truth. We must get into the habit of always having His Word with us. Every car, backpack, diaper bag or lunch box must contain a copy of God's Word; we never know when we will need it. I encourage all of us to make it a point never to walk into a worship service without a copy of God's Word in our hands; never go to a prayer meeting without taking along your Bible. Never leave home without it!

Grace & Peace,

Scott