The Bible is good.
Most Christians can agree on that. I used to think the Bible was boring. If I ever had trouble going to sleep as a kid, my dad would tell me to read my Old Testament. He’s funny.
Nowadays, I can’t get enough of it. When we read our Bibles we are reading words that the Creator of the Universe speaks to us. Um, AWESOME. He wants His Truth to sink so deeply into our souls that we can’t separate ourselves from it. That’s neat.
I believe that Jesus is never boring. To verify that, I like to change up my daily time with Him. I bet Jesus wasnt one for lame routines, so I probably shouldn’t be either. A semi-creative way I like to do that is by rewriting scripture. I’ll read it, let it marinate, and rewrite the passage in words that speak even more vibrantly to me. Have you ever read The Message Bible? Well, my finished product sounds similar… just less impressive. I like words that create, crackle and pop in my mind.
2 Peter 1:3-9 has been one of those passages I’ve been drawn to for a few years now. It’s simple, but meaty. Like a good lasagna, the layers of the passage work together for the greater good. Unlike a good lasagna, the passage isn’t cheesy. I rewrote it so it could have time to sink in, enriching my journey.
Heres the passage, straight from the Good Book:
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
…and here’s the passage revisited, from my journal:
The Lord’s might has already given believers every possible attribute and tool that we need for a full life and Christ-likeness. The more we truly know about Him, the Jesus that sought us out to be His and His alone, the more we are aware of His undeniable promises. And the more aware we are of these promises, the more like Jesus we can look. This looks different from the world around you, as sin and ordinariness are no longer part of your nature.
Because Jesus wants you to genuinely cling to His gifts and promises, don’t assume that faith is all you need — add integrity to it. Back up your integrity with logic and facts. Behind this logic, be sure to have self-control, or else your head knowledge is useless. Be consistent with this integrity, logic and self-control. If you are consistent, you have more of our Lord’s character. When you have more of our Lord’s character, it’ll be nearly impossible to not love those around you like family. When you’re treating the people in your everyday life like family, love will be so incredibly bright in you.
If this equation that I just laid out proves to add up in your life more and more daily, the fruits of the Spirit will be so ripe and valuable within you the Lord will be able to use you in wild ways. Guys, I say all of this to drive this one point home: be aware of your chosenness. Jesus has chosen you yes, you for His mighty and adventurous purposes. So be confident in it! If you’re following his voice and practicing these qualities, failure is simply not an option. Victory in Christ is guaranteed.
God speaks to us uniquely. Different verbs, promises, punctuation and aspects of His Word root themselves differently in our individual minds and hearts. Thats a beautiful thing.
I encourage you to pick one of those passages youve just been drawn to for a while and write it in your own words. Its not hard and it doesnt take long. Writing isnt your thing? Pray for a little creative spark to ignite a new rhythm in your relationship with Christ, whatever it may be! River dance. Paint. Twirl batons. Make a rock garden. Become a haiku-ist. Bake. Oh, I like that one. Bake for the Lord. Then you can send your holy cookies to me in Nicaragua.
In all seriousness: whatever it is, spice up your spiritual life & lets glorify our creative God.
Cheers to 2 books named after Peter, individuality and lasagna,
Darcie
