Page 71 - First Steps 2023

“Looking back over the years, I realize the Bible isn’t magic, but
it is corrective; it isn’t an answer book, it is a living book; it isn’t a
fix-it book, it is relationship book. When I confront God’s word, I am
confronted; when I read God’s word, it reads me; when I seek God’s
presence, He seeks me.”—Mike Yaconelli

“Scripture doesn’t tell us everything we may want to know about
everything. But it tells us everything we need to know about the most
important things. It gives us something the Internet, with all its tera-
bytes of information, never could: wisdom.”– Kevin DeYoung

A question for you to talk about: What impact would you like the
Bible to have on your lives?

3. Reading the Bible
Reading the Bible isn’t like reading other books.
Some books you read to glean information. If you need to replace a

car’s headlight, you’ll pull out the manual, flip to the appropriate page,
and find a diagram. The value of the manual is as a reference book.
Other books you open because they’re detailed rule books. Follow
the steps in a recipe book and you’ll pull off flawless banana bread…
maybe.
And then there are books that are just good, page-flipping, entertain-
ment—you get swept up in a story and lose yourself in the tale.
The Bible isn’t like any of them.
Yes, you can find information, see detailed lists of rules, and the story

is amazing—but the Bible is far more than just that. It’s the Word of God
and God is out to transform you. To capture your heart in relationship, to
restore you, and to enlist you as a follower of Jesus.
Which means reading the Bible isn’t like reading any other book.
If you want the Bible to impact your life, engage it on three levels:

• First, ask God to give you a desire for the Bible
It’s all about relationship, remember?

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