The Most Amazing


Prayer: Dear Lord God, I stand in awe of You. There is no god who can compare with You, the true and living God. Please, Holy Spirit, come into my heart and mind as I read Your Word and let my life be informed and shaped by You today. May your love pour through me onto others in a living witness of Your grace and mercy for all. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Read: Hebrews 1:1-14
http://www.esvbible.org/search/Hebrews+1%3A1-14/

Thoughts: Reading the Bible is a fascinating exercise because what you bring to the experience will color what you get out of it. A college student once sought help as they wrote a paper for a class called “The Bible as Literature” where they could not mention the name of God. To do so would be mean the teacher stopped reading at that point and failed the paper. Others see the Bible as a series of unrelated fantasy stories that have no place in reality for God doesn’t exist and the stories are too fantastic for anyone with a sound mind to believe. Then there is a group of readers who think that some of the Bible is true and the rest of it is legend or myth. For them, the reader is left to decide which is which. And finally, there are those of us who read each word with the understanding that these are the inspired Words of God and the Holy Spirit is there with us as we read, teaching and inspiring deeper faith and love for the Lord.
     When you think about some of the miraculous or amazing things we read in these pages, the list of the fantastic is long. Beginning with the beginning, as God creates the entire universe by speaking everything into existence and ending with Jesus returning on the clouds to gather His people home with Him, this Book contains some stories that certainly stretch the imagination. Ponder Noah, along with 7 other people who alone are spared as the surface of the globe is destroyed by water. How about Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, Daniel remaining unharmed in the lion’s den overnight, or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego living to tell about the fiery furnace? These are just a few of the examples of the incredible we find on these sacred pages. But for us as a people who are in desperate need of a Savior, the work of Christ has the most impact on our lives. In the story of a virgin birth, an innocent life, horrifying death and miraculous resurrection lay our salvation. There could be no more important story for us to read, digest, apply, and understand.
     The writer of Hebrews (and we’re not really certain who that was) begins his letter stating just this fact. He recognizes that this is indeed a miraculous story. In this first chapter we see 7 (the number of perfection in Biblical interpretation) strong statements about Christ and 7 Old Testament quotes. For this author, everything about the Bible points to Christ as it should for us also. The entire book of Hebrews makes a strong and unflinching case for the supremacy of Christ in all things and especially as the only One who could be our Savior. Jesus is the only High Priest, the only King, and the only Prophet. He alone can fulfill our trust in Him as Lord and Redeemer.
     While the Bible is filled with the amazing and fantastic, it is also filled with our story. In these pages we find our lives carefully crafted by God Himself and for those who would believe in Jesus, the story ends very well. The promises of God for our eternity are no less fantastic than the way we get there by trusting in His Son, who is the main character and focus of every single story found on these pages. So what attitude do you bring to the reading of the Bible? Are you an unbeliever, a skeptic, a cynic, or a fascinated believer? Does your mind fill with doubts or you heart fill with wonder as you take in the words on the page? If you doubt, ask God to bring clarity and belief, strength and enjoyment. He will answer “yes” to that one!

Prayer: Dear Lord God, thank You so much for the Word. It is my lifeline to You. Please help me read it with understanding and depth. Teach me how to allow the Word to inform my character, direct my days, and change my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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