Bible?

What do you do with your Bible? Read? Study? Research? Memorize? Talk about it? Gather dust?

Our pastor gave an example during Sunday evening services. As a young man out of Bible college, he was at work and he was memorizing the twelfth chapter of Romans. His day was interrupted when someone coming into his office. It was a somewhat disreputable stranger, asking for help with a broken down car. His response was “I’m busy right now.”

The woman left just as he reached Romans 12:16. You won’t have to go get your Bible to read it, here it is:

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. (Romans 12:16 KJV)

Wow, when the Lord lays it out in front of us, it is so hard to ignore Him. But we continue to try. His train of memorization was broken. He was struck with the meaning of that passage. He then answered for himself my original question.

Live the Bible. That is what a Christian is to do.

We can read it daily and think wonderful thoughts about how we would apply it to our lives. We can study to show ourselves approved. We can research each verse, tracking those quotes from the prophets, know about when and to whom books were written. We can be as the Bereans and search scriptures daily. We can memorize it and quote more scriptures than our neighbors. We can teach and preach it.

Won’t amount to anything unless we live it.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James 2:18 KJV)

Oh, yes, the woman’s car was started, with our pastor’s help. God’s lessons are taught to be lived.

We’ve read the lesson. Can we teach it? Can we live it?