“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Ps. 119:10-11
Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” John 8:31 (NASB, 1978 edition)
The role that the Word of God plays in our spiritual formation is irreplaceable, undeniable, and indisputable. If we are to be conformed into the image of Christ, we must saturate our lives with His Word. Author Rick Warren asserts, “The Bible must become the authoritative standard for my life: the compass I rely on for direction, the counsel I listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark I use for evaluating everything. The Bible must always have the first and last word in my life.” (Warren 186-187)
In the preface to his Standard Sermons, John Wesley confirmed his belief that the Bible is the primary guidebook for living the holy life:
“I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf, till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity. I want to know one thing — the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it; here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri (a man of one book).” (Wesley vi)
Wesley committed himself to the study and application of Scripture. As he studied the Word, he wrote Explanatory Notes on the Old and New Testaments. His early morning hours included meditation on the Word and he encouraged others to pause often and allow the Scripture to examine them. His private and corporate use of the Bible is a fine model for us.
The truth in God’s Word is transformational. It impacts our thoughts and conduct. Dr. Mulholland suggests that we are “shaped” by the Word. “The Scripture is not something we can use to bring our lives into conformity with the image of God (functional), but something God can use to transform our garbled, distorted, debased ‘word’ into the word God speaks us forth to be in the world (relational). If the Scripture is to become such an instrument of God in our lives, however, we must shift from a functional to a relational mode of approach to the Scripture.” (Mulholland 91)
We do well to discover how saints throughout the centuries have been “nurtured by the light of the Word” as they practiced the disciplines of meditation and contemplation. In the few pages of our required reading in Invitation to a Journey this week, Dr. Mulholland introduces us to the classical discipline of spiritual reading, known as lectio divina (pronounced: lex-ee-oh di-vee-nuh). This approach to hearing God and knowing his will has been used by the church for fifteen centuries. Spiritual reading is not casual. It builds on study of the Word. We open ourselves to be changed by what we understand.
The goal is not information, but formation and in the long term, transformation. “You are not trying to master history, win a doctrinal argument, justify your past behavior, grasp a sermon, or get today’s chapter read. You are simply presenting your open mind and heart to the Lord before the Scripture.” (Tracy, Reflecting God 73) The approach is slow, thoughtful, prayerful dialogue with the passage. We lay our lives open before the Word of God to experience cleansing, renewing, and deepening. The truth must master us – intrude our hearts – affect our lives.
DeShaza, Lynn. © 2001 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music
Mulholland, M. Robert. Shaped by the Word. Nashville: The Upper Room 1985, Print.
Tracy, Wesley D. Reflecting God Workbook. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2000, Print.
Tracy, Wesley D., et al. The Upward Call: Spritual Formation and the Holy Life. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1990. Print.
Warren, Rick. The Purpose-Driven Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002, Print.
Wesley, John. London: Epworth, 1967, vi. Print.
Weigelt, Morris A. “Do Christians Ever Dance with Their Bibles?” Herald of Holiness. November 1989, 10. Print.
