The Bible IS God. It is not a commentary on God. It is not a suggestion or opinion. It IS God. I can guarantee you this. Whatever problem you may face in this life, God has addressed it and answered it for you in His Word. But as always there is another side:
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4: 12-13
The other edge of the sword is that because the Bible reveals our innermost thoughts and desires, we may tend to avoid it for fear of having to see who we really are before a Holy God. How deeply does the Word cut? In the body, the joint is a connecting point between two bones. It is not deep however. It is on the surface; superficial. Marrow is defined as the innermost or essential part. It is actually the site of major blood cell production. That is the very heart of blood production, which as the Bible teaches us is where life is. You see the Word of God will divide for us what is superficial versus what is innermost and essential. It will divide for us what is merely on the surface versus what will produce the life God intends for us. So, if you want to get to know God better to strengthen your relationship with Him from merely dating to a serious commitment, then it starts with getting to know Him. We get to know Him by reading His Word:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2Timothy 3: 16 (NLT)
If we were more honest with ourselves we might discover that one of the reasons we avoid getting into a deeper committed relationship with God is that we do not want to know what is "wrong" in our lives. We want to hear and believe what scratches our itching ears. But as any relationship expert will tell you honesty and truth are non-negotiable. God's Word is truth, period.
The second non-negotiable in successful relationships is communication. A relationship will never mature if you are not talking to each other! Prayer is the primary vehicle for communication with God. Yes He can communicate with us through the Bible, through creation, or any other number of ways but primarily for day to day communication, prayer is vital. But as we examine ourselves does our current prayer life indicating that we are in a relationship with God or that we are casually dating? What's our "phone call frequency?" Are we talking to Him a couple of days per week? Can days go by without prayer? Imagine being in a relationship you think is serious and not talking to the person for days. It simply would not happen. God gives us His phone number in Jeremiah:
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)
But the key here is we have to call! We have to be in prayer in order to deepen our communication and further the relationship we have with Him. And communication goes both ways beloved. Prayer is not your chance to complain to God and expect Him to act like a spiritual ATM. We are supposed to be silent in prayer as well and listen for that still small voice within us to hear what His will is for our lives. The Bible says that He answers all of our prayers as yes that are in accordance with His will. God doesn't want your leftover time. He doesn't want to be second in your life. He does not want to be treated like a casual relationship. Enhance your prayer life and deepen your commitment.
