Refiner’s Fire . . .

Peace with Christ is an elusive thing in the busy paced lives we live. How is one to be still and silent for more than a few moments in any day? God is most frequently experienced in our quiet, still, attentive moments. The danger of being a well learned Christian is thinking that what we know becomes the ‘god’ we serve rather than our savior, Jesus.

Knowledge is a good thing. It is like having a map of previous spiritual journeys made by others. This journey cannot be made by someone else for you. You must make your own spiritual journey.

In the early church, there was no Bible. Disciples shared their experiences with the crowds in expectation of Jesus and his imminent return. Writing down their experiences was done later than you might think. I say all of this to say; early Christians were living in a relationship with God not under the umbrella of the Bible.

The Bible helps us know the relationship more readily and efficiently by what others experienced in their journey. The Bible did not replace their God. It is a tool for extending the encounters with God to their ancestors in the next generation.

Use the Bible, study the Bible, memorize the Bible, and reverence the Bible but don’t replace the God we worship with the Bible. It is profitable for training in righteousness, encouragement, understanding of God, but don’t replace God with the Bible. The journey God calls you to is personal not academic, it involves all of you not just part of you, and it can only be lived through Him.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (RSV)

By doing this, you can have peace with God. Not only will He know you but you will know Him.

Dr. Stanley Spence