I am a Jesus pusher!!! In the crisis of temptation, Jesus proclaimed, “It is written.” It clearly means “the Scriptures.” He continued to give the content to the Scriptures as “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” (Matthew 4:4). In other words, the content of the Scriptures is the words of God which are proceeding from His mouth! Therefore, the Scriptures are the actual speaking of God. How does this change our approach to the Scriptures? We come to the Scriptures to meet a requirement called “devotions.” Preachers come to the Scriptures to select a Biblical text to validate what they have written in a sermon. Sunday school teachers grab the Bible to present a lesson to their students. Others jump from one verse to another as they flip the pages looking for guidance. Some search for proof texts to win an argument. Could all of these be completely discarded?
I must come to the Scriptures to know Him! I desperately want to be sourced by His heart and mind. If I could only think like He thinks, I could then respond as He responds. How can I know His heart and mind? I must listen to Him speak through His Word. To be sourced by God without knowing His mind and heart is a contradiction. Jesus did not receive the fullness of the Spirit and then go to the Scriptures for a list of activities to do. The Scriptures were not His instruction manual, rule book, or guidelines. The Scriptures were an intimate conversation between two individuals who love, live, and dream together. They not only received information from each other, but joined in attitude, heart, and opinion.
I want to lounge in the arms of Jesus through His Word. I want the sourcing of Jesus to take the shape of Jesus’ mind gleaned from the saturation in the Scriptures. In every situation I want the clarity of Christ’s thinking to produce my response. I want the throb of His heart to burst through my face. I want my life to radiate His atmosphere. How can I be sourced by Him without knowing His mind? Speak directly to me, dear Jesus!!