I am a Jesus pusher!!! I want to be captured by Him. I want the romance of His presence to be my constant delight. In the moment of strong temptation in the wilderness, Jesus said to the devil, “It is written,” (Matthew 4:4). Immediately He quoted the Scriptures. In fact, in all three recorded temptations in this event, Jesus said this same thing. He consistently gained victory, saw through the tricks of the evil one, and avoided all demonic pitfalls through the Scriptures. Do not think we are making an idol of a Book. The Bible is simply black ink on white paper put together in a leather binding. It has no magical powers. I am not proposing the daily reading of the Scriptures will cause all things to be right. Even memorizing the Scriptures will not guarantee correct actions. The answer is not found in the Scripture, but in the connection between the Author and the Scriptures.
Jesus quoted the Scriptures in rebuke to the devil’s temptations. However, the devil quoted Scripture right back to Him by saying, “For it is written,” (Matthew 4:6). If Jesus desires to base His responses on the Scriptures, the devil can quote Scriptures as well. But Jesus would not act on what the devil stated from Scriptures. The devil interpreted Scripture from the perspective of his self-sourcing. Jesus knew the heart of the Father. He heard the Father’s voice through the Scriptures. One can academically study the Scriptures and know its content. One can use and abuse the Scriptures for his own ends. It is not just the Scriptures as an historical writing which is so important. It is the interflow of the Spirit. He wrote the Scriptures; He must interact and source our lives as we hear His voice through the Scriptures.
I am a Jesus pusher!!! I must know Him intimately. But how can I know His heart, the tone of His life? How can I live in the flow of His attitude and have His perspective? I must hear His voice through the Scriptures. The answer is not just in the Scriptures; the answer is in knowing Him through the Scriptures. I will come to the Scriptures with only one purpose! I want to know Jesus! I am a Jesus pusher!!!