Matthew 4:4 - How To Start The New Year.
Matthew 4:4 - How To Start The New Year.
Matthew 4:4 (NIV) Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not
live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God.'"
C. H. Spurgeon once said, "Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the
book widens and deepens with our years." Why not make it your New
Year's resolution to walk through the Bible. And why not invite one or
two friends to read along with you! [Your Daily Walk SB]
One of the most exciting aspects of Christian truth is that
it is inexhaustible. One can never come to the end of it. No matter
how long we may have been in the faith, no matter how much theology
we may master, we can never come to the end of what God has
revealed in Christ and in the Bible. Jesus spoke to this fact in His
parable of the householder (v.52).
The key to understanding this parable is the question Jesus
asked His followers: "Have you understood all these things?" (v. 51).
"These things" refers to the series of parables on the kingdom that He
had just told (vv. 1-50). Amazingly, the disciples answered yes.
Apparently they thought they had absorbed everything Jesus had to say.
But how could they? They could not possibly perceive the vast
implications of these stories for day-to-day life, let alone the theological
issues involved in a doctrine as complex as the kingdom. Theologians
still debate these matters.
Jesus recognized that the disciples were claiming more
insight than they actually possessed. So He gave them the parable of the
householder to characterize the situation. Householders were what we would
call heads of households, persons with authority over what went on in
a given home.
If one were to visit the home, the master of the house might
bring out some of the treasures of the home to delight and impress his
guest. He might bring out something old - perhaps one of the family
heirlooms - or something new - maybe a recent purchase.
Jesus likened His disciples to heads of the family in
possession of His truth. Over the years they would tell people about the
"old treasures" - the basics of the gospel - and about "new
treasures" - the way in which His teaching applied to new situations.
In effect, they would be like "scriber[s] instructed
concerning the kingdom of heaven" (v. 52). Scribes were a learned class of
scholars who studied the Scriptures and served as copyists, editors, and
teachers. They occupied a prestigious position, as only ordained teachers
could transmit and create religious tradition. Just as the Jewish
scribes studied the Law, recalling old truths recognized for centuries
as well as "new" truths that applied Scripture to the demands of
new situations, so the disciples were storing up Jesus' teaching and
- someday - would repeat it to others, write it down, and teach
from it, passing on "things new and old."
Today we possess the written record of these treasures. But
like Jesus' first disciples, we can find both old and new. As we
confront situations, we can look back to the "old" truths, the
fundamental things that never change, and we can also discern how to apply
biblical truth to new issues in ways that are fresh and alive. [Word In
Life SB re Mat. 15:32]
The Word of God is a constant and continuing source of joy for
the Christian. I don't think I've ever met a joyless Christian who
was regularly employed in searching the Scriptures. The result of
such searching is to see beyond the words of the One who inspired
them. Of all the habits the Christian can cultivate, this is one of
the most blessed and profitable. Some books are exhausting and
exhaustible. The Bible is the only Book that rewards the student with
increasing insight as he allows the Word of God to flow through and cleanse
him. Indeed, it is the only Book that can cleanse and purify the
life of its reader. Other books can inform, but only the Scripture
can transform, infill, and inspire. Al Bryant [Time with God SB]
George muller, after having read the Bible through one
hundred times with increasing delight, made this statement: "I look upon
it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of
God. Friends often say, 'I have so much to do, so many people to
see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.' Perhaps there are not
many who have more to do than I. For more than half a century I have
never known one day when I had not more business than I could get
through. For 4 years I have had annually about 30,000 letters, and most
of these have passed through my own hands.
"Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has
been my care. Besides, I have had charge of live immense orphanages;
also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions
of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule
never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His
Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful."
Do you want to know how to meet the problems of the day? Do
you want to know what God wants you to do with your life? Then you
must pray and consult His wonderful guide book, the Bible, every
day.
If we are too busy to read God's Word daily, then one thing
is sure - we are too busy! by H.G.B.
Every day I have the honor of sitting down with a book that
contains the words of the One who created me. Every day I have the
opportunity to let him give me a thought or two on how to live. If I don't
do what he says, he doesn't burn the book or cancel my
subscription. If I disagree with what he says, lightning doesn't split my
swivel chair or an angel doesn't mark my name off the holy list. If I
don't understand what he says, he doesn't call me a dummy. In fact, he
calls me "Son," and on a different page explains what I don't
understand. In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado [Inspirational SB]
"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can
build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are
sanctified. Acts 20:32 (NIV)
Read it through, pray it in, live it out, pass it on. George
Gritter
www.aBible.com
