Verse of the Day 10/23

Verse of the Day 10/23

John 5:39    You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,   English Standard Version (ESV)

One of my wife Jean and my favorite shows is "This is Us".  The central character is Jack, who is a husband, father who passed away (last season) but who lives on in their memory.  The family continues to be led by his example, they continue to find out more about him and his impact on their lives continues to grow.  As they grow they also learn more about his impact on others, which they were unaware of while he lived.

I was reminded of this when I read today's verse.  The Scriptures, the Bible, is all about Jesus.  Some books of the Bible, such as the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; are all about Jesus, His life and ministry to His death and resurrection.  The Old Testament points to Him, from Genesis to Malachi.  The rest of the New Testament tells about Him and the impact He had on all those whom He came in contact with in word or in deed.  He continues to come in contact and influence those who seek to know Him in His Word and in prayer.

Charles Spurgeon writes:

Take this Book and distill it into one word--and that one word will be JESUS! The Bible itself, is but the body of Christ, and we may look upon all its pages as the swaddling bands of the infant Savior--for if we unroll the Scripture, we come upon Jesus Christ Himself.

  Where is Christ in your theological system? He Himself is . . .    the Doctor and Doctrine,     the Revealer and Revelation,     the Illuminator and the Light of men.     He is exalted in every word of truth, because He is its sum and substance.     Do you search the scriptures?  Do you long to learn more about Him and live for Him?    More from Spurgeon:    The Greek word here rendered "search" signifies a strict, close, diligent, thorough search--such as men make when they are seeking gold. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit, we must deliberately seek out the spiritual essence of the Word. Holy Scripture requires searching--much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men.    No man who merely skims the book of God, can profit from it. We must dig and mine, until we obtain the hidden treasure. The door of the Word can only opened with the key of diligence! The Scriptures warrant searching. They are the writings of God--we dare to treat them with levity. He who despises them--despises the God who wrote them. God forbid that any of us should leave our Bibles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of account. The Word of God will repay searching. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of wonders!    Don't be satisfied with a casual or "superficial reading".  Search through the scriptures, not for the scriptures themselves but for Christ Himself, the scriptures point to Him.  the Doctor and Doctrine, the Revealer and Revelation, the Illuminator and the Light of men.  

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

John 5:37-40 New Living Translation (NLT)

³⁷ And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, ³⁸ and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.

³⁹ "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! ⁴⁰ Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.