Not All There Is to Know, But All We Need to Know

How many books have you read more than once? It may seem bold to ask this question, since reading books is becoming a thing of the past for many people. What with all the channels on cable TV, the Internet, video games, text messaging and other distractions, who has time to read, right?

 

But for those who still enjoy the feel of a tangible book, the rustle of pages turning, the smell of paper and ink, and the adventure of discovering what the author has packed inside the book, I ask again: How many books have you read more than once? (Comic books don’t count.)

 

Personally, I’ve enjoyed reading a few classic novels a second or even third time. I’ve re-read George Orwell’s 1984 several times because his cautionary, dystopian tale appears to be unfolding right before our eyes, in real time. There are several books by Christian authors I’ve revisited, seeking to draw from their wells of wisdom again. 

 

There’s one book, however, that I have read cover to cover well over a dozen times. Perhaps you can guess what it is: the Bible. If I were to begin using adjectives to describe what the Bible – the Word of God – has meant for me over the years, I’d have to consult a thesaurus to cover all the bases. Words like amazing, incredible, and life-changing can’t begin to capture the impact of the Scriptures.

 

Why have I read it so much? Not because I expect any divine pats on the back or “extra credit.” It’s just that as I’ve read through the Bible year after year, I’ve found it kind of like peeling an onion – remove one layer and discover there’s another layer right below it, then another, and another. I’m convinced that an entire lifetime of reading through the Scriptures could barely begin to capture its vast treasures.

 

There are many reasons for this. Its length is one. One Bible I regularly use for reference has nearly 1,550 pages of purely biblical text – no footnotes, and not including the compilers’ introduction, table of contents, foreword, and index. Since it consists of 39 Old Testament books and 27 in the New Testament, written by dozens of different authors, there’s a lot to read from a variety of perspectives.

 

In the Bible we find narratives, history, poetry, letters, personal accounts, and other forms of writing, all pointing to one central theme: Jesus Christ and God’s plan for the redemption of His creation, most notably, humankind. That’s a lot to absorb.

 

But there’s another reason why the Scriptures are so compelling, so intriguing that they can be read again and again and again without ever seeming stale. The secret, I believe, is found in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judged the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 

The best novel, or a classic book that has endured centuries, might be fun to read again, but it will always say the same things. The Bible, however, has the uncanny capacity to speak to us differently each time we read it. That is, God through His Word can speak to us differently every time. This is because as we continue in our journey through life, we encounter the Scriptures in new ways, depending on what we’re experiencing and how we’ve changed.

 

An old friend, an agnostic, once told me that he regarded the Bible as “a primer, something you read once, and then you move on to something more sophisticated.” No offense intended, but I think that might be one of the most ridiculous things anyone has ever said. Because nothing is more comprehensive, profound, penetrating, and timeless as the Word of God. Its principles, principles and truths have transcended the ages and will continue doing so until Christ’s promised return. 

 

At the same time, I have no problem acknowledging the Bible doesn’t tell us all there is to know about God. How could it? But it does tell us all we need to know about God.

 

I like how 2 Peter 1:3-4 expresses it: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires.”

 

Back in 1966, a movie came out called “Alfie,” starring Michael Caine. Its theme song asked, “What’s it all about?” This is a question that resonates with millions of people to this day. We ask things such as, “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What’s my purpose in life?” “Where do I find meaning?” The Scriptures, I can say without any reservation, answer each of these questions – and many more – if we’re only willing to give them an honest, open-minded look.

 

In the longest of the Psalms, the writer asks and then answers, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11).

 

We live in a world that seems spinning out of control. I believe it’s primarily because we’ve turned our backs on our Creator, the One who has laid out for us in His Word how we should live. As the King James Version puts it, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Another translation says it a bit differently – “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint.” But then the verse ends, “but happy is he who keeps [God’s] law.”

As wondrous as the Bible is, the divinely inspired Word of God, it’s barely the tip of the proverbial iceberg about all that is possible to know about Him. But it definitely tells us all we need to know about Him. 

What We Take for Granted in a Land of Plenty

Supply shortages. That’s a phrase that as recently as a few years ago, most of us had never heard – or if we had, we didn’t worry about it. We could hop in the car, drive to the nearest grocery store, big-box store or department store, and find exactly what we wanted, when we wanted it, however much we needed. Alas, the old Bob Dylan song told us, “The times, they are a-changin’,” and they still are. 

 

First came the COVID pandemic, then many of us were locked town, told to stay home, not to go to work while we waited for “the curve” to flatten. For a variety of other reasons only economics and supply-chain experts can explain, suddenly store shelves were no longer full; some were empty altogether. Remember the great toilet paper panic?

 

To some extent, critical shortages that caught many of us totally off-guard have eased, but these days we still must hunt for certain items we need, things that once were right at our fingertips, “on-demand” like some TV shows and movies via cable services. 

 

In the book of Exodus, we read about God preparing the Israelites for the Promised Land, “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). I doubt the Lord had the United States specifically in mind, but we’ve certainly benefited from living in a land of plenty. However, we’ve become spoiled – I think this started a long time ago – and when the “plenty” turns into scarcity in some instances, we don’t like it at all.

 

For followers of Jesus, this presents a challenge. Because we’re told to be “in the world but not of the world,” drawing from His prayer to God for “those whom you gave me out of the world” (John 17:5-19). He instructed believers, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where mother and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, whether moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

 

The key to this admonition is the verse immediately following: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve grown very accustomed to the abundance readily available for most of us and find it disconcerting when its accessibility seems threatened.          

 

At such times we need to ponder the wisdom of the apostle Paul, who told disciples of Christ in the church of Philippi, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13).

 

We live in a very materialistic society, constantly told the answers to all problems are financial and tangible, simply being able to acquire enough “stuff.” The Bible doesn’t teach asceticism, but neither does it teach wholesale pursuit of wealth and worldly possessions. In fact, we reminded, “the love of money [and things it can be used to obtain] is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

 

Instead of that, Paul told Timothy where his – and our – focus should be instead: “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

 

When Jesus told His hearers that where their treasure is, there their heart will be also, I believe He was saying that our “treasure” should be godliness, a continual yearning to please God, to be His righteous vessels for a world around us that desperately needs Him and to learn about Him. 

 

So, whenever we find ourselves frustrated because our favorite items are unavailable – whether canned foods, toilet paper, a dress, or a car – maybe our initial reaction shouldn’t be to curse the supply shortage. We can respond first by considering people in other parts of the world, Ukraine or somewhere else, who have lost everything. 

 

Next, we need to be thankful – and to give thanks – for what we do have: “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Can we sincerely give thanks – even at those times when we don’t necessarily feel thankful?

And finally, we should ask ourselves, “Am I truly pursuing godliness with contentment, and discovering that indeed, it is great gain?” If I must confess my answer to that question is “No,” then I think God is probably asking me, “Why not?” Because as 2 Peter 1:3 declares, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”