39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” To gain eternal life, one must do more than simply study the Bible.
Jesus was speaking to those who had learned and committed much of the Bible to memory. Those pages contain the path to life, yet living is more than just understanding the words. To know Jesus is to live. The goal of Scripture is to present us with Jesus. He taught the two traveling to Emmaus that the Law and the Prophets were about Him and what He would do by opening the Scriptures to them (Luke 24:25-27). These Scriptures are meant to help us comprehend Jesus’ life and everything that
We value him (John 5:46). It makes sense that Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 3:6 that while the letter kills, the Spirit brings life. Despite spending their entire lives studying the Bible, many intelligent men have never found life in Jesus. Unless we give the Spirit entrance to our hearts, the letters on pages do not stare us in the eyes and convince us of our urgent need to understand Christ’s death as our substitution.
Every time we open our Bible, we have the option of either reading words or seeing Jesus in person. I’m happy you’re reading these devotional thoughts, but that’s not all I want for you. My goal is for you to get hungry for Jesus in the Bible and find life by coming to Him. Make time each day to spend alone with the Bible and ask Jesus to speak to you directly. After then, reflect on what you just read in prayer and allow Jesus to use it in your life. Raise your gaze, gaze into His eyes, and listen to His words. Life is like that!
Think about this: Do I love Jesus enough to spend time with Him every day and let Him talk to me?
