Sunday, April 10, 2011

April 10 (Psalm 44:1)

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. (KJV)

Do the stories of the Bible form the weave for the narrative of your life? Do the events of the Israelites or the episodes in the life of Jesus come to your mind and your lips as you think and talk about your own life? In order to understand something, we relate it to something else that we know. To what do you relate the circumstances of daily living? The Bible is our story, from the description of the Israelite exodus out of Egypt to the lives of the early Christians in Acts.

Yet it is not just for ourselves that we relate our lives to those of our biblical ancestors. We must do so as a way of preserving those stories and making them part of the living heritage of the next generation. We exert a small, but important influence on everyone with whom we come into contact. When our friends and relatives hear the biblical foundation in our casual speech, they begin to absorb the biblical worldview.

Of course, having the biblical stories as the foundation of our lives can only happen when we know those stories. Put aside the study guides and extra books for a moment and delve back into the Bible itself. Read the stories straight through as you would any other story. In the stories of our biblical ancestors you will find your story as well.

Father, it is so easy for me to relate my life to nothing more than my own preferences. Help me to develop a more historic and faithful view of life. Help me to see where my life fits into the grand story that You have been telling since Adam. In the name of Christ Jesus, my Lord, amen.

Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins

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