What if...?

What would happen if we changed the way we read the Bible? I'm not talking about changing your quiet time, or the particular method you use. What I'm referring to is the tone in which we read the Word. Do you think it would make a difference?

I'm exploring something in my own life. I have discovered that I tend to read the Bible in the way it was preached or portrayed to me. I think it's a common practice for most of us. There's not too many people who grew up watching the 10 Commandments that don't read Moses in Charlton Heston's voice. Or we get to a certain passage of Scripture and read it exactly the way a pastor/preacher read it during his sermon. While I'm grateful for preacher, pastors, and movies; their influence isn't always helpful. We tend to portray the voice of God in the way it was portrayed to us. So I'm going to do a little experiment. I'm going to read the direct quotes of God & Jesus in a way that I think best represents His nature. The Bible teaches us in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus was the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being. What do we know about Jesus? What do we know about how He interacted with people? What does the Bible say about the coming of Jesus?

John 3:17 teaches us that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. If God didn't send Jesus to condemn us then why do read His Word in such a condemnatory way? Case in point: John 14:15, Jesus says, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments." Many (if not most) of us have heard this portrayed in a commander type way. If you love Me...you will... Another way to express this statement according to the tone that many believers read it is "If you love me then you better do what I say." Does that sound familiar to you?

What if the statement of Jesus is not just a command but a promise. What if He's proposing that your love for Him will benefit you in such a way that you walk in His commands? What if this isn't an "either/or" statement? You know...either you love me and you walk in my commands OR you don't love me because you don't keep them. What if Jesus is showing you that your love for Him will produce obedience rather than your obedience producing love? Could it be possible that we have read the word in such a way as to miss what He is really saying?

If there is one thing we know about God it is this: He is love. If He is love then don't you think He would speak to us in a loving way? I'm not talking about the kind of love we have seen displayed around us (the kind where someone yells at us because they love us). Do you really think that God needs to yell to get our attention? Does God have to portray anger for us to listen? Or is hearing the voice of God such a sweet moment in our lives that He can actually infuse us with more of His love?

This is my challenge for me. Read the Bible in such a way as to portray the unconditional love of God. Stop and really think about what is being said. Jesus accurately exposed God's heart to the world. Were there times where He was angry, frustrated, or upset? According to the Bible, Yes. But the Bible typically tells us when he was angry, frustrated, or upset. If we don't see it in the words, you can pick up on some of the tone in the original language. The point I'm making here is that we should be careful to always portray God in the way Jesus portrayed Him to us.

The Bible says of Jesus in Matthew 12:20, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out..." It sounds to me like Jesus handled Himself perfectly. He was always mindful of who He was speaking to and was careful to portray God accurately. Now it's our turn. When we sit down to read the Word, let's ask God to guard our hearts. Let's be careful to never portray Him in such a way that is different than what He intended. We may actually discover that God wasn't as angry as we thought and that Jesus wasn't as demanding as some have perceived.

What if...?