The Most Important Part of the Bible

I was asked by a friend on Facebook, “David, what part of the Bible you think is the most important? I heard a very interesting reply from clergymen on this subject. I'm interested what your opinion is.”

That is a very interesting question.  Immediately, verses and subjects popped into my head, but I somehow knew they were all wrong.  I stopped and listened to that still small voice and  I think God answered.

The most important part of the Bible is that which you need for your life right then.

For someone who has lost a loved one and is in great emotional pain, they need to know the comfort of God.  When you do not know Jesus as your personal savior, you need to know that salvation comes only through trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin.  When your lonely and feel like the world is against you, you need to know that Jesus loves you and will never leave you.

We are all in different stages of our lives physically, emotionally and spiritually.  What you need to  hear from God is not necessarily what I need to hear.  Where God would take you in the Bible is not going to be the same  place God takes me.

Pray to the lord and tell Him where your heart is.  Allow Him to lead you in your Bible reading and pray for His wisdom to understand it.  Then quiet your heart to listen to that still small voice of God as He teaches you the most important truth you need in your life.

Photo Credit: Bible Study 2 by George Bannister

Love vs. Hate and Love vs. Selfishness.

The opposite of emotional love is hatred.  Love is a feeling of euphoria, attracting you to someone, while hatred is a feeling of disgust and loathing towards someone.

The opposite of God’s love, which we are called upon to embrace in our lives, is selfishness.  God’s love can manifest an emotional sense of love, but never confuse the emotion for the true substance of love.  God’s love does not depend upon emotions.  It depends upon our willingness to give ourselves to God and place His will above our own.  It is sacrifice.

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 3:16

Everyday God calls upon His followers to lay down their lives.  Everyday you are called to a sacrificial life for the sake of others.  This is love.  Love is sacrifice of self.  Love is placing others interest above your own. It means being a servant to all.

It doesn’t matter how you feel about someone.  You could hate that person emotionally and yet love them with the Love of God.  You need to sacrifice your hatred on the alter of God and love them for the sake of their eternal soul.  That is not easy, but it is what God calls us to do.

Is there someone in your life you hate?  Someone you would love to see in some sort of pain?  Whatever they have done to you, God calls you to love them.  He does not call upon you to stop feeling emotionally negative towards that person, but you are called upon to love them.  Put them first before your own desires. 

Loving someone does not mean you let them hurt you again.  Loving another person does not mean demeaning yourself or exposing yourself to that person’s negativity towards you.  Perhaps, you can not be around them without enduring some type of harm.  In that case you do what you can.  Pray for them.  Pray for God to bless them and take care of them.  Do whatever you can to be a positive force in their life.  That is the love God calls you to.

Photo Credit: PRAYERS & PROMISES FOR EVERY DAY - Corrie ten Boom by Corrie ten Boom

John 3:16 “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“Whosoever” does not exclude anyone. Let me make this perfectly clear.  This means you, as you are, warts and all.

“Believeth” Does not mean head knowledge.  You can know a chair will hold you up but to sit in that chair is true belief that it will.  Knowing God exist is one thing but believing in God means trusting Him with the full weight of your life and soul.

“Not perish”  Yes there is a Hell.  It is a real place where people who do not know Jesus Christ as their savior will go.  Why send them to a place of torment?  Actually God sends them where they have choose to go.  People choose to trust God in their lives or trust themselves.  Those who choose to go without God will be sent to Hell where God does not exist.  Being without God will be true torment and pain.

“Everlasting life” Those who trust God for their salvation will live forever with Him in paradise.  The greatest part of this is not the streets of gold or mansions.  It will be the opportunity to get to know God face to face.  The greatest being in all the universe was willing to die so that you and Him could be friends and have the universe for a playground together.

Other post on John 3:16:
For God
so loved
the world
that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.

Photo Credit: Pearly Gates by Andy Hares