“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” [2 Timothy 3:16]
IMAGINE GOING TO THE REFRIGERATOR, closing your eyes, and grabbing whatever items your hands happened upon, to make a snack for yourself. Instead of a ham and cheese sandwich, you might end up with a plate of olives, mustard, and sour cream—not especially appetizing or nourishing.
Yet this describes the way many people approach the Word of God. They blindly “grab” whatever passage they first come to, in no particular sequence or order, not realizing that by separating Scripture from its larger context, they are missing a sense of how what they are reading fits into the whole scheme of things—not to speak of the fact that true meanings can easily be misunderstood, making them vulnerable to embrace error.
It’s true that not all parts of the Bible are equally easy to digest. “Meals” from Chronicles or Ezekiel may not seem as succulent as the Psalms, the gospel of Luke, or John’s epistles. Yet as one nineteenth century author put it, “The Bible resembles an extensive and highly cultivated garden, where there is a vast variety and profusion of fruits and flowers: some of which are more essential or more splendid than others; but there is not a blade suffered to grow in it which has not its use and beauty in the system.”
From beginning to end, the Bible is one grand epic of redemption—the story of a God who created man for fellowship with Himself, watched as man rejected His overtures, and then stooped down to restore man to Himself through the cross. If you want to see the story in its full panorama, if you want to enjoy a more balanced spiritual diet, make sure you’re not skipping over certain portions of the Word.
Are there portions of Scripture you find yourself reading most often, to the neglect of other parts of the Word? Take time soon to visit a less familiar section of the “garden,” and see what fresh beauty God may reveal to you there. [The Quiet Place]
