by Tracy Glockle

Created on: November 19, 2009   Last Updated: November 22, 2009

The purpose of the Bible is not to improve my life. That's a striking statement, isn't it? Especially, when we've been taught for so long what we're supposed to do rather than who we are supposed to be.

When I approach God's Word, I do not approach it as if it were a crystal ball, revealing the answers to my present problems or future fulfillment of my desires. My problems (and often my desires) stem from sin, and the only solution to sin is God's holiness.

Instead, I open the pages of Scripture with the intent of knowing who God is and of allowing that knowledge, through the Holy Spirit, to transform my nature and, thus, my life. After all, the Bible's purpose, as God's Word, is to reveal God to me. Rather than coming to a passage and asking, "How can this help me?" I instead ask "What does this reveal about God and His plan to glorify Himself through me?"

Daily devotions, then, are more than God's agenda for my day; they are a daily discovery of God. As I reflect on His character throughout the day, I am transformed into His likeness. Christianity is not going down a list and checking off what I've accomplished; it's growing, abiding, producing, living, becoming.

Discouragement and disillusionment in our devotions come when we try to force a command or application into every verse that we read. Scripture becomes twisted out of context and misconstrued. Passages are used for purposes they were not meant to be used. And if we can't think of an application or find an analogy that fits our life within the day's reading, we leave our sacred time feeling like we've wasted the day.

Yet, by reflecting on God's character within the pages of Scripture, not only am I using the Bible in the way it was meant to be used-as God's Divine Revelation of Himself-but I am also becoming revived and inspired by a knowledge of Christ. No longer trying to force an application from the Old Testament sacrifices, I can simply appreciate God for Who He was, Who He is, and for Who He will be-holy, holy, holy. What could be a more inspiring start to the day than that!

Ideas for Devotional Reading:

Read through the Psalms, highlighting or taking note of the different attributes of God. What actions of God did the psalmist provide to illustrate that attribute? What was the psalmist's reaction to the character of God?

Read through the Gospels, taking note of the character of God as revealed in Christ. What did Christ's actions reveal about His character? What did His miracles show? What did His teachings reveal?

Read through any of Paul's Epistles, noticing what he says about the character of God and, specifically, how His character affects our lives.

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