Who would argue...that in most cases, the best milk for a newborn baby is the very milk its own mother produces from her breast? No wonder Peter admonished us: “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Pet. 2:1-3)

I do believe that a simple fact that is lost on us at times, as ‘believers’...is that God’s word actually ‘works effectively IN...those who believe’ (1 Thess. 2:13). So...if you are not feeding on God’s word regularly and often...then little is working in you and you are going to cease from growing. Then, it’s only a matter of time before you begin to ‘drift’ away, and it can sure be subtle (Heb.2:1); trust me on that one.

And if you think the abundance of man-made ‘alternative food sources’ for newborns out there is eye-opening...have you walked into a ‘Christian’ book store lately? Now I don’t mean to suggest that reading anything other than your Bible is not good for you, but my goodness... it would be easy to get lost in everything out there BUT...the Bible these days.

I say that with a twinge of reservation because I also realize that if you are reading my postings here, one could make the same case that I’m offering an ‘alternative’ as well. Yet having said that, I would want to clarify that when I first began writing/sharing these ‘messages’ four years ago, my purpose was not to try and steer, guide, or ‘indoctrinate’ anyone to believe a ‘certain way’. On the contrary, what was compelling my writings was this need and desire to bring to the attention of so many other ‘believers’ out there...that there were a lot of ‘other verses’ in our Bibles that we might want to give some attention to that really mattered, and could make a difference in people’s lives. One of those verses was found in Hosea 4:6 where God explains why His people are often ‘destroyed’...and it is because of a ‘lack of knowledge’ (when it comes to His word).

When I was a young 20-year old new ‘convert’, I had a pocket full of Bible verses that I carried around with me that I was quick to pull out when engaging in ‘theological discussions’.

I remember quite vividly...a particular instance where I was trying to engage in a conversation with a mechanic who was working on my car at the time. He admitted that he was a ‘backslider’ (fallen out of church and not living for God) and I was determined to steer him back into the fold. He shut the conversation down pretty quick when I piped up: “There’s a Bible verse that says...” and he retorted with a quick, cutting response of: “Yeah, there’s a bunch of them (verses)!”

It is easy for us believers to carry around a few of those 'favorite' verses in our pockets that we like to quote often; and if we are not careful, we can find ourselves ‘building man-made doctrines’ around those few favorites of ours. Problems begin to arise when ‘other verses’ show up and seemingly...don’t ‘fit’ with what we have begun to construct with those few scriptures.

Herein lies the danger when we start to set those other verses aside, or dismiss them...maybe reject them outright...because they disrupt our limited understanding of how we interpret what the Bible is saying. The problem with that is when we start rejecting the ‘Word’, we are rejecting Jesus Himself...who IS...the Word (John 1:1,14). And that is when we get into trouble.

Case and point: We are quick to quote John 3:16 that makes eternal life available to all who ‘believe on the Son of God’. You’ll see John 3:16 tossed around much more often than you will see Hebrews 5:9 that says Christ became the source of this eternal life to all who ‘obey Him’. So what is it...do we have to ‘just believe’ or do we also have to ‘obey’ Him? (Luke 6:46)

I’ve seen cute little memes or phrases where someone quotes Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith...”; and the minute you want to say, ‘yeah but’, you get shot down with: “There is no ‘yeah but’ to this verse, and if you try to ‘add something’ to it...you are accused of going down the path of legalism which suggest we are ‘saved by works’.” So does this ‘no yeah-but’s’ rule apply when you hear Matt. 5:48 quoted, or 1 John 3:6?

Maybe it would help if we saw all these Bible verses as ‘puzzle pieces’ that came out of ONE single 2500 piece jigsaw puzzle box...and we are assured they ALL FIT TOGETHER...to project one picture that will become clear to anyone willing to take the time to use ALL the pieces.

When you come across a particular Bible verse, and you sense something within you ‘stir or jostle’ inside when you read it, you might want to ask yourself ‘why’; why would you have an adverse reaction to reading the word of God? That could prove to be rather telling. And should you be one of those who want to pipe up and say...’Yeah But’...remember this- there is no ‘yeah buts’ when it comes to God’s word, right?

Granted...I can understand how certain verses might not ‘fit’ with what you believe at the moment, or how they may be hard to understand...but whatever you do, don’t dismiss them. It’s God’s word and it’s ALL good. The encouraging news here is that if you truly hunger for truth, the Holy Spirit will lead you into it, and Jesus will ‘explain all things to you’ (John 16:13; Mark 4:34)...just like He’s always done for His followers (Matt. 13:11-13; Luke 10:21)

I also know oftentimes, when you might share a single Bible verse with someone, they are quick to remind you of the importance of reading it ‘in context’, or warning us not to ‘take it out of context’, which to them, usually means reading the few verses before and then after the specific verse you may have brought to their attention. I have no problem if you want/need to do that; but if we want to be true to keeping things in ‘context’, then let’s use more than just a few verses in the said passage. For example, John 1:12 alone can send one message, but examine it alongside Rom. 8:14. The same with Romans 6:14 and Galatians 5:18, and then the one I cited earlier...John 3:16 and Hebrews 5:9, to name a few.

We live in interesting and challenging times, and yes...even dark times. But God’s word continues to be a light and beacon of truth to all who call upon the name of the Lord. May you find yourself drawing closer to Him as you abide in Him...and His word abides in you (John 15:1-8; 1 John 2:3-6; 3:6-9). And be sure to continue checking your own heart as you examine yourself to see if you are even ‘in the faith’, as we are admonished to do (2 Cor. 13:5). 

Never forget- ‘fruit matters’ (John 13:34-35; Matt. 3:10; 7:17-21; Gal. 5:19-24).