I believe there are three general ways that people respond to scripture.

• Ignore it
• Believe it
• Live it

Ignoring scripture sometimes means a complete rejection of the message. Most times people think they believe and are following scripture, but they fail to study to learn what the Bible truly says. They end up ignoring what they say they believe.

It is not unusual to meet people who have studied and developed strong beliefs on many Biblical themes. These people have put in the effort to know the things of God. Although study is a very important practice to have in our lives, study doesn’t make you a disciple. I can study outer space, but that does not make me an astronaut.

Jesus taught us to do His word. He taught His disciples to make more disciples to do His word. We are to spend our lives learning to do the word of God. People see what we believe by how we live! Our calling is to learn and to live his message.

• We learn of His great love – so we can love.
• We learn of His mercy – so we can be merciful.
• We learn of His righteousness – so we can be righteous.
• We learn of His power – so we can walk in His ways.

Therefore we study the Bible as an instruction manual in how to live. It is the lens through which we perceive the world. It is the foundation that we build our lives upon.

“The scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
D.L. Moody – evangelist 1837-1899

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”
Martin Luther