Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
Here is a Scripture that is a favorite of certain ungodly men:
"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the body; and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the body is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be unto their own husbands in everything" (Eph. 5:22-24). This portion of Scripture is especially favored by men who do not have the ability or spiritual strength to rule their houses after a godly manner.
It is often the case that when someone is placed in a position of authority for which he is unprepared or unqualified, he will try to cover up his inadequacy by harshness. So, someone unqualified to be a supervisor, but is promoted to that position, will sometimes berate his subordinates or overload them with work. I have seen incompetent school teachers dump mountains of homework on their students. And so, the husband who is incompetent to guide his house may try to disguise his insecurity by ordering his wife to submit to him, in the name of the Lord ("The Bible says so!") and force her to pull more weight than is right.
The Bible is often used in this manner. In fact, most of the time that the Bible is used at all, it is used to promote, or in defense of, something wrong. Every one of Christianity's myriad of conflicting sects uses the Bible to support its error. Movie producers use the Bible as a prop, very often putting it into the hands of twisted killers or maniacal military types in their fabricated stories. Capital punishment protestors use certain verses from the Bible as justification for their unwise agenda. Lustful men use certain verses from the Bible in their ungodly pursuit of attractive women. Scholars use the Bible to promote what in some cases amounts to nothing more than puerile skepticism, or in some cases, a kind of amoral atheism. Very rarely are the holy Scriptures used rightly because how the Scriptures are used depends on the spiritual condition of the person using them, and man himself is rarely right with God.
Jesus said, "Strait is the gate and narrow the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Mt. 7:14). This means that only a relatively few people in each generation find the right way to live. The way into eternal life includes right thinking and right feeling and right talking. Living uprightly means knowing how to use time wisely; it means knowing how to be a good neighbor and friend; and it means being able to use God's gifts properly, including the precious gift of the holy Bible. If few find the way of eternal life, then few are capable of using the Bible rightly.
The Bible was written by men who were under the inspiration of God's holy Spirit. It can be read and understood only by people who are under the influence of that same Spirit. Those who wrote the Bible had no agenda except to serve God acceptably, and those who read the Bible and understand it are those who also have no agenda but to serve God acceptably. In fact, the Bible is written only for those people. Through the millennia, the Bible has been used by countless misguided souls for countless misguided reasons, but the only reason it was written was to comfort and instruct those few humble souls who sincerely desire to do the will of God.
God has hidden His wisdom in the very words of the Book that millions ignorantly read. He has hidden great wisdom in the magnificent Bible, and no one can find it but His little ones, the ones He has chosen to bless. The most erudite Biblical scholar on earth is helpless as a baby to discern in the Bible, even in the original languages, the simple truths of God that His dear children enjoy every day as they read those sacred pages in faith. When Jesus thought on this, he burst forth with praise to God, and cried aloud as his dumbfounded disciples stood watching, "I thank thee, O Father, that thou has hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes!"
If you can read the Bible with understanding, be thankful and give glory to the God who chose to show to you His wonderful ways. The right knowledge of, and the consequent right use of the Bible is not possible for man by his own effort or wisdom or will; it is a gift from our merciful God.
Do you understand and believe what you read in the Bible? If so, it is not that you have chosen God; rather, it is that He has chosen you and ordained you to eternal life. Don't be foolish; don't lightly esteem the grace of God. Show your gratitude for God's grace on your life by taking advantage of your opportunity to read the Bible and learn it.