One of the things I often hear about the Bible is that people will refer to it as an instruction manual for life.  People sometimes see it in that vein, and I I can understand that for sure - it is rich with content about right living, about doing life well, about avoiding the bad things and with all sorts of distillations of wisdom.  So, they are right in seeing it as a source of that kind of information.  However, there is a real downside to viewing the Bible that way...it takes away from the point of this collection of 66 books from over 40 authors that was written over the period of about 1500 years.  It cheapens it, in my opinion.

What is it then?  How are we to view it?  Well, it isn’t really a history book either...though it certainly contains history as well.  Then what?  In reading the Bible and studying God’s word over the course of about the last 15 years or so, I think the best way to view the Bible is as a story.  Not just that...a true story.  And more...a love story.  The Bible is a story about how God has gone about winning us back to Himself.  That’s really what it is about.  It chronicles that journey from our departure from the Garden of Eden and God’s relationship with us all the way from the ancients and into a more modern setting, and it sets up a future encounter, a future expansion of the story.  It has all of those wisdom and instruction elements, along with history and classic literature and about every other genre we can come up with...it is all there.  But, at its core, it is all about everything God has done to pursue us.

Today’s devotional is called ‘The One Thing’...and it is about this idea that we are to place, right at the center of our lives, the pursuit of God.  We should live our lives on mission, in pursuit, and centered on God’s calling for our lives.  Knowing what I know now, experiencing everything that I have experienced, I can definitely say that not only is this what God calls us to do, but this is also what I believe we are made to do.  For me, it is definitely the case that when I am closest to God, when I am seeking and pursuing His will for me life, when I am aligning my life with God’s plan, I am happiest...or better, I experience the great joy.  Life according to God’s plan really is our greatest and best calling.  Sometimes that can make us feel restricted, or like we are ‘missing out’; sometimes it goes against what we want in the moment; it definitely pushes against our sense of autonomy.  But, I can’t ever say that I have regretted life lived in this way...in pursuit of God’s purpose.

Today is a great reminder...that’s the one thing for which I was created...that’s what the Bible was given to me for...that’s the road to the greatest fulfillment in life - the pursuit of God’s will for my life, God’s love in my life, and God’s plan.