One spring day James began ask- ing questions about Jesus’ resurrection as his mum was taking him to nursery school. Realising he thought Jesus was rising from the dead for the first time on the coming Easter, she tried to correct him. She pulled the car over and told him all about Jesus’ death and resurrection. She concluded, “Jesus rose from the dead a long time ago, and now He wants to live in our hearts.” But James still didn’t understand.

Unsure how she could make it any clearer, she said, “How about if we stop by the bookshop? I saw some books about Easter when I was there last week. We’ll get one and read through it together.” With a wisdom beyond his years, James responded, “Can’t we just read the Bible?”

James’ idea was right. Commentaries and books about the Bible are helpful tools. But they should never be used as a substitute for God’s revelation of Himself—His Word. No other book has been given to us “by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). As author Eugene Peterson says, “God’s voice [is] speaking to us, inviting, promising, blessing, confronting, commanding, healing.” Let’s follow James’ idea and go first to the ultimate source of truth—the Bible.

Author

Anne Cetas

Topics

Our Daily Bread