Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word (Psalm 119:41-42).

When you open your Bible, what message comes to you?  A record of sermons that is filled with duties and doctrines? A referee’s whistle blowing a taunting disapproval of all your errors. No doubt the duty, doctrine, and disapproval can be found within the pages of Scripture – but there is something more.

The foundation beneath all the duty and doctrine – even the reason for the referee’s whistle – is the steadfast love of the Lord. The rules and doctrines are there, sure, but the reason for them is pointing us toward a relationship – so that we will love the Lord with all that we are and have.

If we open our Bibles only expecting to see a bunch of regulations for how to perform or think in order to ensure a holy God’s approval, where is the hope in that? After all, the Bible itself says that it’s possible to get our duty and doctrine right and still have a heart far from God (Luke 17:10).

Personal pride in our behavior or belief is never a substitute for loving God with humility and gratitude.

So, if we are looking for a relationship with God that is the priority of his Word, then we will read every page to understand how it’s crafted to reveal how the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

That love will always come to us through God’s promise, rather than our performance!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to see your love and care unfolding on every page of Scripture. Even when your people struggle to understand or obey, help me see how you are using them to point me to the necessity of grace that culminates in Jesus. Use all to increase my love for him.