Breath of God

Yes, I could take a stroll down this drive and breathe in the beauty from the Hand of God.

A scripture verse in 2 Timothy has always encouraged and inspired me. You've heard it many times if you've been a Christian for any length of time.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Verse 3:16

These words were given by Paul to advise Timothy, and all of us, that scripture is by God. We can believe it, trust it, be encouraged by it and grow with it. There can be no doubt whether Scripture is man written or God written. God wrote the Bible. That's a fact.

I recently read a devotion by Rick Renner, a new author for me. He titled his devotion: "Let God Breathe Into Your Life!" Rick is a leader, teacher, and author within the global Christian community. One of his devotion books is titled: "Sparkling Gems from the Greek" and each devotion breaks down several Greek words to help understand Scripture.

It fascinated me reading about this Scripture verse and the true meaning of the Greek words involved. He focused on the word "inspiration." All the quotes I share here are from Renner's devotion book, except the last one.

"Your Bible is one of the greatest sources of power on earth! . . . If you learn how to tap into God's Word and let its power flow into you, it will equip you with wisdom, answers, and the power to overcome in every single situation in life . . . inspiration is the picture of God breathing or emitting His own substance into something . . . The Word was breathed out from God and thus carries His very essence and fragrance within it . . . This power continues to sustain the universe -- is still working inside the Word, upholding and empowering it to be just as strong as it was the day it was penned by 'God-breathed' writers."

"Pneuma" is the Greek word where we get the word "inspiration." It is the picture of God breathing or emitting His own substance into something.

"When God was ready to speak to mankind, He held up human language to His mouth and breathed into it. After breathing His pneuma power into the language to produce life-giving words, God moved upon the hearts of those He had called to write His book, and men began to write under divine inspiration. As God continues to breathe on words, and phrases and sentences, His Word began to form and take shape until finally it had become the Bible as we know it today.

"God didn't just inspire the writing of the Bible. God Himself--His life, His life-force, His essence, power, energy, dynamism, and power -- is contained inside the Word . . . The supernatural breath and life of God that is held within His written Word . . .  brings benefit to the one who reads it, meditates on it, and taps into its pneuma [inspiration] . . . By studying and meditation on the Word, you will learn to unlock the power contained within it. And when you have unlocked that door, the power of God will come pouring into your life and into the situations you are facing."

Knowing God Himself wrote the words contained in His book, through men and women He miraculously inspired to write, so that normal people, like you and me, could understand it and gain wisdom and power through it, is indeed miraculous!

You can't pick and choose what you will believe in the Bible. God wrote it all. All of it is true. We may not like some parts, and may not want to follow some parts, but every word is from our God.

GotQuestions.org is a ministry to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation and other spiritual topics. The following quote is from their website:

"Although 2 Timothy 3:16 may be the only place in the Bible where the phrase 'God-breathed' is used to describe the Word of God, Scripture is replete with similar claims. These are actually God's Words reminding us that His truth and love can be found there to guide us in all aspects of life. Perhaps James has the final word about the nature of Scripture (and many other things) when he proclaims, 'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

We can trust God's Word, the Bible. I'm so thankful!

By His Grace . . .