To be fully HUMAN — A Daily Reflection

Matthew 4:3-4 NIV

The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"

One of the most interesting things about the encounter between Jesus and the devil is the use of scripture… by both of them.

Oh, yes… Satan knows the scriptures.  He has them memorized… and he’ll do everything he can to use them to his advantage… but he refuses to obey them.  To Satan, the Word of God is merely a tool he can attempt to use to block God’s eternal plan.  He knows, but he doesn’t obey.

Have you ever thought about the number of Bibles that are gathering dust?  Especially in countries all over the world where there is no restriction on owning one.  When you go to church, look around at the congregation.  How many have brought their own Bibles, and how many have left their Bibles (if they even own them) at home?  Then look at the Bibles themselves… Do they look like they’ve been used?  Or do they look like they just came from the shelf at the store?  When the person turns the pages, are they still stuck together a bit on the edges… a clear indication that the book has been rarely opened, or possibly never opened at all before?

For many, many years, in China , when someone managed to smuggle a Bible into the country, do you know what the Christians there did?  They tore the Bibles up!  But they were not being destructive.  They were making sure that many, many people had an opportunity to know God’s word.  So they tore them up, then passed out the pages, one to each person.  Then, each one memorized the page he was given – front and back.  Once the person had committed that entire page to memory, he passed it on to someone else, and obtained another page to memorize.  The Christians in China who could be imprisoned for possessing a Bible, were “possessing” the Bible in a way that could not be taken away from them – by memorizing it, ALL of it.  If they lived long enough, each of those underground Christians would have committed every word of the Bible to memory!! 

I recently learned that this ban was lifted by the Chinese government – with some restrictions.  I haven’t obtained all of the details yet, but it now appears that Christians in China can have Bibles of their own, with no fear of imprisonment.  Praise God for that blessing!  I pray that easy access to God’s Word does not make the Chinese as complacent as Christians in other countries have been where God’s Word is gathering dust! 

Let’s think about memorizing scripture for a moment.  It’s not just those in countries where Bibles are not allowed who need to memorize God’s Word.  As a matter of fact, memorizing scripture could be called one of the essentials for living a Godly life.  If we don’t know in our hearts and minds what God’s Word is, how can we know what we are supposed to obey?  Do you have time to stop and look up scripture to help you make spur-of-the-moment decisions?  If you’re like most people, the answer is no!  But if you have large portions of God’s word memorized, it’s easy to call something to mind that He’s said that will direct you in that last-minute decision you have to make.

The trick Satan used in the desert is one he continually uses today.  How many times do you hear people misquote scripture… or quote God’s Word out of context, thereby twisting the meaning?  How many people sit in church buildings, listening to what the preacher says, but never looking in their Bibles to see whether the preacher is telling the truth or not?  That is a very dangerous thing to do – or not do… because it is possible to prove almost anything one might want to prove using scripture that is taken out of context, or by creating a statement that sounds like scripture, but is to be found nowhere in the Bible.  That’s how sayings like “God helps those who help themselves” become popular, and how millions of people come to believe that they are in the Bible, when they’re not.  That’s how cults are formed.  That’s how millions of people are led down the path to perdition.

So what can we do to protect ourselves?  Get to know God’s Word.  Memorize as much as you can.  It is a mighty sword to use - just as Jesus did - in spiritual combat (Ephesians 6:17).  Then be a Berean (Acts 17:11).  When you hear someone preaching a message, take note of what they say, and then compare it to the Bible.  If it conforms with Biblical teaching, then accept it, but if it contradicts the Bible, reject it as the lie that it is.  And don’t stop there.  Once you know the Word… live it.  From beginning to end, the Bible says one thing over and over again - "I love you".  It is God’s love letter to you.  It is His Sword of the Spirit, to be used in fighting off the attacks of Satan.  And it is His “owner’s instruction manual” for life. 

Take this fourth vital step in learning to live by faith… make God’s Word a living part of your mind, body and spirit.  Know it and live it for Him.