II Timothy 3:16-17

2 Tim 3:16-17 (NIV) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

I found this translation using “God-breathed” to be fascinating, KJV – says, “given by inspiration of God.” But the Greek word is “theopneustos” (theh-op'-nyoo-stos); it actually means “divinely breathed in.” Today the word inspiration is used to describe a lot of things, including great works of art, modern inventions, classical literature, but inspiration is intended to obviously inspire us toward something, right? Worldly inspiration points us toward our own creativity, it is synonymous with what stimulates our thinking process, or encourages us to have greater insight. Worldly inspiration is a humanistic reaction. However, what better thing to be inspired by then God? Theopneustos tells me that, God is the ultimate source of inspiration because God breathed it. True inspiration does not originate with men but is sent by God. "For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God." 2 Pet. 1:21, (TLB). The (NIV) says it “never had its origin in the will of man.” Inspiration is not just about a warm glow you get inside when you like something. It is not just flowery words or fantastic ideas or incredible techniques. Inspiration has a purpose, it has meaning, it is God’s relevant message to us. Amos 3:7, (NIV) says "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets." Even more astounding, inspiration tells us accurately what will happen. Because what the scriptures revealed “came true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens." Isaiah 42:9, (TLB). That is why the scriptures are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and teaching, that is why they are able to equip the Christian to walk the spiritual life. The scriptures are trustworthy and will bless you when you use them to guide your life. The scriptures are our standard for testing everything that claims to be true. And the scriptures are the source of knowledge for how we can inherit eternal life.

But even the scriptures have been and are often used incorrectly in order to mask a person’s actions that are not in line with the spirit of the scriptures. Actions that appear good on the outside but inside have a hidden and craftier motivation. Actions that deep down reveal things like superiority, conceitedness, criticism, rebellion, revenge, self-righteous, piousness, smugness, negativism, hatred, greed, envy, or strife. We use the scriptures incorrectly when we use them in order to get our own way. We use them incorrectly when they are used a rule book, to try to do what is right. They are used incorrectly when we use them for tearing one another down rather than building one another up in the faith. We use the scriptures incorrectly by using the scriptures to tell everyone else what to do without being connected to Christ. The fruit we produce in our lives shows whether or not we are using the scriptures correctly or not.

If you want to have fruit, the best thing to do is to buy a tree that grows fruit. Likewise, if you want to use the scriptures correctly then you need to be connected to the WORD in order to bear fruit in your life. The best thing to do is to let the scriptures connect you to Jesus. Disconnected fruit is no good, it falls to the ground, gets full of bugs and worms and rots, do not pretend to be fruitful or compel other people to be fruitlike either. Because a fruit tree, remember, is what bears fruit because it is a fruit tree, never in order to be a fruit tree. And a Christian does what is right because he is a Christian, never in order to be a Christian. The problem with how we sometimes use the scriptures is how we fail to personally connect to Jesus. Or we are so anxious to use the scriptures to make other people behave how we think they should behave that we forget that other people should connect with Jesus first too.

Here is how we can use the scriptures correctly; we need to take time, alone, at the beginning of every day, to seek Jesus through His Word and through prayer. That is it. When we use the scriptures this way, we come to know Jesus. Once we come to know Jesus then we can surrender our will to Him. Then we make a fresh connection with Jesus, new every morning, become recharged and inspired by Him, let Him breathe into you.

Have you ever experienced inspiration, "God's breath on you," during your devotional time? What did it feel like? Compare how you feel on days when you connect with Christ and the difference in your life on days that you don't?

Psalms 5:1-3

Ps 5:1-3 (KJV) “Give ear to my words, O Lord (Yahweh), consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

In Psalms 5 David addresses God by his personal name, Yahweh, in a very intimate way. David requests that Yahweh please pay close attention to his thoughts and prayer. In the Hebrew culture, as a matter of respect, you would always address an individual with authority by their title, like Rabbi, Master or King. But the original translation of “LORD” in this scripture is actually “Yahweh,” God’s name. Only a person who has a close personal relationship with such a person, like a spouse or someone that might be considered their equal would be permitted to call them by their personal name.

But David is not showing disrespect here because he understands that God is eager to be our close friend. Yahweh wants us to have a loving and affectionate relationship with Him. In contrast, those who are afraid to offend God and put Him on a pedestal may have a formal or superficial relationship with Him and never really come to understand the tender relationship God desires to share with us.

Never the less, in the very next sentence David points out Yahweh’s high and exalted position by calling Him “my King and my God.” (NLT) interprets the next line to say “for I pray to no one but you” as recognition that only his God is powerful enough to hear and answer our cries. With confidence, David knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Yahweh will hear his voice during his morning devotional time and with total expectation David “looks up” to wait and see how God will answer him.

Psalm 5 is my theme to this blog. I fully expect Yahweh to hear me in my devotional time I spend in this blog, I know He will consider my meditation. But like David, who shared his Psalms with the world. I also wish to open myself up to all who read this post to consider my meditations with me, and I would love to hear your comments, positive or negative, and together we can “look up” and see God in action.

What do you typically do for your devotion time with God? Describe the quality of time you spend with God?