“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 NIV)
Only God could have put the Bible together. It’s 66 books written over 1,600 years by 40 authors — and it has one theme.
Having a single unified theme is one of the reasons we know that the Bible is God’s Word. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is all about God redeeming man, and Jesus is its star.
The fact that the Bible has only one theme is nothing short of a miracle. It’d be one thing if one person wrote the Bible. The Koran was written by one person, Mohammed. The Analects of Confucius were written by Confucius. The writings of Buddha were written by Buddha. You’d expect them to be uniform.
The Bible, on the other hand, was written by 40 different people, at every age and in every stage of life, on three continents. And they all wrote the same story — Jesus’ story. Prophets and poets, princes and kings, and sailors and soldiers all had the same story. Some were written in homes, others in prisons, and others on ships. You couldn’t have put together a more diverse group of authors.
Yet the story is the same.
Imagine I gave 50 people a piece of paper, and I told them to tear their pieces of paper into different shapes — but I never tell them how I’m going to use them. What’s the likelihood I’d be able to take those pieces of paper and make a map of the United States out of them? Those odds would be astronomically low. If I did that, most people would think it was a trick.
That’s the miracle of how the Bible was put together.
We tend to think that the New Testament is about Jesus and the Old Testament is about Israel. But that’s not true. The Bible says in Luke 24:27,“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (NIV). The New Testament wasn’t even written then.
The pictures, the metaphors, the analogies, and the illusions — from beginning to end — are about God’s plan to redeem people and build a family for eternity. It all began with
Jesus. You can see him in every book.
That’s a miracle. Talk It Over
How does your appreciation for the Bible reflect an understanding of the miracle of its cohesiveness?
If you had to sum up the Bible in one sentence in your own words, what would you say?
What are some ways you can make the Bible more personal to you?
Line up Your Heart
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:
Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11, NIV
TODAY'S WORD:
When the Lord looks at your heart, what does He see?
Everyone has an outer life and an inner life. The outer life is our public life that people can see. The inner life is made up of your thoughts, attitudes and motives. Only you and God know what’s going on inside. Too many people go around today pretending—acting one way, yet on the inside, they’re thinking something totally different. Their heart and their actions don’t line up.
We have to understand that God looks at the inside. We can fool a lot of people, but we can’t fool God. God would rather us be open and honest than for us to go through life pretending or wearing masks. Today, take inventory of what’s going on inside of you. Are you at peace? Are you overlooking offenses? Do you believe the best in people? Are your heart and actions lining up? If not, submit your ways to the Lord today and ask Him to give you an undivided heart. Live a life pleasing to Him and walk in His blessing all the days of your life!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Father, I humbly come before You today and ask that You search the deep places of my heart. Show me if there is any area where I need to line up my heart and actions. Help me to be authentic in You today in Jesus name. Amen.
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