Experiencing the Breath of God

Scripture:

2 Timothy 2:¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

Observation:

Timothy had been raised reading and studying the holy Scriptures. What we know of as the Old Testament was standard study for the Jews. While Timothy had a mixed heritage, his mother ensured his Jewish eduction and this remained with him and served as a vital foundation to his Christian faith. 

Timothy, the young pastor, as should any pastor, is encouraged to really know the Scriptures. The breath of God has blown through the written word and the words have come to life. It is this same Spirit which breathed life into the nostrils humanity that now blows through the written word. Only when one spends time breathing in the Spirit-filled word, does the breath of God truly bring the person to life. Suddenly one’s life becomes resonate with the very sounds of heaven. 

Application:

There are so many good books, videos, pod-casts and blogs available these days that we can become absorbed in a mass of information. While all of that is good, it should never be to the neglect of spending time in the word. The stress here is on the need to be saturated in the word of God, to become a servant of God. There must be time spent in preparation for this service, for to represent God, one must know God. 

For followers of Jesus Christ this is a serious challenge, for the mind and the mouth of a disciple ought to be one and the same. It is the breath of God found in the Scriptures that transforms the life of the believer.  We need the air flowing through our bodies to give us life in the Spirit. 

The word of God provides the pattern for our lives, teaching us what is false, what needs to be corrected, training us in a right understanding of things, and comforts and consoles us in our time of pain. But just as medication will only help us when we take it, so the Scriptures can only serve to bring us life when we deeply breathe in the Spirit-infused words. 

God breathed into the Scriptures so that the Scriptures may breathe life into us. Daily, we need to breathe deeply the word, and then we will experience the Spirit bringing us to life. 

Prayer:

Lord, breathe your Spirit in and through me. Amen.