When I was a student at Oral Roberts University, we had to earn what they called “aerobic points,” which we got when we exercised. The school had charts of different activities and, based on how long we worked out, we’d get x number of points. Running was the quickest way to get the most points, but the weather didn’t always cooperate. (The school is in Oklahoma, and the winters could get pretty windy and cold!)
But ORU had an indoor track, which made running doable when it was freezing out.
I mention all this to say that they had Bible verses posted around the track walls. I don’t remember those too well, but they included verses like Philippians 4:13 (NKJV), which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
When I’d jog on the track, I’d sometimes entertain myself by thinking of, well, other verses they could put up. Like these:
- “He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.” – Psalm 147:10 (NASB)
- “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” – 1 Timothy 4:8 (KJV)
- “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” – Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NKJV)
Don’t they get your blood going!
How come the athletic department didn’t hang these verses on the wall? They’re Bible verses; isn’t that good enough?
Well, no!
It’s a question of misinterpretation, isn’t it? And misusing the Word, too. We need to be careful!
At the risk of sounding negative, I want to caution us about the way we use the Bible. I appreciate any communication that builds up the faith of the saints. Devotionals, articles, tweets, Facebook posts, indoor track signs–whatever exalts Jesus and encourages Christians is good! But I hope that we don’t restrict our spiritual diets to these (usually brief) messages. Quick boosts have their place, but we need long-term disciplines, too.
I don’t think this is controversial, but I have another observation. If we’re going to be healthy, we need a complete diet. This applies to our physical well-being, but also to our spiritual growth and development. Again, there’s nothing wrong with posting a verse on social media. Getting God’s Word out by any means is awesome, and we should do all we can to share His truth with others.
But I’ve noticed that many of the (again, usually brief) devotions tend to focus on the positive. There are many verses that speak of God’s blessings. There are many accounts in Scripture of the Lord working miracles, answering prayers, and doing the impossible for His people. So we have a lot to get excited about!
We do more than revel in such passages; we quote them, we trust them, and we try to experience them. For ourselves and for others.
“Standing on the Word” is a common way of referring to how we respond to these favored verses. We commit to them, we confess them, and we tell the Lord that we believe His promises. (By the way, this practice often treats Scriptures as promises.)
Again, nothing wrong with this approach, as long as it’s not the sole way we deal with the Bible. Eating a quick snack isn’t wrong, but to be healthy, we need to plan out and prepare good meals. It’s the same with God’s Word. Verses here and there are great, provided we also take the time to delve into the full text of Scripture.
The longer we dig into the Bible, the more we discover how much the Lord has to say to us. Jesus comforts and cheers us, but He also challenges us. The more of His Word we take in, the more we recognize how true this is.
We can’t limit ourselves to the positive verses. They’re wonderful, but they’re not the fullness of God’s mind toward us. For example, I just finished rereading a book by a Bible scholar named Allison A. Trites called The New Testament Concept of Witness. On page 215, he listed several verses pertaining to believers suffering with and for Christ. These verses include the following:
- “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 1:5
- “I want to know Christ–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:10-11
- “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” – Colossians 1:24
- “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’” – 1 Peter 3:14
- “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.” – 1 Peter 4:1
I don’t list these to drag us down. And Paul and Peter didn’t write them to make us despondent. But if we’re going to quote Scriptures, why not these? Because they’re not as positive as “I can do all things through Christ.” So we read them, but are we reading past them? Do we dismiss them as soon as we can, like when we get to verses that sound more uplifting?
If so, we’re missing out on opportunities to grow. I admit my failure in this area. I want to go through the pain and discomfort of discipline. But Jesus has our eternal destiny in view when He speaks to us. His Spirit who breathed out the Scriptures seeks to breathe them into us to shape us and transform us. The more we submit to His training, the more like Christ we will become.
So let’s feast on the totality of God’s Word. When we do, we’ll have the energy to run the race the Lord has for us and by His grace, we’ll cross the finish line!
- “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” – Acts 20:24
- “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” – Hebrews 12:1-2a
