by Shannon Tillman | May 8, 2025 | Bible Study, Thoughts
I cannot follow instructions. When there is an item that needs to be assembled, I stare blankly at the directions. I had my nine-year-old niece put together a baby basinet because I could not figure it out. I knew the baby would be safer with her assembly than mine. We did not tell her mother about it for years!
I need directions simplified. Jesus makes life easy. Every decision, every action, every word choice, every relationship can be evaluated by two simple commands. These instructions were originally given in the Old Testament. Jesus takes them to summarize how to evaluate every aspect of our lives.
Mark 12:28b-31
…“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Love God and love others. It is all about Him and them. Think through decisions, behaviors, choices, words, time, money, relationships. Put them in the context of loving God and loving others. Are we obeying the commands of love? If not, what changes need to be made so that we are following these instructions? If we are violating the commands of love, then we need to confess this sin, repent, and choose to do whatever it takes to obey the directive of love.
I do want to make a note that love is hinged with truth. Sometimes, we separate the two and treat love as an all encompassing “free pass” for others to harm us. Love has boundaries. God loved the nation of Israel, yet He left them to the consequences of their sin by allowing nations to oppress them and even take them into captivity. Love is not about rescuing those who do not want to be rescued, or incurring mistreatment from those who refuse to change.
That is why we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We need to recognize our value and show concern for our own well-being. To be emotionally whole leads us to love others effectively. From the love we have for ourselves, which is rooted in the love God has for us, we can then love others. Maybe the first question for some of us should be, “Do I love myself?” If we are struggling with that love, then it is time to ask the Father to show us how to love ourselves, so we can truly love others.
I challenge all of us today to evaluate these two commands (by the way, they are not suggestions). “Do I love God? Do I love others as myself? Where am I violating these commands of love?” As God reveals to us areas that must change; may our love for God, love for others, and love for ourselves compel us to do whatever it takes to be transformed into a life of love. Jesus gave simple directions: Love God and love others as yourself. May each of us follow those instructions today to build a community of love.
by Kevin Tillman | May 1, 2025 | Thoughts
“I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.”
Dwight L. Moody
How’s that for a strong quote to start off? Convicting to many I’m sure. In this short quote by Moody two words in particular stuck out to me.
The first word was “useful”. Can someone be a Christian without a healthy intake of the Bible? Yes. Are they “useful” to the Kingdom? According to Moody, he hasn’t met one.
The second word was “student”. Being a student implies more than a casual reader. In a day where we can see a Bible verse on a meme in our social media feeds, we can “read” the Bible quite a bit. Verses are everywhere from social media to billboards. But, are these casual glances enough to be a “student”? I think we know the answer. I’m definitely not against scripture being posted on social media feeds, but it’s just simply not enough. Several reasons come to mind. First, a one verse meme can easily be misinterpreted. A false teaching can arise out of a verse taken out of context. Second, without studying the Bible in it’s totality, the bigger picture can be missed. Third, and maybe most importantly, we aren’t allowing God to speak to us through His Word.
Can God speak through just one verse here and there? Of course He can, but that’s not the point. The point is He has given us His Word. He has literally given us answers. He has given us His voice. It’s in our hands. Now we have to be “students” to be “useful”.
Imagine that you have a relative that passed away. Think back on someone that you were close to. In my case I think back to my grandfather that passed away in 2002. He was rough around the edges in so many ways, but he taught me so much. He had a strong work ethic. He grew up poor. He had polio his entire life. But, he never quit. He was tough. He also took me on many adventures as a kid growing up. I saw things and traveled with my grandfather. To this day, much of who I am was shaped by his influence. But now, imagine that I find a book that has a cover that reads “To Kevin, Instructions for Living”. Inside of this book is a collection of stories, truths, laws, parables, prophecies, etc. It’s all written directly to me from him. Would I read it? You bet I would. Would you read a book like that? I know you would.
I’m sure you see the point. That’s the Bible. It’s God’s direct Word to us. Not only that, but there is a promise that God’s Spirit will help us interpret it. It’s not just words on a page, it’s life giving to us.
Without geeking out on specific polling data here are some conclusions drawn by pollsters:
- Most Americans believe the Bible has been the most influential book in history (this even includes younger people polled).
- A majority believe the Bible contains everything someone needs to know in life.
But, that’s where the positive stats end. Pollsters go on to find that many don’t trust the Bible as completely true. They view it as “just another religious book”.
This I believe is key. It starts with our foundational belief in the Bible. If we believe it is truly the inspired Word of God that He has given directly to us, then it should promote our reading. If though, it’s just a “good book” full of some “good application points”, then it’s just another book on the shelf with other self-help books.
Another blog for another day is the defense of the Bible as being the authentic Word of God. Proving the Bible is indeed God’s Word to us is actually not as complicated as one might think. It’s truly too much for this blog post, but here are some bullet points:
- It’s been proven by historical accuracy and archeological digs.
- It’s thematically unified despite being written by approximately 40 different people, across three continents, over roughly 2,000 years. These people were from all different walks of life (scholars to shepherds).
- It made bold future prophetic predictions that were fulfilled with 100% accuracy. By the way there’s still somewhere around 25% of prophecies to be fulfilled. We literally have a future-telling book in our possession.
The Bible isn’t just another book, it is THE BOOK. God does amazing things in the lives of those that bury themselves in it.
Here’s the encouragement from this blog: Become a “student” of the Bible today. Commit to more than just a casual read. The Bible is the greatest book of all time for a reason. It is the one and only book written by God Himself. It’s stood the test of time, and still continues to change lives today. Put it to the test. Pick it up, give it a try, and watch what God will do.
