Living in ContextApril 26, 2010
By William E. Richardson
It matters how we interpret the Bible. We shouldn't draw hasty
conclusions about a verse while ignoring the words that surround it. Those words
frame its true meaning. The sentences just before and just after a verse keep us on track. The entire chapter is also key to helping us understand any verse within it.
Myopic focus on the arrangement of only a few words often takes the
verse out of context, which usually misses God's intended meaning. To notice
the entire field in which God has planted a scriptural blade of grass is
to read and interpret God's Word in context.
The same is true for how we apply the Bible to our lives. We're called
to live in context.
You may be facing a severe temptation or trial. Don't compromise,
crash or quit. Don't isolate your difficulty from the rest of your life, or
you'll see it out of context. Instead, view today's problem in relation to
your entire Christian life and live this day in context.
Your right-now situation is a single drop of water in the vast lake of
all your days, past and future. Dwelling on the context of your life in
Christ will help you remember all the yesterdays of God's faithfulness and
favor. That will help you cling to the hope for tomorrow that has gotten you
this far.
God's eternal Word is our strength. Year after year, seasons come and
go spring, summer, fall, winter, spring, summer, fall, winter. But
throughout time, God�s Word never changes.
Your severe situation doesn't mean God has ceased to be your source.
He's not taking a nap; He never sleeps (Psalm 121:3). He's not taking a day
off. He's not too busy helping the rest of the world to take notice of you.
Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised His disciples (and that
includes all of us who serve Him) that He'll always be with us
(Matthew 28:20).
No matter how scorching the sun or how frigid the wintry wind feels in
your life right now, God's Word is as true as ever, and God is as able as
ever to rescue you. Keep the big picture in mind. Live today in context.
William E. Richardson is senior pastor of Afton (Iowa) Assembly of
God and
author of "God�s Billboards."
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