Pat Mingarelli
[Originally published as The Mountain of God’s Word]
For Christian believers it is important for each one of us to read the Bible in context and to climb the mountain of God’s Word.
We all climb many mountains in life. Each one of those mountains presents different challenges. Some are much more challenging than others. Some even bring us great amounts of joy with the challenges. Whether we find life’s mountain difficult or joyful they all must be climbed.
Two Holy Mountains
One mountain I recently talked about climbing is the Mountain of God. The only way a mountain climber can truly know a mountain is when he climbs it. Only then does the climber truly experience all that a mountain has to offer. In the same way we don’t experience God until we fully give ourselves to Him and immerse ourselves in all that He is.
In addition to climbing the mountain of God, every Christ follower also needs to climb the mountain of God’s Word. The only way to truly know God is by digging into the Bible and knowing His Word. This does not happen by just reading a daily devotion based around a single verse nor does it happen by only getting topical messages in church.
This happens by reading through whole books of the Bible in complete context. Sadly, false teachers today take the Bible out of context and lead believers astray. When we know God’s Word and know it well we stay on the true path and are not deceived.
Climbing Gear
Climbing the mountain of God’s Word may seem rather difficult to some of us. This is understandable, but just like any other mountain we can do it one step at a time. And let us remember: any mountain worth climbing is never easy.
Just like mountain climbers take gear with them when they climb, it’s best for us to take along things that will help us navigate God’s Word. The use of commentaries and study guides can help us better understand the message and apply it to our lives. Many of those can be found online (see links below).
Finally, most mountain climbers do not go it alone. Let’s climb the mountain of God together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can do this through group Bible studies and solid biblical church teaching. All will be blessed.
Just like a good pair of hiking book gets well worn from plenty of good, so should our Bibles.
Resources for Bible study:
Bible Study Tools has a whole host of resources for you to use in your study time.
Blue Letter Bible also has many resources.
