There are no shortcuts to any place worth going

Key Bible Verses: God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. (Ephesians 3:3-4) Dig Deeper: 1 Peter 1:13-23

The Holy Spirit has not promised a shortcut to the knowledge of God. He inspired the prophets and apostles to write in a book what he showed them and told them.

In more than one place, he even said explicitly that reading the book is the God-appointed way of knowing mysteries of God. For example, in Ephesians 3:3-4 Paul wrote that "the mystery was made known to me by revelation." The question is: How will that wonderful knowledge of God's mystery be made known to the rest of us? He answers in verse 4: "When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ" (ESV).

The word “when” is not there in the original Greek. There is a simple participle: "Reading (anaginoōkontes)” you are able to consider (or think about, noeēsai) my insight into the mystery of Christ." The most natural meaning of this participle is this: "By means of reading …" Reading is the way we are able to think the thoughts of Paul and thus know the mystery of God.

There is no reading without thinking. And there is no reading carefully and faithfully and coherently without thinking carefully and faithfully and coherently.

—John Piper in Think

Thought to Apply: If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible.—J. I. Packer(theologian, writer)

* Never underestimate the ability of the Bible to penetrate the hardest, saddest or most doubting heart; nor think that explaining the person and work of Jesus from the Bible is a waste of time. It is God's essential tool for bringing people to faith and salvation. So let us not shy away from using it to enable life-changing faith and peace to emerge in ourselves, our friends and colleagues.