Growing up in southern Indiana, my parents and grandparents had a lot of “old sayings” they would pass on to me from time to time. A few of them dealt with horses and the fact that their teeth grow longer as they age. Instead of saying that a person is getting old, they would say that he or she was getting “a little long in the tooth”. Another one was, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. By the time I came along that simply meant, “When someone gives you a gift, be grateful and don’t nitpick about it”. But my favorite one was, “Go straight to the horse’s mouth”. In other words, don’t take someone else’s word for it; go straight to the source to get the truth. That advice has served me well throughout my life.
I think that is why I love the red letter editions of the Bible so much. When I read those red words, I am getting it straight from the source of all knowledge and for that matter the source of all creation. It was John 3:16 that drew me to accept God’s love and sacrifice for me. It still thrills me to know that those are not the words of a witness or observer. It is the firsthand account from the main participant; the Son of God sent to save the world by sacrificing His life for all who will believe. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17 KJV) When I heard those familiar words nearly 64 years ago, Jesus spoke to my heart, “God the Father so loved you, Jim that he sent me into the world so that you can believe in me and not perish but have eternal life. I didn’t come into the world to judge you, but to save you by giving myself to be sacrificed in your place.”
All scripture is the word of God inspired by his Holy Spirit, but the first person revelations from God to Moses for his chosen people (and us) in the Old Testament and the first person teachings and example of Jesus Christ for his followers (including us) in the New Testament are the foundation upon which the entire Bible is built. The miracle of God’s word is that sometimes when we read a very familiar passage it suddenly takes on new meaning for us and provides us with just the instruction or encouragement we need at that moment. When we prayerfully read and study God’s word, His message to us is personal.
When we sing hymns or worship songs, we use those powerful words of poetic imagery to express what God has done and especially what he has done for us. Are those words as powerful as God’s word? Of course not! They are powerful because of God’s word! When God expresses what He has done and what He will do, to human ears it almost sounds like boasting, but as my favorite hall of fame baseball player, Dizzy Dean, used to always say, “If you can do it, it ain’t bragging”. God can do it!