Pearls of Great Value

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah‬ ‭55:10-11‬ ‭MEV‬‬

The Word and Jesus, one and the same. The Bible is Gods word, His voice on earth and it is as alive and real as you are, in fact more so. It’s eternal and powerful. The Bible is Gods Word as a book. Jesus is Gods Word made flesh. Both are the same reality. Jesus the Man and the Bible the book look very different outwardly, but at the core they are the same thing: the eternal Word of God. If I take the above text of Isaiah 55, and replace Word with Jesus, you immediately see that Jesus as the Word did exactly as God the Father sent Him out to do. You could say, that Jesus is an imagery before our eyes of the Bible as Word. He personifies the Word. Jesus is Gods Word sent to earth for a purpose and as Isaiah 55 says, will not (and did not) return to God void. This is powerful. Another verse that shows us this is in Psalm 107: God sent his word, and healed them and delivered them from their destructions.

We have to start seeing this connection. I believe we struggle in studying the Bible and being consistent therein because we do not know it’s reality. If you understand that Jesus is the Word made flesh to show us the Word in action, you get a glimpse of the power in the written Word, the Bible. The same purpose that was IN Jesus coming to earth and fulling the plan of the Father is still the same purpose IN the Bible. Both are able, both are sufficient, both are fullness of God. Both hold within them the power of God to accomplish their purpose.

The Bible is the Word of God as a book doing what Jesus the Word made flesh did on earth. Jesus came to reveal the Father. The Bible does the same. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. The Bible does the same. Jesus came to seek and save those that are lost. The Bible does the same. Jesus came to deliver man from bondage and to set the captives free. Jesus came and was teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Matt 4:23). The Word still desires and does the same. Jesus came to restore a broken relationship between man and God, to restore Gods kingdom on Earth. Friends, this is still the reason for the Word on earth today. The Bible is not without power or purpose. As Jesus the man, so is the Bible as the book. Both are the Word of God.

John 1 tells us that in the beginning was the Word and Word was with God and the Word was God. Let’s read the first part of this chapter: “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ( Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.” John‬ ‭1:1-3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Think about this: All things were made and came into existence through Him. When you put this together with the creation story in Genesis 1, it’s amazing. Take a look at these verses and keep in mind that as God said the Word, Jesus was there as well. He was the Word that went forth and made. Jesus is the Word spoken that God the Father used to speak everything into being that is. Jesus IS the Word of God or better yet, Gods voice.

“And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

And God said, “Let there be an expanse [of the sky] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters [below the expanse] from the waters [above the expanse].”

Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place [of standing, pooling together], and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

So God said, “Let the earth sprout [tender] vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind, whose seed is in them upon the earth”; and it was so.

Then God said, “Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God’s provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years; and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded].

Then God said, “Let the waters swarm and abundantly produce living creatures, and let birds soar above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind: livestock, crawling things, and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds”; and it was so [because He had spoken them into creation].

Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”

God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.” Genesis‬ ‭1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14-15, 20, 24, 26, 31‬ ‭AMP‬

The phrase” the word of God “ is used 46 times in Scripture. It not only refers to the written word, the Bible, but also to Jesus Christ himself. John 1:14 makes it clear that the two are one and the same: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Just as the man Jesus was a living form of the Word of God, likewise the Bible is also a living form, sharper than any two edge sword. It is also a superhuman power that effectively works in those that believe. The primary way that God speaks to us today is through His Word, which is the Bible. We don’t have Jesus in bodily form walking amongst us, but that does not mean we don’t have him at all. The Word is still very much with us! Jesus said to his disciples that is was beneficial for them that he leave, for he will send them the Holy Spirit as a helper. No longer is he bound by a human body, but is able to dwell within each of us. All the time. I once heard it said that how much of Jesus we have depends on how much we carry the Word with us. Truth is, we can have as much of Jesus as we want. Or as little. Jesus the boy had to grow in grace and wisdom. Likewise, if we care to, we can grow in the knowledge of Christ. It’s on us, it’s our responsibility. Do we want more? Than we will have to reach for it, dwell in it, and become one with it.

Every verse in the Bible is a door. Jesus said that He is the door and there is no other way to come to the Father except through Him. He also said knock and the door will be opened unto you! “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”(Luke 11:9–10) Every verse in the Bible is a door! Knock on the door. This is calling out and asking Jesus to open the verse to your understanding. He is the Words in the Word and it’s his joy to teach you the truth, it’s his pleasure to invite you into His home and heart. So, here’s the truth. We have to enter the door, Jesus, and the entrance into this Word gives light. Once you step through the door you find yourself in the Word. The Word receives you as a son or a daughter and embraces you. It’s in this act of intimacy that God reveals His heart and His secrets.

We become partakers of Gods divine nature and escape the corruption of this world through His Word (2 Peter 1:3). There is no success in Christian life without being deeply entrenched in Gods Word, rooted and established therein. (Mark 4:14-20). Those who receive the Word of God, those who embrace it, believe it, and obey it, in them it will produce life. We can liken it unto a tree of life. Those who eat the fruit thereof are partaking and receiving the life and energy of the tree. In fact, we can be a branch on this tree, producing fruit. As long as we remain on the tree we are given life and produce fruit of life. But a branch that separates from the tree will soon show evidence of death,as its leaves slowly wither and die and its fruit decays.  Soon the branch has no life left within him, for it has been separated from the source of life.

We need to see the Word as our source of life. We need the nutrition of Jesus. We need His wisdom, His grace and His power, in fact, the Word is beneficial to us in every way. (2 Tim 3:16) Let us only have the ears to hear and hearts to receive its message. Many in Jesus day heard him speak but had no faith within them to receive his message. Many were spiritually blind, deaf, and dead, yet thought they were alive. It was only those that had pure and sensitive hearts willing to hear, that were able to receive the truth, the Word of God into their lives. Many received him not. Gods Word was walking and talking among them and they didn’t perceive him much less receive him. Gods Word only releases its life giving power when it’s received with humbleness and mixed with faith in our hearts. When Christ is preached, it produces a response and it’s not always a positive one. When a person hears the Word and doesn’t believe in his heart, instead of being set free he will be bound. Unbelief always causes people to perish. Take for example the Jews. The unbelieving Jews not only rejected Jesus, but killed him, thinking to stop his influence. Don’t be mistaken and think it’s going to be any different today. The unbelieving world will not stop at only rejecting the truth, they will also seek to kill and destroy it in every area of its influence. Was it so in Jesus day so it’ll be in this day.

Helen Keller was once asked what would be worse than being born blind and she replied is to have sight without vision. We need vision! Spiritual vision to see as God sees. Oh Lord, that the scales will fall from our eyes! In this hour, I pray that we will not let Jesus pass us by, for I believe his eye is looking for sons and daughters who hunger and thirst for the kingdom of God to be manifested on earth as it is in heaven. That is where he’ll stop and say, "Here! I can do a move of the Spirit here.” Let us call out as the blind man Bartimaeus: when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”Mark 10:47–48) His shouts caused Jesus to stop and ask, What can I do for you? I love that question. Yes, He knows our needs, but he wants us to give voice to them. Ask! Ask and it shall be given unto you!

Here’s the all in all. If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father. Jesus is the Word incarnate. He is the express image of Abba Father. Jesus is the whole, the lens through which we view the Father. I love how the first Christians were called Christians or Christ-like ones by the outsiders. These outside people looked at the way Christians embodied Christ in the way they served, in the way they loved, in the way they brought healing to the sick and broken, and called them "followers of Christ.” Their behavior, activity and speech were like Christ. (Acts 11:26) We don’t need to explain God to people. All we need to do is live the Word, live Jesus, live Love. That’s it. Just as Jesus expressed His Father to the multitudes by how He loved people, we express Him the same way. How do we show up to listen, to love, to nurture? How much do we care about the people we are talking to or working with? Do we embody the Word? This means, do we give the Word hands, feet, and a tongue to speak? Jesus proved that love in action speaks louder than an ocean of words. Let us likewise love one another even as He also loves us.