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Article 2: The Bible: Revelation and Authority
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. God, His work and His ways are revealed through the Bible truly though surely not exhaustively. As the inspired Word of God, it is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority for what we believe and for how we live. Therefore, the Bible is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

Family Devotional for the Week
Psalm 119:105 (Read as a Family)

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and found yourself alone and in the dark? What did that feel like? Was it scary? Confusing?

Several years ago I went on a hike through a cave with some Middle School students. As we moved deeper and deeper into the cave, the light slowly faded away and we found ourselves in complete and total darkness. You couldn't see anything, even with your eyes wide open. If we had been left to our own devices in that cave, we would have gotten completely lost! But luckily, my friend had hiked in the cave before, and he had brought some headlamps. These are like tiny flashlights you wear on your head, so you can see what's in the path before you. Armed with our headlamps, we had so much fun exploring that cave. Without them, we would have been lost and afraid.

Our verse today tells us that God's Word is a light for our path. That means that the words we read in Scripture light up the world around us. The Bible gives us hope when our lives feel scary or confusing. There are lots of times during the day when we run into "darkness": maybe a kid at school is bullying you, maybe you keep finding ourselves lying to you parents or your teachers, maybe people are gossiping about you or you are gossiping about others, maybe one of your friend's family member is sick, or maybe someone in your own family is sick. This verse tells us that when we run into those "dark" things, God's Word can help us.

Response time:

• If your kids are little, take a flashlight and a Bible into a room where all of you can fit and turn out the lights so it is completely dark. Take turns reading today's Scripture (or Psalm 27:1) using the flashlight. Try to get everyone to memorize the Scripture by the end of your time together in the dark. Tell them that God's Word will be like a flashlight for them, bringing them joy and showing them who God is.
• If your kids are older, take some time to memorize Psalm 27:1. Talk about the power of Scripture memory in your own life and how it can help you when you don't know which way to turn.

~Bill Mead and Annie Neufeld

Monday
2 Timothy 3:14-17

Do you ever have a hard time finding something on the car radio that you want to listen to? My radio has about 6 preset stations that I tend to like, but sometimes none of them have something I am interested in and so I drive in silence or have the kids plug in my smartphone and play something we all agree on. The one thing we don't do is sit and listen to programming we don't find useful or enjoyable.

What if we had a station that we knew would always have something useful and important to communicate? What if we knew that station would make us wiser and would help us to be better equipped for whatever we face in life and to help make a difference in our world? What if we knew that station was, in fact, a direct communication from God himself? Why wouldn't we listen to that station all day long!

I actually have an audio Bible on my smartphone, so in reality, I have that perfect station! But I don't listen to it all day long. Sometimes I get distracted and other "stations" get much more airtime in my life than God's Holy Scriptures. There are so many voices trying to get my attention these days and many of them are not very "useful." Maybe Timothy had the same problem, and that's why Paul told him to "continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of...and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures."

I am grateful for all the ways I can access God's "station" and hear his truth. I simply need to put God's Word on the first preset button and listen often. How about you? What can you do each day to be sure you hear God's voice in His Word? What would it look like for you to "continue in what you have learned?"

~John Secrest

Tuesday
Psalm 119:105

For years my son has hiked all over the world. Years ago on an Easter Sunday night, he asked me to drive him to the local mountains as he wanted to take a 3 day hike. As I let him out of the car, he turned on his hiking lamp, put it on his hat, pointed it to the ground and headed out into the dark of night to begin his hike and campout. Truly his light was a lamp unto his feet to show him the way.

As Christians and followers of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we know that God provides us His Word as a lamp unto our feet. We see from Psalm 119:105 the light of God's Word will be a light for our path of life. We believe this because we view God's Word as Holy, Alive and Inspired. Yes, human hands did do the actual writing but God was the author through His spoken Word. We also believe that these writings are without error and tell the whole Salvation and Gospel story. Therefore if we believe the Bible is God's inspired Word, we must make choices to follow the teachings and training in the Bible as well as trust all the promises

So friends, if you want a light on your path that signs bright and clear, prayerfully read and meditate upon God's Word daily. Your path will be illuminated and your soul will be refreshed

~Bill Mead

Wednesday
Psalm 1:1-2

"All I need is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus."

This anonymous quote hangs in our kitchen these days. We like it because we love coffee and because we really do desire to spend more and more time with Jesus. I've also come to find an interesting correlation between the amount of things I try to fit in my day and the amount of coffee I drink. It's a little shameful, isn't it? First, because I'm probably a coffee-addict, but it's also a shame because the time I spend with God quickly runs the risk of becoming one more thing on my to-do list, right there alongside phone-calls and email, laundry and places-to-be. My relationship with God shouldn't elicit an internal chant of, "Coffee. Need. More. Coffee."

Spread too thin. Busy, stretched, and stressed. These phrases seem to represent our lives all too well. But God calls us to a different WAY, a way in line with his ways. And it's a way that will result in delight (peace, shalom, wholeness). In order to find this way and have it influence my ways, I need to give him room to influence me. If I am not actively being influenced by God's ways, other ways will influence me. Notice the negative progression of physical movement in verse one — stepping, then standing, then sitting. It's a movement toward a TOTAL commitment to TOTAL stagnation. Instead, our lives should be marked by the kind of diligence that comes from the day-in and day-out consistency of relationship that the Psalmist calls us to in part two of this passage -- time and space to dwell with God and time in his Word, the Bible. It can come in the form of a daily awareness of his presence, constant acknowledgement that he is near, and purposeful moments to pause and commit ourselves to following his ways. And I won't blame you if you need to add a little coffee on the side!

Commentator Derek Kidner observes that the Psalmist is affirming that the things that shape our thinking in turn shape our lives. He says, "the call to think hard about the will of God [in all we do]... is the secret to achieving anything worthwhile" (Kidner, Psalms 1-72, p. 48). As an exercise, set aside some time to do an inventory (write it down even!) of the things that shape and influence your thinking. It could be everything from the people you spend time with and the websites you visit to the things you watch on Netflix or the books you read. What things could you adjust so that you are giving room for God to influence your life?

"The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence is a great (short) read on the topic of daily acknowledgment of and dwelling in God's presence.

~Jeremy Rose

Thursday
Ephesians 6:17

The smell of new leather, a smooth red cover, and sparkling golden letters that spelled out my name; this was the beauty of my first Bible. I was five and could read only a few words, but I understood the precious treasure I held in my hands. This treasure had my name engraved in gold on it and was a gift for the salvation journey I had recently embarked on.

Children may not be able to theologically explain the inerrancy of Scripture, but they can sense the authority, power and treasure of knowledge that is found in the Holy Bible! So with faith like a child we can, as Ephesians 6:17 tells us, "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." We take up the Bible in order that we might stand firm against the powers of the dark world and stay strong in the mighty power of God!

Take time this week to share your first encounters with Scripture. My children love hearing stories of my red, leather Bible that went with me everywhere. How I would take it to the top of the swing set, where I would escape to a quiet place a little closer to God, to read. How one day I accidently left it there overnight and it rained. The next morning when I went to rescue my lost treasure I found it water worn. I was sad, but realized it hadn't changed its preciousness to me. It was still powerful and beautiful and went with me many places. So remember the power of God's Holy Word and take it with you wherever you go!

~Melinda Manus

Friday
Proverbs 30.5-6

Have you ever had the experience of someone editing your written work? Have you ever had the experience of someone editing and then publishing it without your knowledge?

Back in the early 90s I had written an article for a magazine. I was given few guidelines but was satisfied with the finished product. The editor thanked me and told me it would be featured a couple months hence. When published, I discovered a version of the article I had written; but only a version. Unknown to me, they had reduced the word count by 30% plus subsequently contracting with an advertiser to do the equivalent of a 'product placement' inside my article.

I was angry when I read the piece. It no longer held together in one continuous flow; the product placement just dropped in mid-story with no clear connection to its context. Not only did it feel like the writer (me) was a hack, it also could be observed that the editors, who allowed it to be published in such condition, were equally poor at their task. In summary, the editor cut and pasted the article to fit their needs and added a commercial. I was embarrassed to have my name on the finished product and angry they hadn't had the courtesy to talk to me regarding needed edits and ad integration. Was this the most humble response? No, but the fact remained my words had been manipulated and altered and no longer did they have continuity with intentionality.

I wonder if God feels this way sometimes with how I handle Scripture? There is a great temptation to cut and paste the bits I like or when I am preaching/teaching to selectively emphasize or deemphasize various parts of the text. Do you have moments like this? Do you have times when Scripture doesn't comfortably or neatly fit life the way you want it to? Times when holding the kind of high-view of scripture expressed by Proverb 30.5-6 requires exercising humility and intentional submission to its Author, reflecting the spiritual life submission that God asks of his Followers.

Today, take some time and not just now but throughout your day, and continue to reflect on your view of scripture. What place does it hold in shaping your perspective, your worldview and your thought-life, your priorities and your decisions? Consider these things as you continue on this shared devotional journey with your Lake Family for the next few months and together let's let God search our hearts personally and corporately, that we might give his Word its proper place and role in our lives.

~Scott White

Saturday
Romans 15:4

Our emotions and mind are tricky. On our worst days we can feel like playing a slot machine of the soul. Crossing our fingers hoping to hit the jackpot of peace on our own will and accord. Instead of getting the cherry, cherry, bell, we pull the lever to receive anxiety, anxiety, and failure. The next pull equals apprehension, hopelessness, and indigestion. If left alone to stew, the weight can fool us into thinking that the lies we encounter are the ultimate truths.

Then enter His words. The words of our God, our maker. Given to us so carefully and readily available to all who are desperate for hope and truth.

These words keep missionaries filled with endurance in the face of obstacles to the share the hope that is in Jesus. In the God-breathed Scriptures we inherit are the same words that kept MLK from losing hope in midst of racism and segregation. These words give students peace in the face of being bullied and overwhelmed with school. God's Word is more powerful than the lies that we tell ourselves. Is is more powerful than our sin and shortcomings. While the inner voices seem loud, when we return to the holy words of God we have truth. A truth that is so strong and filled with such assurance that everything else dissolves when presented with the living Word of God. The Scriptures that God has given us are promises filled with life. They provide comfort beyond our rationale. Lastly, they are promises and evidence of fulfilled promises. We see God fulfilling His promises to His people constantly throughout Scripture, so that we may have comfort that his promises are made available to us.

What can you do to remind yourself of God's promises in Scripture?

~Perry Hawkins