John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!"
Jesus is giving a bit a verbal beat down to the Jewish leaders. He points out their hypocrisy by explaining to them that they look to the scriptures for eternal life but are missing it all together. He tells them that the scriptures (the Hebrew scriptures) point directly towards him and the life he alone gives.
The Bible is an amazing text. It inspires, corrects, and gives hope. And I truly love reading the Bible and studying it. However, I must not allow the Bible to become something it is not. It is God's word, not God himself. It reveals eternal life, but does not give it. I must remember that with or without the Bible, my Jesus loves me, died for me and has a future for me. The Bible points to him and who he calls me to be. I must keep first things first.
Dear Jesus, help my life point to you and not to a book, a church, a philosophy or an idea. Amen.
