Today we’re sharing an excerpt from Lifeway Women’s new Bible study See for Yourself by Kelly Needham. This hands-on guide will teach you how to study your Bible with confidence and joy. Get a sneak peek at this study with this excerpt:
When it comes to vacations, we’re an Airbnb family. We prefer a house in a beautiful forest or near a snowcapped mountain. Which means the first thing we check before we press “reserve” are the windows. How many are there? Which direction do they face? What’s the view like? The more windows, the better, in my opinion. Now, when we finally arrive at one of these homes and I get my first glimpse at the windows, there’s one image I care nothing about seeing: my own reflection. That’s because— prepare yourself for an obvious fact—a window is not a mirror.
Windows are wonderful because they allow us to see something grander than ourselves. We look through them to the scene on the other side. This is how the Bible is meant to work in our lives. We look through it to the beauty and worth of God. If you come to Scripture with the wrong intention, prepare to be frustrated.
One of the reasons many find the Bible boring or irrelevant is that we approach it like a mirror, hoping to see ourselves. We assume we’re the main character of the story, that we’re the main subject matter. And that leads to a pretty disappointing Bible reading experience.
In this way, the Bible works just like any other book. Every story has a main character and if you don’t know who it is, you’ll have difficulty enjoying the book. More importantly, you’ll miss what the author is trying to communicate.
One way we easily identify the main character of a book is to notice how often that person appeared in the book. The author is likely constantly pointing your attention to that character. And the book likely begins and ends with this person in focus.
Let’s see how this applies to the Bible. On average, God is referenced about once per verse in Genesis 1 and about every other verse in Revelation 22. He’s the person the Bible draws our attention to from beginning to end. He stands at center stage within its pages. When we read the Bible, we’re reading His story.
Here’s the big takeaway from all this: The Bible is for you, but not about you. In that sense, the Bible is more like a window than a mirror. It’s not trying to show you yourself (not primarily at least); it’s trying to show you God!
There is one place in Scripture where the Bible is referred to as a mirror, though. Let’s look at the passage in James:
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does (James 1:22-25).
This James passage shows that the Bible is concerned with our transformation. Looking intently into Scripture helps us see what needs to change in ourselves. But that change doesn’t take place because we’ve been looking at ourselves; it comes because we’ve been looking at God through the window of the Word.
Seeing God is the only way we change. We’re not transformed because we complete a long to-do list—transformation comes from a big, beautiful vision of God. What we behold, we become. That’s what the Bible does: it gives us a clear view of God. And when we get a clear view, we turn to Him in awe, repentance, and worship. In so doing, our hearts and lives change. We aren’t the center of the story. He is.
When I read the Bible like a mirror, I often leave with a to-do list (be humble, be more submissive, etc.) and miss the significance of much of the text. But when I read the Bible like a window, I leave in awe of God, with a natural desire to love Him, follow Him, and become the type of person who draws His attention. It leads me toward change through inspiration and worship, not to-do lists. Every time you read the Bible, you’re looking through a window into the heart of God. Every chapter is a view into the landscape of His character, His ways, and His heart.
More about the Bible Study
Want to learn more about the See For Yourself Bible study? Watch the short video below or view a free sample and teaching video clips at lifeway.com/seeforyourself.
P.S. This study also has a companion men’s edition written by Kelly’s husband, Jimmy Needham!
