God Shows Up!

2 Timothy 3:16 contains the famous phrase, ''... all scripture is given by inspiration of God...''

IS GIVEN BY - The words ''.. is given by..'', are actually not in the Greek text, and tradition, more than translation has adopted the word ''.. inspiration.. '' in the verse.

INSPIRATION - The Greek word translated ''... inspiration... '', is only used here in the Bible, though the concept, and meaning of the word is a central truth of the scriptures. Without getting too technical, the word is not ''God-breathed in'' (inspiration), nor is it that ''God breathes out'', (expiration), but rather, the word and the construction of the text, is that ''ALL SCRIPTURE BREATHES GOD''.

The ancient Hebrews had no concept of reading the scriptures silently ''to themselves''. In other words, whenever the scripture was read, privately or publicly, it was always read out loud. They believed that when the scriptures were spoken out loud, that God would show up. It is important for us, that when we read the scriptures, that we too, read them out loud. The power of the scriptures is in speaking them out loud, declaring what God has said.

PREACH the GOSPEL

There is the common expression throughout the New Testament, to ''preach the gospel'', [which no doubt conveys various word pictures or images in our mind as to what that means],but the literal translation of that phrase, and the word ''preach'', is almost without exception, to ''announce'' the good news. This is what the word means, that Paul, by the Holy Spirit, used in 2 Timothy 3:16.

When we declare or announce God's word, God shows up, or manifests Himself in our lives.[ The scripture breathes God]. T.L. Osborn is credited with saying that the power of the gospel is in the ''announcement''. We need simply to boldly ''announce'' what God has said, in every situation that we face in our lives, for God to show up.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours.