The Message
When I was in third grade, my Dad put me in Bible Quiz (if you don’t know what that is, a quick Google search will clue you in. I apologize in advance). At first, I wasn’t interested in memorizing bible verses, but when I found out it was competitive and I could win a trophy, I was in! Eventually, I became so good that for years I competed at the national level and even won a few trophies.
While I am grateful for this experience in my formative years, there was a downside:
Scripture became information to be consumed instead of transformational for my soul.
It wasn’t until my life fell apart in my early 30’s that I realized I had missed the entire point of the Bible.
After experiencing a reading of Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message, I became captivated by the paraphrased translation. It was like hearing the word of God for the very first time. The words were so beautiful and provided context to what had been hard to understand.
I immediately ordered a new Bible and ferociously started reading the New Testament. It was like a fire lit inside of me that couldn’t be put out. All of the sudden scripture came alive and started to transform my heart.
Jesus used this often misunderstood, paraphrased translation to change part of our relationship; and I’m so grateful He did. Through The Message, He taught me that scripture is not just for information about God but rather (and most importantly) for my personal transformation.
“God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what.”
Hebrews 4:12-13 MSG
It’s been almost 10 years since I discovered The Message and it is still my favorite translation. I use it to help provide context as I read scripture, often bouncing between a number of translations to help me understand the Bible and engage scripture.
Here’s my point of telling you this story - it wasn’t until I discovered what can happen when I engaged with scripture for the purpose of transformation that my life changed.
So here’s my challenge for you - do whatever it takes to fall in love with scripture. Follow the Bible Project, pick up a different translation, or join Bible Study Fellowship in your local area. Choose something that fits your stage of spiritual formation and wiring. But whatever you do, begin to read scripture for transformation. When you do, you’ll begin to experience God intimately and he will change you into who you were designed to be.
Be sure to listen to Episode 9 of our podcast. We mention over 20 resources that will help you engage with the spiritual practice of reading scripture.