Scripture
Our verse for today comes from John 19:22, “Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written.’”
Background
When I performed a quick search online of trite sayings, the first article I read listed this one at the top: It is what it is. And I couldn’t help but laugh because that was the very one that initially came to my mind as well.
If you listen to any amount of sports broadcasters, your ears will be bombarded repeatedly with empty, meaningless jabber and phrases that appear to be said just to fill up the silence. Ever had an interviewer ask you where you wanted to be in five years? Anyone told you to sell the sizzle and not the steak? Have you been reminded recently that communication is the key to, well, practically everything? When Pilate told the chief priests in his manner of speaking that he wasn’t changing what he had put on the sign of Jesus’ cross, he essentially told them it is what it is. But his response wasn’t quite as useless as when most others actually say it today. In a way, God used it to say that He was over every little detail, right down to the words on the cross that held His Son. And when God says, “What I have written, I have written,” He intends to stress that fact that He wrote it. And that critical detail should be the impetus that compels us to seek Him out in the words of scripture.
Application
Recently I spent some time memorizing a passage of several verses of the Bible, something I had not done in a long time, and it had a significant effect on me. What I learned or was reminded of, I’m not sure which, was how impactful the memorizing of scripture can be, especially when it’s more than simply the random verse here or there. For me, learning a complete passage tapped me into the mind of the human author and the Holy Spirit who directed him more so than learning a single verse might do. It emphatically revealed to me that what scripture says about itself is completely true. Scripture renews your mind, and that renewal is transforming. What He has written, He – – has – – written. And I recommend learning some of it.
Charge
As we seek Him today, let today’s nine-word verse set you on your way to memorizing and experiencing the heart of God.
Rich Holt / Originally Published on : BCWorldview.org
Also published on : Medium.com where you can listen.
