Episode 22: Why Do I Care So Much About the Bible?

We’ve been talking about how to read the Bible and how it actually changes you, but this episode is more personal.

Why does this matter so much to me?

Because when I stop living through the lens of Scripture, things get out of control. I lose perspective. This is not just something we are supposed to do. It is something we are meant to depend on.

If you have been feeling off, disconnected, or like you are just going through the motions, this episode is for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Rooted with Emily Talento, where we explore who Jesus is through context, culture, and covenant. Today we are doing something a little different. So, okay, I'll be very transparent. This was not the plan. What was supposed to happen this week was I was supposed to make two episodes doing like an overview of each book of the Bible. And I filmed it and I was like, I just don't feel this is right. Eventually, maybe we'll go back and do an overview looking at how redemption played out through the Old Testament, and that will be great, but it just wasn't what was supposed to happen this week for whatever reason. And so I felt led to speak about why I'm doing this. Why I care. Why does rooted exist? Was it something that just happened randomly? I would argue no. Probably similar to your life. You didn't get to where you are randomly. You could look back and see different decisions, different events that pushed you to where you are now. I don't think it's a coincidence either. I think God allows things to happen to shape us, to get us where he wants us. And so studying the Bible and helping people understand it has been a thread way longer than I probably even realize. I don't want my time in God's word to become passive. And I think it's a trap all of us, myself included, can often fall into where we're treating the Bible as if it's something to check off our list rather than something that we depend on, something that literally gives us life. I really do believe that having been homeschooled sets a biblical foundation for my life that I don't know if I would have had in the same way otherwise. Not that homeschooling is the only way by any means, but it did give me this perspective of scripture being central. And that only continued to be solidified and deepened when I went to Bible college. And when I tell you, we spent so much time in God's Word, it's crazy. We had five hours of classes every day. And then on top of that, we had homework, and on top of that, we had devos, and on top of that we had the quiet time, and on top of that, we had homework. And so by the end of it, the amount of time, I couldn't even tell you how much time we spent daily in God's Word over the course of those two years, because it was two full years, and I'm so unbelievably thankful for again that foundation that I have. What's so funny to me is all of the pieces were there. Like I don't feel like my calling has really changed too dramatically, except I just didn't know then what I know now. Like I've had so many experiences since that have continued to shape the calling that God has on my life. So fast forward, graduate Bible college, graduate my undergrad degree, worked for a couple years for an organization that was not Christian, but really continued to solidify the calling that I believe I have from God to teach his word. And then I got my master's. Now, this is really crazy, and it speaks to who our God is and just how he does things that are so unexpected. I got my master's in Jewish studies, and the purpose of the program for me was to learn how to teach the Bible from the perspective that it was written from. I mean, we talk about our rooted moments in every episode. I want to be able to uncover how the people that the Bible was written to actually would have understood it. We bring so much to the text. So my hope through the program was not to just gain this understanding for myself, but be able to share it with others. And so that was the purpose of it. And then to see, because that was even a few years ago, to see how God has brought things to fruition is something that I honestly have no words for. I'm so unbelievably thankful. All that to say, that's the long, short inception of rooted. Now, what my fear is, and something that I think I'm working through actually currently in the moment, and I'll explain that in a second, is as a culture, as Christians, I think we are far too casual with scripture, and we often fall into this trap of having it be something we check off our list rather than having it be something we live our lives by, having it be something that we're completely dependent on. And so here's why I'm saying it like that. I just told you some of my background. I know the Bible, I have strong foundations, I know where to read, I know, right? It doesn't matter. If I'm not going to scripture, if I'm not actively in scripture, it doesn't matter. I say all of that. Now, I don't really feel the most comfortable talking about myself. So you can imagine there's a point that I'm trying to make. It doesn't matter how much we really know about scripture if we're not in scripture. And I could identify seasons of my life where I'm not as actively in God's word the way that I should be. I'm not orienting my life towards him through scripture in the way that I'm living. When I'm not fixing my eyes on God, when I'm not fixing my eyes on truth, things get out of control. I have a very hard time regulating my emotions. Everything feels like the end of the world, and I lose all sense of perspective. I've been in a weird season for a minute. Like I was starting to feel like I was getting it, and then the Israel trip happened and kind of shook my life up a little bit. Not in the ways that you even think, but I feel like I've been dealing with repercussions of the trip. On top of that, just random like life stuff of I don't even know. Honestly, where I'm sitting at this present moment, I know truth. I know God's enough. I know that scripture will give me the perspective that I need, but I'm tired and I'm having a hard time showing up in God's word in a way that's separate from work. Because every day I'm reading God's word, but now it's becoming okay, yeah, I'm reading God's word. But am I sitting in God's word? Am I spending time in God's word to spend time with God? Or am I trying to make a video? Am I reading because at this point it's now a part of my job? All that to say, we're in this together. Now, comparison as a whole is a horrible game because you're comparing your worst to someone else's best. We're putting forth our best foot, but you know your failures, you know your flaws. It's just a complete waste of time. And ultimately, we're all just on our own journey. Okay, I'm done talking about myself now. Let's go back to the Bible because that's what's really important, right? So, something I found, something that I find to be honestly a little more than a little frustrating, is when we go to scripture, the perspective change, the biblical worldview does not happen off the bat. We can't just read one verse a day, or we can't just read the Bible once and all of a sudden, click, everything makes sense. However, if we stop reading the Bible, it's remarkable how quick the perspective goes away. It's remarkable how quick our hearts start to harden. It's the consistency, it's continuing to go back day by day, even if we're not seeing these massive supernatural changes. We want our perspective shifted, we look for comfort, we want a new perspective, we obviously want to see God, and it all starts with continuing to be in truth. What does this tell us? And what we could see through the Bible is that scripture isn't optional. It's literally everything. It's as necessary as the blood in our veins and the air in our lungs. But for some reason, we act like we have a choice. We feed ourselves every day, but we're starving ourselves spiritually. The Bible isn't meant to be something that we do passively, but rather what we uh depend on for everything. Now, before I said how I am tired. And what I find in these seasons through life, we have many of them. I happen to be in one right now. I have found that I get to see characteristics of God that I don't get to see when I'm feeling charged and ready to go. I can identify him taking care of me and meeting me in love in a different sense. In our fatigue, we it it's not a guarantee. We still have to show up. We still have to meet with God. Maybe it's not in the same way that it would be if we are charged and ready to go. Seasons that we're tired show that it's not dependent on our performance. I have nothing to give God. And I'm tired right now, and I really have nothing to give God. All that's expected of me is showing up with an open heart in obedience, and God will meet me in that. Here's what it comes down to. If you are feeling tired, if you relate to where I've been at recently, where you don't even feel like you have the capacity to open the Bible, know that you are not alone. Christians, no matter where they are in their faith, struggle with the same things. I do want to encourage you though, the faster you can be in scripture, the better it will be for you. Your time in the Word right now doesn't have to be intense or dramatic. Like don't pick up the book of Jeremiah, but pick up something that maybe has brought comfort to you in the past. Maybe pick up one of the gospels, maybe pick up Psalms, something that will feed your soul. Because here's the thing: the reality is truth only comes from scripture. If we're lacking truth, then we lack perspective. And that's where we start to run into problems. So the faster that you could get back, the better it will be. The number one way that God speaks to us is through his word. So if we're wanting to hear from him, that's where we need to go. I want to end with a verse. In James 4, verse 8, it says, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Now, this isn't saying that God's only near when you're seeking him. He's here always. We just have to turn around. We need to orient ourselves towards him so that we can acknowledge and realize that he is there. So whatever that looks like for you this week, I encourage you to draw near to God. It could be one verse, it could be reading an entire book. I don't know whatever that next step for you is in your relationship with Jesus, but whatever it is, I pray that you take it. Now, this is a little bit of a shift in how we are moving forward. The reason I picked the verse in James, other than it being relevant, is because we're actually going to be studying the book of James together on Tuesdays. We are going to learn to read God's word effectively, efficiently, in context, and with culture in mind. I am super excited. So that's what we're going to be doing on Tuesdays. And then Thursdays, the episodes will be a little bit more free-flowing, whether it's talking about a topic that God puts on my heart, whether it's an interview, I don't know. We're going to take one week at a time, but that's the direction moving forward. So I hope you enjoyed this episode. It was a little bit different than normal, and I don't know how I feel about it personally, but we're going to see. If you liked it, if you could subscribe or follow, or whatever it is that it has on the platform that you're either watching or listening to this on, you could also follow me on Instagram at Emily Talento and at rooted with Emily Talento. I would really appreciate that as well. I hope you have a great week, and I will see you next week for the book of James.