A WORD FOR TODAY, October 10, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, October 10, 2025
“Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31, WEB
Some writing teachers assign students the project of writing their own obituary. This helps them think about what is important about their lives and gives them experience for the inevitable experience of writing a biography for a show or workshop or business website. I hate writing a biography about myself because I never know what to say. What would the reader want to know about me? How do I describe myself in a hundred words or less? Will the people even read the biography. Will they care about who I am?
I ask those questions, but I do read the biographies when they are available. A daily devotional I use is written by several people, and I want to know who they are so I better understand their point of view. When I am at a conference, I like to know the background of the speakers. The biggest problem with this activity is that there is so much to say. Do I tell the people reading about me at an art show about my writing? Do the people at a conference care about my family? If you have read me for any length of time during my twenty-six years of writing, you know I’ve lived a full life. Do I talk about my education? Do I talk about my travels? Do I talk about my gifts? I usually focus on those things that matter to the people I am addressing. For art lovers, I will talk about my art background. For Christians, I focus on my faith. It is still hard because there is so much to say, and yet I know that the readers won’t care much about the details, they simply want to know what makes me qualified to be showing my work or speaking about a subject.
Four men were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write a biography about Jesus Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all shared the story of Jesus in different ways. They each wrote for a specific audience, telling the story of Jesus in a way that they would understand. Each of the Gospels have a common purpose, but each book also has a unique perspective. John’s words in today’s passage remind us that what they wrote is just a glimmer of the whole story of Jesus. They had to choose what was important for us to know. We have all four, and we have the rest of the Bible, yet even with sixty-six books and hundreds of thousands of words, they can’t possibly have written about everything there is to know about God and Jesus. The libraries and bookstores are filled with books by more authors who have tried to expound upon the stories found in the Bible, but even then we don’t have everything. What we have though, in the scriptures, is enough for us to know God and His Son.
Some books show us what God has done. Others tell us who God is. Yet others help us to see what God is doing. The text reach out to different audiences, and though the entire book is meant for all, the books speak to us in particular ways at specific times. I think sometimes we assume that reading the Bible from cover to cover will make us know and understand everything there is to know about God. It will certainly help us to grow. Every moment we devote to reading and studying God’s Word helps us to grow in faith and in knowledge of God. However, we will never fully know Him.
Those who have read the Bible from cover to cover have accomplished something great and honorable. They have a heart for God’s Word, and their reading has helped to write it on their hearts. Many can quote verses and quickly find references because they know it so well. Some people have even learned whole books by heart. But even though the Bible is the most accessible revelation of God to His people, there is much more to know about Him than could not have been written in any book, even the Bible. Imagine what it would be like if everything about God could be written! However, we are called to keep the Bible near to us, to open it daily, to read as much as we can. God speaks to us in many ways, but it is through the words of the authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write His story that He has revealed Himself to our hearts and our minds so that we will know His grace and apply it to our lives.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.