Luke 10:42 There’s only one thing you need. Mary has made the right choice, and that one thing will not be taken away from her. (GW)

Recently our pastor clarified scriptures to the extent that it challenged common perceptions. He used the scriptures to dispel traditional views about the scriptures. It was not presented in a way that said “You are wrong.” It was stated so as to challenge our source of perception.

How do we feel about the bible? Feelings are not facts. Feelings do however influence how we interact with one another. In Luke 10 we see two sisters, Martha and Mary. Now you can take inference from the story and apply it to your life whether you take the role of Martha or Mary. But the Word only says what the Word says.

How are we to know with any certainty what any scripture means in context and in personal import? Well, I can only say what Jesus said here, “There’s only one thing you need.”

John 1:1a, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Sitting at His feet and hanging on every word is the only way to know for sure. He is the essential Word of God. Our perceptions are drawn from many different sources and some of those are nothing more than making the story memorable. Memorable isn’t necessarily truth, its emotional.

We should know the Word of God well enough to distinguish the difference between truth and memorable emotions. Sometimes we need to be challenged to question our sources of perceptions.