Can I Find Answers in the Bible?

I know to most Christians, it's a silly question. As I learned in Sunday School from a young age, the Bible contains valuable advice about how God wants us as Christians to live our lives. The Bible, in essence, is a way that God communicates with us. But I have always had trouble understanding how a book so old could provide relevant information to me.

I've tried to read my Bible more regularly in the past, but inevitably I get frustrated and start feeling like it's the same old stories. So, this time, I want to try reading a part of the Bible that I've never really heard a lot about - the New Testament, more specifically Paul's letters to the church.

Tonight, I opened up to Galatians, Chapter One. Just reading verses six through ten, I can see a message, something that I, woefully uneducated in Bible studying, can understand. Paul talks in these verses about accepting no other gospel. To me, this has special meaning. I've noticed how easy it is for me to begin to doubt my own convictions and to begin to wonder whether God really exists. There are so many "religious books" out there competing for our attention. Just a simple trip to the bookstore reveals countless books about religion, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and New Age philosophy. It is so easy, for me at least, to quickly become confused about whom and what to trust. Even books that are touted as being "Christian" books often don't have sound Biblical foundations. Reading Paul's message about trusting no other gospel than the one given to us by God and Jesus reminds me that I shoud be turning back to the Bible when I am confused, looking for answers in that text, instead of flipping through other works that are merely human interpretations and that can, in fact, be flawed.

I also like how Paul draws a distinction between seeking the approval of man and seeking the approval of God. For me, choosing to follow Jesus means that I often am going to have to go against the common trends in the culture. As Paul says, if I want to be a "servant of Christ," then I cannot put my focus on pleasing man.

I think that I have made progress in terms of embracing my faith and not being ashamed of it and feeling like it is something that I have to hide, but I know that I still have a ways to go. Too often, I feel that I cannot express a love for Christ because other people might not approve. But Paul's words have filled me with more conviction that I have to choose to please Christ or please man. I hope that I can continue focusing on pleasing Christ through my actions and words as opposed to trying to conform to the rest of the culture.