“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Remember the first time you walked outside in the winter as a child and you saw your breath? Perhaps you leaned too close to a window and saw moisture appear as you exhaled. The oxygen we breathe in becomes carbon dioxide in our lungs. These gases are both invisible, but as we exhale, the carbon dioxide mixes with water vapor, and because cold air has less water vapor than the warm air from our lungs, it produces fog.

But what happens when God exhales? The word for “God-breathed” in 2 Timothy is theophneustos, and it gives us a clue. Theo means “God”; pneustos means “spirit” or “breath.” The first time we see God exhaling is in Genesis when he is breathing life into the nostrils of Adam. In 2 Timothy we again see him breathing out, but instead of fog, God’s Spirit or breath becomes words on the tips of men’s pens. Those words bring life to all who study them.

Next time you see your breath on a cold day, remember God exhaled and created life-sustaining words to live by. We call it the Bible.

“I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God that guides my beliefs and actions.”

[Excerpt from Believe: 31-Day Devotional by Randy & Rozanne Frazee, pgs. 11-12.]