I started using “Cliff Notes” in high school when we studied Shakespear & Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. I used Cliff Notes because the material was hard to understand, I didn’t like to read, it took too much time and country boys don’t do things that are not manly. “Cliff Notes” enabled me to gleen enough information to get a “C” on the test and never think about it again. Plus, if & only if, a conversation should ever come up I could say, “Oh yeah, I studied that in school.”

This was pretty much my strategy with the Bible. It was big. It was written a long time ago. It was hard to understand. There were no pictures. And really, it didn’t seem too manly. I discovered I could show up in church, occationally get a quote or short story and all was good. Why read it. I’ll just let someone tell me what the Bible says. And the big lie, “The Bible is so complicated & complex, only professionaly trained thelogians can undersatnd the scriptures.”

But then God introduced me to “God School”. I remember the moment. My life was falling apart. I stood at the closet door and heard His whisper, “Have you had enough or do you want some more of this?” That was the moment He recalled a memory to my broken heart. I remembered my mother sitting in her chair with her Bible in her lap. Months later I found myself in Bible Study Fellowship where I discovered the Bible is the Living Word of God. It started with the Book of John… it revealed the heart of Jesus. That’s when I fell in love with His Word.

So what are you missing by taking the “Cliff Notes” approach to the Bible. Here’s an example. On page 85 we find, “In another story three young Hebrews had been commanded by the king of Babylon to bow down and worship a statue that had been erected in his honor. They refused to obey this command and as a result of their decision they were thrown into a fiery furnance that had been heated to seven tiems its normal temperture. But Yahweh worked a miracle in their behalf and they came out of the furnace unharmed and without even the smell of smoke on their clothing.” That’s all true and great but it’s only part of the story.

We learn from the three young Hebrew how to stand when everything looks impossible. We learn the significnce of being prepared in God’s Word & prayer before the hard times. We learn from their words that the three young men trusted God so much that even if they died, they knew God would not foresake them. They had full confidence in His Power & Love. You ask, how do we know this? It’s in the scripture found in Daniel 3:18 “But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Maybe you are facing an impossible situation…a fiery furnace. Know this, Only God can provide “But Even If” Power. Only He is the Promise Keeper. Only He can make this Promise, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28

If you are ready to be prepared for life, it is essential to personally, prayerfully and daily study God’s Word. First, find & get involved in a Bible-based church. God’s Word is our guidebook for living. Second, find a Bible Study that uses the Bible to apply scripture to life. I have found being in BSF provides a stucture that keeps me focused, discussion groups that challenge and provide different perspectives and most of all only uses the Bible as the authorty for the study. BSF is an international Bible Study that is available on-line and in-person in many places.  

So, when the hard times come, and you know they will, how do you want to face your impossible situation? Will your “Cliff Notes” knowledge of God be enough or do you want the confidence of the three young Hebrew men who looked the king in his eyes and said, “But even if…”?