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Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath, he taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching because his words had authority (Luke 4:31-32).

\u201cAll preaching is the art of plagiarism.\u201d I heard a seminary professor say that once. And its largely true. Honest preachers recognize that they are not saying anything new but regurgitating things that have been spoken countless times before. Hopefully in contextually fresh and winsome ways.

According to historical sources, when the Jewish rabbis taught in the Synagogues they mostly quoted respected rabbis of the past. Their authority came from recognized names of Israel\u2019s history. I suspect that this made for rather tedious and sleep-inducing messages. In contrast, Jesus taught \u2018as one who had authority\u2019.

What has Luke been telling us about Jesus? That he is the Son of God. Our Lord taught from this reality and his words came to the people as authoritative. They were amazed that he claimed to have authority to speak on God\u2019s behalf. Many found him convincing. Tomorrow\u2019s devotion will explore how a demon articulated this fact for the people.

For today, I want to take a moment to ask how we respond to God\u2019s Word. We do not hear Jesus speaking like the folks in Capernaum did, but we can read the Scriptures which is the Word of God. How do we receive it?

Let me quote a different seminary professor who begins his preaching class with this question, \u201cDo you consider Scripture primarily to be an authority or a gift?\u201d One can imagine that heated debate follows this question. If you\u2019re listening, hit the pause button and consider how you would answer? If you\u2019re reading, stop and reflect.

Eventually the professor asks a follow up question, \u201cWhat difference does it make?\u201d

Our understanding of Scripture comes from three main passages: Psalm 19, Psalm 119, and 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Based on those words, one can easily make an argument that Scripture is both an authority and a gift. Its important for us to know how we react to God\u2019s word, what relationship do we have with it. Here is how the psalmist responded, \u201cOh, how I love your law!\u201d (119:97)

What do we do when we love something or someone? We spend time with thing or person. And so, the psalmist continues, \u201cI meditate on it all day long.\u201d Let\u2019s pause here again to consider this.

Many of us are production orientated. We want things to happen. When we read the Bible, we want to get hit over the head (not literally). When we go to a worship service, we want to be impressed, great music, great sermon, we might say (does anyone ever say, \u2018great prayer\u2019 or \u2018great offering\u2019?).

But if we love the Bible, and thus God, is it not enough to just be present and pay attention, to just listen? Meditation speaks of unhurried lingering. Squeezing God into a brief window at the beginning or end of the day does not speak of love, it speaks more to duty.

Meditation is about giving attention to. What will it look like for you to give more attention to God? Be creative. Don\u2019t settle for the common answers; find something that fits your personality and life.