After explaining something carefully to you, has someone ever asked, "Now, is that as clear as mud?" One wrinkle in the teaching of Scripture alone is the clarity and comprehensibility of the Bible's meaning for human readers.

The Reformers believed that the church of their day had wrongly guarded Scripture by forbidding that it be translated into the common languages of the people and by claiming that only the clergy could interpret its true meaning. Starting with Martin Luther, the Reformers taught that God's salvation plan in the Bible is clear to ordinary readers who put aside their own biases and depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps not everything in Scripture is perfectly clear, but the Bible is clear enough to give guidance for faith and life.

Today's verse in Psalm 119 calls God's Word a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. If you have the time, read all of Psalm 119. Using the Hebrew alphabet, this psalm lists from "A to Z" the weight, value, and clarity of God's Word.

Although you may not understand everything you read in the Bible, if you put aside your biases and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and understanding, God's Word will speak clearly to your heart. Then give thanks for his Word and put it into practice to please and serve him, today and every day.