Help from the Living God, not Man

"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." (1 Timoth 4: 10)

God is a Savior, and is living.

The way that some Christians live, however, it seems as though God is not alive, nor is He a Savior.

Yet we find both savior and life when we see Jesus:

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1: 21)

and

"31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:31-33)

He is also life manifested for us:

"27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20: 27-28)

and

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

then

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

and of course

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

We need help from a living God, not from man. We need His saving, not our own efforts.

For the longest time, I read the Bible as an exercise in religious discipline. Not seeking answers but training myself in the way to go. I was not taking in what I was reading. I just wanted to feel better.

Ever learning, but not coming closer to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3: 7), that is the result of going through the motions of turning pages, when the pages of the Bible are all about turning us to be more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:1 8)