Berry-Picking?

One of my discouraging moments when hearing about or talking to Christians was when they choose passages in the Bible that speak to them most because it comforts them. Am I against Christians being comforted by God's Word? Not exactly. In the Old Testament, God spoke and comforted His people through the prophets. In the New Testament, God is the one who comforts those who are afflicted (2 Corinthians 1). There are situations where we do need to seek God's will, we need to use Scripture to counsel people, we need to confirm God's truth to people, and we need to sanctify believers with God's Word. On top of all that, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is the best, I think, defend my case.

My concern is Christians being so focused about finding good and comforting passages or verses that would meet their self-centered needs. Treating the Bible as a self-help guidebook could eventually lead to a shipwreck of one's faith. That's no different from prosperity preachers who talk about having faith in God would lead you to conquer every health problem, be successful in worldly term, and obtaining the idols that you so desire in your heart. In addition, rarely would those preachers mention uncomfortable words such as hell and sin. So, treating the Bible as a magic book or God as a genie to get the things you want instead of leading you to desire God Himself is simply profaning God's name.

Joshua did not berry-pick favorite passages to read for the Israelite. He read ALL of God's Word even though there's blessing and cursing. Children, youth, adults and seniors need to hear them too!

"And afterward [Joshua] read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them." (Joshua 8:33-35)

He also read my favorite yet frightful passage in Deuteronomy 28. This also applies to the rest of Scripture. Whether if any passages in the Bible sound unpleasant and uncomfortable, accept it as God's Word because they are good for you. Don't attempt to pick and choose the comforting passages to focus on and neglect the rest that may sound scary and uncomfortable.