“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT)
God’s Word:
• Teaches us: It gives correct information.
• Convicts us: It repairs wrong ways of thinking.
• Corrects us: It corrects character flaws.
• Trains us in righteousness: It is training to be ready to make right choices and right decisions
God expects His people, His children, and citizens of His Kingdom to act in a certain way. His expectations are in His Word.
The world cannot understand or accept this.
But why do we need the Bible? We can make fairly decent decisions without it. We have a fairly good idea of what is right and wrong.
When we accept Jesus as Savior, we are able to make reasonably good decisions and we have a good idea of what is right and wrong. But, we must understand we are all sinners. We all fall short. We need God in our lives. We need a Savior.
But, we also realized that:
We were inexperienced in what God wanted - His will, His desires, His expectations.
We were untrained in God’s type of righteousness.
We did not yet have full confidence because of sin in our lives & in the world around us.
And, we didn’t understand the importance of God’s Word for the direction of our life.
We may have had a Bible on the coffee table in our house when we were growing up. We may even have read it. But we did not know the power and truth it contains.
In order for God to use us to our full potential these things need to change. This is part of the reason God gives us His word; to change us.
The simple truth is that we need God’s Word in our lives. We need to follow the truth, teaching, conviction, and righteousness it contains. We need God’s Word to become as much a part of our lives as breathing.
Anything less would be a tragedy.
Sometimes God’s Word may say something that is painful to us or something that we just do not want to accept as truth. Some people also think God’s Word applies to everyone else. It’s a mistake to overlook God’s Word. That’s tragic. But the question is: how do we correct that?
If we know that God’s Word has the power to change us,
If we know that God’s Word has the potential to protect us against sin,
If we know that God’s Word has the ability to help us receive the rich blessings of God,
And do nothing,
Then we rob ourselves. We are cheating ourselves.
Why would we cheat ourselves every day we deprive ourselves of the truth of God’s Word?
How can we get God’s Word into our lives?
We need to decide that it is most important to read the Bible. If we are not convinced of the Bible’s truth and importance, it will stay on the coffee table collecting dust. God’s Word is alive and more than able to address every part of our life. God planned it that way.
We need to find every avenue we can to pour God’s word into our souls. Read it in the morning at breakfast. Read it at night before you go to bed. Read it at lunch when we are at work. Read it in different versions. Read it. Drink in its truth. Stand its righteousness. Learn its ways and its truth. Embrace its power.
Don’t stop there. Memorize it. Meditate on it. Hide it in our hearts. Why? Because it is God’s gift to us, and through it we can receive of God’s other gifts.
Let me share something else. God’s Word affects someone else even more than you and me. It affects God. Can we possibly imagine how much God is proud, pleased, and impressed?
Every time we pick up and read His Word, it tells God that what He says us in His Word is important to us and that we desire the best He can give us. God planned it that way from before creation.
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
