As a Christian, we are told by our leaders, parents, teachers, and other godly influencers to read our Bible. While this is indeed vital to our Christian walk, do we know the importance of the Bible? The Bible is more than a book, it is the Word of God that has been written by people who were inspired by God. In fact, the Bible was written for instruction and correction.
2 Timothy 3:16 states “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”. On our own understanding, we cannot know how to live righteously because of our sinful nature. However, God has given us His Word for instruction on how to live righteously.
For example, the Bible states that without faith, it is impossible to please Him. By knowing this, we know what really pleases the Lord. The Bible also states that if we walk according to the flesh (choosing what is wrong over right), we do not have the Spirit of God in us. If we do wrong, we can come to God with repentance, and He takes us back as we are.
The Bible offers many more instructions on what is right and wrong, but it also serves as a correction tool. When we take the time to read, the Lord will speak to us exactly what He wants us to hear. Sometimes, the Lord can even direct what He wants you to read because He may have a message in that moment. The Lord can use the Bible to speak to us exactly what we need to hear.
We also need the Word of God to overcome any obstacle in life. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He used the Word as His weapon. He counteracted the devil’s statements by stating what the Word said instead. The more we know the Word, the harder it will be for the enemy to come against us. It is like coming against a brick wall no matter how much you throw at it.
The Word also helps us to grow spiritually. Spiritual growth is defined as our current relationship with the Lord and how strong we are. Our spiritual growth shows how much of Jesus is in our lives and how much we know Him. As a Christian, we must strive to be more like Jesus and obey His Word. We do this by reading and meditating on the Word.
What does it mean to meditate? Meditation is defined as the process of deep thinking and relaxing upon those thoughts. When we meditate on the Word, we think upon what God is telling us through Scripture and what this means to us.
Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
Throughout this blog, we have discussed the importance of the Bible and what it means for our spiritual growth. On the other hand, how do we grow to love reading the Bible? One of the most important aspects is understanding its importance. The Bible is our guidebook on how to live righteously, please the Lord, and how to fight every obstacle in this life.
We can also grow to love reading the Bible by asking the Lord to help us. In this world, we can be distracted by other things which can divert our attention. Through prayer, the Lord can give us a love and desire for Him more than anything in this life. However, we must also do our part and continually find a time to read and spend time with God.
When we take the time to read, we must prepare our hearts to receive from Him. We must come to Him with a humble and hungry heart. When we come to Him with a hungry heart, He speaks to us exactly what we need because we are open to hear from Him. Why is it important to hear from Him? God knows our hearts more than anyone and He desires to help us. When God is first in our life, He will work on our behalf to keep us secure and away from the hands of the enemy.
With this in mind, how can we strengthen our Bible reading?
To help strengthen our Bible reading, here are some habits we can practice to ensure we are getting the most out of the Bible. One effective method is taking notes. Notes can help you organize your thoughts to gain a better understand of the Bible and its meaning. These notes can include personal takeaways, Scripture references, Scripture meaning, etc. By organizing our thoughts, we are closer to understanding what God wants us to learn and obey.
After understanding the Scriptures, we must apply them to our life. By doing so, we become the hearers and doers of the Word (James 1:22). God is pleased when He sees His children following His commandments. This shows our love for Him and how much we value His Word. When we give God our affection for His Word, His Hand will be upon us and we do not have to live in fear of what tomorrow holds.
Lastly, we can gather with people to discuss about the Bible. Ultimately, God should be the main source of our knowledge because all Scripture is given by Him. In addition, God has also provided teachers, family, friends, etc. as means of support and growth. This includes discussing and reading the Bible with a goal of drawing close to God. By doing so, we can learn and grow in our walk. Someone can interpret what we may not have understanding of or we can share what God has revealed to us. In this life, we need the support of other godly people to help us in our walk with the Lord.
Reading the Bible is necessary to our Christian life but we choose how much we let the Word sink in our hearts. As discussed, the Bible is God’s Word and instruction on how to please Him. The more knowledge we gain, the more we know how to live right. This can be a struggle for us since the devil will try to hinder us. However, if we do our part, the Lord will fight the battle for us and we will be victorious in life, no matter what the devil tries to put in our way.
Challenge for the week: What does reading the Bible mean to you? Is there any improvements you can do to strengthen your Bible reading time? If so, what are they?