Knowing His Word

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:8

Something every Christian will tell you is that they wish they read their Bible more. I know every time I pick mine up I find something new in it- even if it's a passage that I've read a hundred times, there is always something new that comes to mind. Yet it never changes. The Bible may have different translations, but the meanings are all still there. I love reading my Bible, and I know I don't do it enough. Andy used to always talk about how envious he is of people who can recite dozens of verses, or open up the Bible to passages as they come to mind. I used to tease him that he, too, could have this power if he would read his Bible to begin with. Lol. And wouldn't you know, more and more often lately he'll mention a verse to me, or open up his Bible and look up something that came to his mind. The more you read your Bible, the more it sticks with you. I can quite long lines from many of the books I've read over time- especially the ones I've read several times over. I could probably recite most of the Little House series if I really put my mind to it. Yet I don't know my Bible like that, I want to know it more, and know it better.

Because God's Word is where we find confirmation. When we come upon something new or different at a church or in a book or on TV, we can see if it's truly from God by looking in our Bible. The Bible is timeless, and any work that truly comes from God will have backing in the Bible. When we experience something new, a new work, and we're wondering if it really is from God, we can look in our Bible and see what God has to say about it.

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" Galatians 1:8

Right there in Galatians, it tells us that we will not receive something "completely new" from God. Entire new religions have been founded on "dreams" or "visions" that may have truly been dreams or visions, but had that person looked in their Bible, they would have realized the trickery of the enemy. Our God is awesome, and will never leave us floundering or wondering- instead he gave us the gift of His Word, so that we might know Him more, and know what comes from Him and what doesn't. And the key to all of that is time in the Bible.

By spending more time in the Bible we can be more prepared, when someone comes up to us and questions us on why we do this or that, we can show them right where it is in the Bible. When someone we know is having a difficult time we can direct them to verses of encouragement- when we're having a rough time we can know which verses speak to us and lift us up. When someone who doesn't know God comes up to us we can show them all the love that God has for them within the pages of His Book. God's Word is priceless, and no harm ever came to anyone who spent more time in it. It's totally worth every second- and even if all you have is five minutes of time, turn to the Psalms and see what gem is hiding there for you today. Turn to the Proverbs and read a nugget of wisdom. Turn to the Gospels and read John 3:16 with fresh eyes:

"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

For God So Loved. Now that's a great way to start a Monday morning.