Diving Into God's Word
"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you . . . then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."
- PROVERBS 2:1,5 -
I admit it.
I was really bad about getting into God's Word on a regular basis. Sure, I opened the Bible on the weekends during the worship services and even took notes, but I didn't do much personal Bible study through the week . . . if at all. I think many Christians are ashamed to admit that they are in the same boat.
Why should we study the Bible regularly?
There are so many reasons why we should study the Bible. Here are just a few:
IT'S GOD'S WORD GIVEN DIRECTLY TO US How cool is it that we have a message directly from the God of the universe written for us?!
KNOWING WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS FIRSTHAND In today's culture, words are twisted in ways that sound good, but does it align directly with God's Word? It's important we know the Bible firsthand instead of depending on pastors and other Christian leaders. They are fallible as well.
FOR GROWING PERSONALLY AS A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
A few years ago, I discovered the YouVersion Bible app.
I was hooked the moment I found it. They have many reading plans from traditional Bible reading to topical plans such as marriage, anger, depression, etc. There are also plans to help those who are exploring Christianity and Bible reading for the first time.
I began by following 10-day plans which was a good start. However, I realized that I needed to read the Bible more regularly.
Daily Bible reading needed to become a spiritual disciple in my life.
On January 1, 2014, I begin reading the Bible in one year. I selected a plan where I read five different parts of the Bible at a time so I wouldn't get bored. It also gave me one day a week off where I could catch up if needed.
I'm so glad I made it a priority to dive into God's Word on a daily basis. I'm currently in my forth year reading the entire Bible, my second reading it chronologically. Personally, I found reading the Bible in chronological order extremely helpful. Most importantly, my faith as grown tremendously as I've read God's Word. Daily Bible reading has led to meditation, scripture memorization, and deepened my prayer life.
I encourage you to dive into God's Word, and a great way to get started is by downloading the YouVersion Bible App and begin exploring God's Word!