Like many Christians, I am so thankful for the Bible. It is the Word of God. It is the Truth.
If we really understood how “life-giving” this God-inspired Book is, we’d value it more by reading it, studying it, memorizing it, and sharing it with others. It would be more prominent in every area of our lives.
Psalm 1:1-2: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”**
God’s Word reveals His heart of LOVE to all of us who are trusting in Jesus Christ for eternal life.
Biblical truth does 4 things to us when we read it according to 2 Tim. 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”** God’s Word of Truth teaches us the proper standards set by God. Then, it REPROVES us (or rebukes us) because we are often “missing the mark of the standard set by God.” This part hurts at first like any type of loving discipline yet the Lord is purposeful with this hurt for us as a caring Father for His child. He knows that His way of living is best for us and is “life-giving.” What loving father does not discipline his own child on this earth? Discipline is necessary to have a fruitful, godly life.
According to 2 Tim. 3:16, God then “corrects” us and commands us to practice doing things His way (“training in righteousness”) so that we can build habits of godliness. Don’t be discouraged when you read God’s Word but be encouraged that He has provided you with Truth to set you free from the bondage of our spiritual enemy, the world system, and your sinful nature. God honestly tells us what is wrong but He doesn’t leave us there. He also tells us how to correct a probelm and do things rightly.
Thank you, Lord, for Your Word of Truth!
-Mark Shaw
**The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (electronic ed.) Good News Publishers: Wheaton.