Read the Bible

We all know that we should be reading our Bibles, but so often they’re left on the side gathering dust. We need to be opening our Bibles and spending regular time reading God’s Word. But why should we read it? Firstly, reading the Bible fills our minds with the truth about who we are, and who God is. The enemy and the world try and tell us things about ourselves which aren’t true. The only way we’ll be able to recognise and resist the lies is by knowing the truth found in the Bible. Secondly, the Bible contains the guidance and wisdom that we need to live our lives. When we read the Bible, we can find the answers to the questions we have. We might think it’s an outdated book, but in Hebrews we’re told that it ‘is alive and active’ (4:12 NIV). God speaks to us through it today. Thirdly, reading the Bible helps us to become more like Jesus. When we read about His life, we know how we should be living. God can use what we read to transform us. But it’s vital that we go beyond just reading the Bible. The psalmist wrote: ‘Learning your words gives wisdom and understanding.’ By memorising verses, we can fight back with Scripture when the enemy comes against us. We need to research what we’re reading, maybe by reading commentaries or finding books on the topic. We need to make sure we’re reading things in context, and not ignoring the verses or chapters that are more challenging to read and understand. The Bible says that all Scripture is useful (have a read of 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Then we need to put what we’ve read into action. We need to let God change us through what we’ve read.

Gen 10-12; Matt 18:10-20; Ps 58; Prov 6:12-15