Why Should I Read The Bible? Pt. 2 — Morning Devotions

Subscribe to the ‘Morning Devotions’ podcast

Transcript

If you joined me yesterday, I was talking about the Bible. I asked the question, what is it about the Bible? Why should I read the Bible? Can I say that the Bible actually reveals God? It’s the revelation of God to us. It reveals lots of great things about God – His greatness, His dealings, the redemptive plan He has for the world, and the destiny of mankind.

(Why Should I Read The Bible? Pt. 1 — Morning Devotions)

The Bible of itself says – That all scripture is God breathed is useful for teaching and rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

In Amos 4:13 it says, He who forms the mountains, creates the wind and reveals his thoughts to man… Lord God Almighty is his name. Amos 4:13. So here is the Almighty God – He makes His plans known to people. He made known His way to Moses. The Bible says, His deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger abounding in love.

Our guide and sustenance in life

So that’s the first thing. It not only talks about God, who He is, what He’s like, how we should relate to Him but also, how we should relate to the Bible and how the Bible should relate to us. So what I’m saying is that if you are a Christian, if you’re interested in the Christian issues, it’s essential for growth and a well-known fact, of course, that a mother’s milk is important for the health of infants. There are many advantages of breast feeding and that bonding develops between the mother and the child.

And Paul, the apostle used that analogy to illustrate the truth about feeding on mother’s milk in the same way he said in 1 Peter, like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.

The pure spiritual milk – I think it was probably why David said in the Psalms, How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey in my mouth. Jeremiah, he was a prophet, he said, When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart’s delight.

Hope 103.2 is proudly supported by

So there’s lots of expressions of this idea of spiritual growth, and God told the prophet Ezekiel to actually eat His words. Interesting. So I think it means more about absorbing God’s word, so that we can study it and have that hunger, I guess, to know more of what God is saying to us. A hungry person comes to the table, you come to the meal table expecting to be fed. That’s the same way with the Bible.

Have you ever wondered whether God has actually got a plan for your life? There was a book that had this title, if God has a plan for my life, why can’t I find it?

Well, it suggests, I suppose, that God has a plan for us and the challenge is for us to find out what that plan is, and the Bible is the way of finding out God’s plan for us.

The Bible is the way of finding out God’s plan for us.

And there are so many great things to be found in the Bible. For example, have a look at some time in Proverbs. This tremendous teaching, great common-sense statements in Proverbs. In Hebrews 5, it talks about some things here. The general purpose and general plan of God is found in much of the Bible, for example, in Isaiah 49, we have this wonderful statement. Before I was born, the Lord called me from my birth. He’s made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me.

And that was the plan. Isaiah knew that even from those very early days before he was born that God had a particular plan. And then the wonderful statement in Psalm 139 that says where the psalmist prays, you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, God, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

And there it is. Have a look for yourself in Psalm 139. God’s word teaches us, and it directs us into the way of following Him.

So a few tips…

1. Read the Bible.

2. Pick a version you like (some great versions to check out include: The New International Version (NIV), The English Standard Version (ESV), The New Living Translation (NLT), The Christian Standard Bible (CSB), The New King James Version (NKJV)).

3. Read expecting God to do something.

4. Try to memorise verses as you go.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the wonderful knowledge that we find in Your word. Help us to read it well and to absorb it, I pray. Amen.

Feature image: CanvaPro