I became a Christian as a teenager. I still remember my very first Bible. It was what is called a “paraphrase” called the Living Bible. Paraphrases are written in easy-to-understand language, which I needed as a baby Christian.
I remember being so excited to have my first Bible and began to read it regularly. But there was just one problem...there were many things I didn’t understand. So many times I thought: “This just doesn’t make any sense or how does this relate to me?” But I kept reading and rereading it anyway. I kept at it, asking God through His Holy Spirit to shed light on what it meant and how it needed to be applied to my life.
I also went to Bible studies to grow in my knowledge of the Word and to hear insights from other people’s perspectives. Together we brought our questions, and God began to, through the Holy Spirit, turn the lights on so things began to make sense. And I began to change and grow! And that's what He wants to do in your life as well.
Understanding and studying Gods Word is a journey that we are on until we take our last breath─it's a life-long pursuit. There will always be more to learn and understand, but that’s what is so exciting about God’s Word; every time you come to it there will be something new and fresh that will speak to you in a different way and in every season of your life.
God has used His Word in my life through all of my ups and downs to encourage me, to instruct me, to bring me hope, to point out areas where I need to become more like Him, to understand more about His character, and so much more.
Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” It’s God’s Word that equips us for life and helps us become more like Jesus.
If you want to see lasting change in your life, commit to a steady diet of God’s Word. It has the power to change your life because it is the living Word of the living God.
I challenge you to sit in God’s Word every day this month and watch what He will do and how He will draw you closer to His heart and begin to change you from the inside out!
If you're not currently in a passage of the Bible, read the Psalm or Proverb for the day and start there. God is waiting to meet you in His Word!