“The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.”
– Psalm 12:6
Indeed they are! God’s words are perfect and glorious. They are truth that confronts, convicts, and heals our souls. They reveal God and point us toward salvation in Jesus Christ. They encourage us when we’re down and they humble us when we’re riding high. They teach us the ways of God. They correct us in our sin and error. They train us in the righteousness of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. And they’re neatly organized for us in the Bible.
We live in an era when we enjoy what would have been an unimaginable luxury to our spiritual predecessors and what remains so for billions around the world today. We have in our ready possession the Bible. In our own language. In an enormous variety of excellent translations. Available for free on our phones or for a small price just about anywhere books are sold.
The tragedy is that for English-speaking Christians, we have this abundant access to God’s words in the Bible, yet too few actively read those words. Are you in the habit of reading God’s Word for yourself each day? Truly reading His words, not just reading about them. It’s not enough to enjoy a good devotional or two each morning. Devotionals are like an appetizer at a restaurant. The Bible is the entree, the main course. It can’t be replaced! Do you read and enjoy God’s Word for yourself each and every day?
If you don’t, choose a daily reading plan – on your phone, from this church, wherever. Or make a plan of your own (perhaps one chapter of the New Testament each day for 9 months). Then start reading the Bible for yourself. Today. Then read it again tomorrow. And the next day…