Are you a daily reader of the Word?

St. Paul, in a letter to his disciple, Timothy, says, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16)

All scripture in the Bible is from God, confirmed by his son, Jesus Christ, and validated over time by the Church fathers.  Scripture instructs us about life, existence, truth and all that is important.

For many years I have made scripture a part of my daily prayer time with the Lord at the start of the day.  After experiencing a renewal of the Holy Spirit in my life thirty-eight years ago this October, I had an intense desire to read the Bible.  I immediately started to read it from cover to cover as I commuted on the trains in and out of New York City each day.  As with many people who have experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the words literally leapt off the page.

Psalm 119, which is the longest of the psalms, spends its entire length extolling all that God’s word is and does for us. 

• “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (v.105)
• “Your statutes are my heritage forever.” (v. 111)
• “All your commands are trustworthy.” (v. 86)
• “Great peace have they who love your law.” (v. 165)
• “Your statutes…are my counselors.” (v. 24)

Proverbs says “Every word of God is flawless.” (v. 30:5) Paul says, “For the word of God is living.” (Heb. 4:12)  James exhorts us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (v. 1:22) Finally, the Gospel of John tells us that all of God’s word became flesh in the person of Jesus and dwelt among us. 

Want to know about Jesus and to know him personally? Read scripture and you will know who he is.  Read scripture and meet him personally.  He tells us he is standing outside the door of our hearts knocking, waiting for us to invite him in.

God’s promise is to dwell in us if we invite him in.  “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)  Imagine that!  The God and creator of all that exists, wants to make his home in us!  It’s all in the Good Book.

Wherever we may be with God’s word in our daily life, God says, “Go deeper!”