Billy Graham once said: “We need to encourage new believers to feed on God’s Word—it is nourishment for the soul.”1 To this I would like to add that we need to encourage all believers to feed on God’s Word! Sadly, many Christians rarely read the Bible and as a result they deprive their souls of the spiritual nutrients that are necessary to build up strong soldiers of the cross.
Without having a steady diet of Scripture reading we not only miss out on the great joy of getting to know Jesus intimately, but we open ourselves up for massive attacks from Satan. May the following examples help show you what I mean.
One of the best ways to overcome sin is to get into the Word of God. (Psalm 119:11) tells us: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” If you are not reading the Bible then you can’t hide God’s Word in your heart. And if you want to see just how powerful hiding Scripture in our heart is for combating sin just look at the example of Jesus. When He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness He quickly quoted three Bible verses from the Book of Deuteronomy to the devil and as a result Satan had to flee. And we can do the same thing. When we read the Bible daily our minds get filled with Scripture and we become armed and dangerous to Satan. The Word of God is powerful and Satan is no match for the Christian who daily feeds on the Word.
A second way that reading the Bible daily can help us is that the Word of God provides us with the necessary guidance we need to walk the Christian walk. (Psalm 119:105) tells us: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We all need guidance and wisdom to map out our journey here on earth, and the best way I know how is to employ the Scriptures as our ultimate companion in life. I love the acronym for Bible: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth! Everything we need to chart out our lives here on earth can be found in the Bible. As you read the Bible you learn how to have a successful marriage, how to treat your fellow man, what your ultimate purpose in life is, how to have peace and joy even during the storms of life, and so much more. No wonder the Bible is the “in” book for this and every generation.
And third, just as daily food is needed for healthy bones and bodies, Scripture reading is essential for cultivating a healthy spiritual relationship with Jesus. There is just no other way to get to know our Savior on a deep and intimate level then in reading the book that is all about Jesus – the Holy Bible! As we read the Scriptures we learn who we are in Christ, we learn how much Jesus loves us, we learn that we are precious to our Savior, we learn how to worship and praise our Lord, and we learn that in order to experience maximum joy and peace we must set our minds on things above.
We were created to have intimacy with our heavenly Father and the best way to do this is to immerse ourselves in the Word of God. After all there is no better source to nourish our souls than the Bible. My friends when you get lost in its pages you will find everything your heart desires and so much more!
1 Billy Graham Quotes (Author of Just as I Am) (page 2 of 83)
Great encouragement to begin this Lord’s Day!