Read the Word

In the first few weeks of being a believer, there was one verse I turned to day after day after day: Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This Scripture breathed so much life into me in those early days of my faith. For a life that had been immersed in so much failure, it was an enormous comfort to know that God would be my source of strength even in my times of weakness.

That one verse was such a boost for me, and in a lot of ways, it had become my verse. It was a verse that I leaned on and was ready to share whenever the opportunity presented itself. I preached “I Can Do All Things” mini-sermons to anyone who was willing to listen. It was a verse I really loved because it breathed a tremendous amount of life into me.

As the author of Hebrews states in 4:12:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word of God is a sword in the hands of the believer. As warriors and soldiers spend countless hours getting familiar with the tool that will keep them safe and bring them victory, Christians ought to familiarize themselves with the weapon God has provided for instruction and edification.

We must be faithful to revisit the Word time and time again. There is great value in reading and writing the Word of God, but there is also a richness in writing the Word on our hearts. The person who has the powerful Word of God stored away in their heart, ready to use at any moment, is truly blessed. As the psalmist says:

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

His Word is a great gift to the church and to the people of God. It is a way by which we grow, love, and withstand the brokenness of this world. May we seek His Word in our days and in our homes. May we study, speak, and soak in the power of His promises.