Grow: First Steps with JesusSample

THE WORD OF GOD

This is the last week of your first steps into a quality relationship with your Father in heaven. We will consider a few of the ‘what now’ questions from here on. We will look at some habits, give encouragement, and discuss the implications of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

We start with the importance of the Bible—the Word of God—in your life. We are so privileged to have the Bible available in printed format as well as online.

Paul writes to a young follower of Jesus with the name of Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:16-17: 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.

Scripture is God-breathed, meaning that God wants to use everything in the Scripture to breathe His life into you and me. The tools He will use are teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. Then He gives us the purpose of Bible study: ‘So that the servant of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work’.

The reason we study the Bible is for our own full equipping. We receive encouragement and wisdom, and learn how to make quality decisions for everyday life. I discovered that I cannot afford to live my life without a daily habit of reading and studying the Bible. 

You may ask: “Where do I start?” As people who follow Jesus we read everything through the lens of the New Testament, which is the latter part of the Bible. That is where the story of Jesus starts. A very good book to start with is the book of John. Thereafter study the New Testament book-by-book before moving to the Old Testament. 

Another question may be: "Which translation should I use?" There are many free translations and commentaries available on the Bible Hub website.  There are different kinds of translations:

1. Literal translations focus on word by word translations from the original language.
2. Modern or paraphrased translations capture the essence of the verse or the paragraph.

It is wise to always read literal translations like the New International Version (NIV) alongside paraphrased Bibles like the Message Bible or the Living Bible.

One of my favourite scriptures in this regard is:

John 14:23: Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

We have spoken quite a lot about God’s love for us. Now God asks us to demonstrate our love for Him by studying His Word and obeying Scripture. As a young Christian, I tried to memorize one scripture every day. It was as simple as just writing it down and carrying it around with me. As you memorize what it says and where it is in the Bible, you will begin to see the impact of the Bible in your own life.

Look at the promise in John 14:23 again. We know that God loves us unconditionally. But we learn here that our experience of His love will grow to a whole new intensity as we study and live in the Word of God.

Remember your daily affirmation: "Lord, I live in Your Word every day."

Action Step for Today: Go and buy your own personal Bible.