Day One: Read Your Bible

By Sean Fryer

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2

You’ve probably heard it over and over . . . 

Maybe at church, maybe from your parents, or somewhere else: “Read your Bible!” 

It can almost be frustrating because you’ve heard it so many times. Think about it though . . . Why would people say that to you so much? Today, we’re going to look at four reasons why you should read your Bible.

1. The Bible is just good! Yep, pretty simple. Psalm 1:3 says this about those who do read and meditate on the Word: “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” I don’t know about you, but I’d want my life to look like that.  
2. The Bible shows God’s heart. 1 John 4:8–9 says, “God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only son into the world that we might live through Him.” I could share verse after verse with you that reveals God’s heart toward us. Here's another: “The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion” (Numbers 14:18). Seriously, I could go on and on. God loves us so much and has a heart to want what is best for us and to grow us. We learn that reading the Bible; we discover who He is intimately and what is best for us personally through the Bible.
3. The Bible changes you. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” That’s deep! Think about this: In Acts 9 Saul of Tarsus, a murderer of Christians, has an encounter with the Word (Jesus). That encounter radically changes his life. He goes from being Saul the murderer to Paul the apostle who brought the gospel to the farthest reaches of the ancient world and wrote most of the New Testament! The Bible truly changes you!
4. The Bible reminds us of God’s promises. There’s this moment in Genesis 15 when God tells Abram to get out of his tent and look up at the stars. You can read the whole story to fully understand it, but basically the stars were a reminder of God’s promise to Abram. All throughout Scripture, you get to see these amazing promises God makes to us, and here’s the best part: Every single one of them will come true! God can’t break a promise. In His Word, we read about the many amazing promises He has made us!

I hope you’ve seen the power of the Bible and that this encourages you to get in the Word every day. I promise you won’t regret it!

PAUSE: Do you truly believe in the power of God’s Word? Why or why not?

PRACTICE: How can I create a habit of reading the Bible daily? Even if it’s for just a few minutes a day.

PRAY: God, help me to have a hunger and thirst to read Your Word. You want to speak to me and have a relationship with me, but I don’t always strive for it. Give me that excitement to grow in You. Amen.