The Grow CourseSample

Over four days, we are looking at the essentials to grow in your relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. This is day two on the Bible.

The Bible is the inspired word of God. The Bible says of itself in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to help us grow in our relationship with him.

The Bible is a collection of 66 books, 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books, written over 1500 years by 38 authors on three continents who God inspired to write down the scriptures. It is a wonderful book with one central theme: our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The Bible is the complete revelation of God to man. The Bible is the final authority on faith, doctrine, and daily living. It talks about itself as a plumb line so we can build our lives correctly.

There are three things that we can do with the Bible.

Number one is to read the Bible. Read it and study it. I once read a poem on how we can understand more about the Bible, and it went like this: “Read on, read on, read on, read on, read on.” It's not how much you read, but it's spending time regularly reading God's word.

Number two is to meditate on the Bible. Meditating means to think about, ponder on, to muse over. In Psalm 1:1-3 it says, 'If we meditate on God's word, we will become like a tree planted by streams of living water that bear much fruit.' To live a fruitful life, think about the promises, principles, and patterns we see in God's word.

Number three is act on the Bible. In James 1:22, the Bible says, 'If we just hear God's word and don't act on it, we only deceive ourselves.' In the same chapter, James 1:25 says, 'If we put God's word into practice, we'll be blessed in everything that we do.'

An easy way to remember how to get the most out of our Bible is to remember these four Rs. First, read; second, Reflect; third, Respond; fourth, Record. It is a good idea to write down in a journal what God is showing you through the scriptures, and I want to encourage you to start today.

A good place to start reading the Bible is in the Gospel of John. There are 21 chapters in the Gospel of John, and we see the life of Jesus through one of his closest friends. If you read one chapter a day and read it, think about it, put into practice some of the principles you see, and write those things down, you'll be amazed at how much you will grow in your knowledge of Jesus and how much his life will influence yours.

I want to encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth from God's word to you. Just remember, it's not just a book that was written thousands of years ago, but it's a book that's alive today, and the author himself, the Holy Spirit, wants to reveal the truth from his word to you.

Finally, go and share with other Christians what you have seen and heard in the Bible. You'll be amazed when you start to share with others how alive it will become to you and what a blessing it will be to others.

The Bible is a wonderful book, and I encourage you to read it, reflect on it, respond to its truths, and record what God says to you through the Bible.

Thank you. God bless you.