The VineSample

Regular Time in Scripture

Imagine there is a God. And this God is completely good and perfectly wise. This God created the entire cosmos—galaxies, starfish, laws of physics, honeybees, and mitochondria. Then God created humans, not to oppress them but to love them. And even when those humans and everyone after them rebelled against Him, God gave them everything they needed to know about Him and themselves.

God used human authors to write down this perfect record about Him, and He wants everyone to have access to this record—the Bible—because through it He lovingly and actively transforms us and reveals our purpose.

Of course, we know this is true. After all that, can you imagine having access to the Bible and not reading it?

The reality is, that although many of us have access to the Bible (Scripture), whether it’s a physical copy or on our phones, we forget that it is a primary means through which we commune with the perfect Creator of the cosmos. God tells us in the Bible that Scripture is given to us to grow us (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and protect us (Ephesians 6:17). The first Christians believed Scripture was so vital that they would immediately read it to ensure what was preached to them was correct (Acts 17:11).

Remember Jesus’ invitation to abide? This is an invitation to commune with Him through reading His Word. We do this on our own because Jesus seeks after us as individuals. But we also do this with a community of other believers to ensure we are growing in the same direction. Think about your own habits with reading the Bible. Do you know where to start with your personal time in the Word? Do you feel connected to a group of believers with whom you can study the Bible?

Prayer

“God, thank You for choosing to reveal Yourself in the perfect, timeless words of Scripture. You didn’t have to be so generous in showing us who You are and who I am. Help me accept Your invitation to abide in You through Your Word. Show me how to grow in my community through reading Your Word with other believers.”

Explore at Your Speed

Next time we’re going to look at the other necessary habit in the life of every believer: prayer. If you want to get ahead, take a look at Matthew 6:9-13.