Life of a Disciple Part Three: The WordSample

When I (Bill) gave my whole life to Jesus, I abandoned every ambition in response, and I started reading books, finding that only the Word satisfied. You can be fed with other people’s books, but they’re supplements to the meal of the Word of God, which is fit to speak into every situation and circumstance in our lives. In the kingdom, you get hungry by eating, and having continual exposure to the Word will provoke you to want more of it. Stay exposed to what God is saying and doing, in recreational reading and in disciplined reading.

Jesus says that we live because He speaks (Matthew 4:4). When we intentionally discipline ourselves to encounter God through the Word, we find that He divinely places us in particular areas of the Word that speak to our present situation and questions. The Word has bitter things, sour things, things that are sweet, and things that are confronting, but when blended into the whole, they are complete - it’s the whole counsel of God. We cannot add to, or take away from it - it is perfect. If you come to the Word with questions, you will find answers. When we worry, fear, have anxiety or are suspicious, we plant a lie into our hearts that grow down into our soul, impacting thinking, emotions, and actions. This is why repentance, and the Word, must be so close to our hearts, cultivating love and keeping us from sin. There are only two responses in life - fear and love. The Word cultivates love in us, making us like Jesus, Who is love. 

I return to the Word every day because staying connected to the life source of the Word is crucial to my life. He wants us to delight in the privilege of having Him speak to us.

So, today, ask yourself the following:

1. What is the place of Scripture in my life in the context of reading other books about Scripture? 
2. How do you personally talk with God through Scriptures that you don’t understand or want clarity on?
3. How is God speaking to you right now in your present circumstances? What is He saying?
4. How do you delight yourself in the Word? 

Listen to Life of a Disciple: Part Three, Week Two with Bill Johnson