Small Group Life Blog

May 15, 2009

You know I love all of you, but I especially love [FIRSTNAME],

Question #5 in our weekly Life Transformation Group is:

Did you complete the Bible reading for this week?

Next time, I’ll talk about the “how to” of reading the Bible. But today, I want to emphasize the utter importance of daily reading God’s Word. (By the way, listening to it is cool too.)

Jesus tells a parable about seed sown in four different kinds of soil. In only one kind of soil does the seed grow and produce abundant fruit. But here’s the key: “The seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8:11). No seed, no fruit. I could talk about the need for tilling, weeding, and fertilizing, but it’s all for nothing if there’s no seed. No seed, no fruit. Accept no alternatives for the seed of God’s Word. If you find devotionals and other reading helpful to your walk with Christ, great! But do not let them be a subsitute for reading God’s Word. God’s Word is the seed that produces abundant fruit in your life.

Here are a few passages from God’s Word that emphasize the importance of reading, marking, learning, and inwardly digesting the Word of God:

Luke 8:21  Jesus said, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

John 17:17  Jesus prayed to His Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.”

Colossians 3:16  Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.

Hebrews 4:12  The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Psalm 119:105  Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Ultimately, the reason daily reading of God’s Word is so important is this:

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

That “Word” that became flesh is Jesus. Jesus is Way, the Truth, the Life, the all-everything for you. And the Bible is Jesus in written form. Reading God’s Word is the primary place you will encounter your crucified and risen Lord.

With a word, God created the universe. His Word is not only powerful, but life-creating. So also, when you read and hear God’s Word, He creates life in you (2 Corinthians 4:6).

So, if reading my emails is stopping you from reading God’s Word, you have my permission and blessing to hit delete and go read God’s Word! (If you have time for both, check in next week for some advice on “how” to read God’s Word, or hear it.)

In Christ,
Pastor Steve

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