“Our Daily Bread”
http://odb.org/2012/09/19/standing-in-the-fire/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht
Deuteronomy 29:5… And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet. (NKJV)
It always amazes me when I read about how good God was to the disobedient Israelites, and yet they still complained… God fed them every day in the wilderness for 40 years, with manna from heaven in the morning and quail in the evening (the Bible doesn’t say the quail lasted 40 years) (Exodus 16)… And we see in the opening scripture, that the Israelites’ clothes and their sandals never wore out for 40 years !! This reminds me of how so many of us here in America are today… We have so much to be thankful for, in comparison to other 3rd world countries; and yet we are still never satisfied…
But today, I write about the wear and tear on our Bibles; and how this might relate to our true peace and joy in life…I didn’t become a Christian until later on in life… And it wasn’t until my daughter gave me a study Bible on Father’s Day, a few weeks after God graced me with salvation…that I started reading God’s Word in earnest, every day…
I’m not here to judge anyone… I personally didn’t start reading my Bible every day until I was 52… My hope is that others, who might not spend much time in their Bibles, might understand through my life, just how important God’s Word can be to making a Christian complete in Christ… The most often quoted piece of scripture about what the Bible can and will do for the Christian, was written by the apostle Paul, in…
1Timothy 3:16-17… All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NKJV)
It is my humble opinion (along with the apostle Paul’s)…that a Christian cannot be complete and equipped to live a life for the Lord, without diligently spending time reading their Bible… The apostle Paul writes this, in…
Romans 10:14-17… How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (NKJV)
Ultimately, God’s Word must be read or heard, in order to become a Christian to begin with…as the gospel of Christ is understood and obeyed… Failure to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is warned against by the apostle Paul, with this eye opening scripture written, in…2 Thessalonians 1:8-9… in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (NKJV)
But after becoming a Christian, God’s Word should be read for a multitude of reasons… One of them is to equip the Christian to be able to protect themselves against Satan’s attacks… The apostle Paul tells us all about God’s armor in…Ephesians 6:10-20… God’s Word is the only offensive piece of the 6 pieces of God’s spiritual armor… All of the other 5 pieces of God’s protective armor come from the Word of God… Here is the link for this short, but important scripture on God’s spiritual armor, which must be put on by the Christian piece by piece; not handed to them by God… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=eph6:10-20&version=NKJV
Absolute God given supernatural peace and joy are only achieved in our lifetime…after we become a Christian and are filled with the Holy Spirit… And the easiest way to remain Spirit filled after salvation, is for the Christian to equip themselves with the “Whole Armor of God” to help protect them from Satan’s attacks…
If you are a Christian, and you spend very little or no time in God’s Word…I can only tell you because of the many treasures I have found in the Bible…that you are missing out on the spiritual wisdom and the knowledge that God has provided for us…to “be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Heavenly Father, all I can do is to sit here day after day, and proclaim how glorious and treasure filled Your Word really is… I pray Lord that everyone reading today’s thoughts, if they don’t spend much time reading their Bibles…would be urged by You to re-think their priorities; and make spending daily time in Your Word one of the most important parts of their day… I pray for this urge for all of us to learn more about You; and in so doing, we would wear out our Bibles…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
written by bruce r mills
P.S. The gospel of Christ is presented in the link below, to plant the seed toward salvation for those who want to become part of God’s family; to be sure they are righteous in God’s eyes, and filled with the awesome power of the Holy Spirit…
God's group 