Psalm 119:27, “Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works”
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What has had the most influence in your life?  I would venture to say the majority of people in today’s society would be influenced by movie stars, professional athletes, television hosts and books written by various authors to name only a few. Have you even considered that we have at our very disposal the written Word of Life given to us by its author and our creator God?

(1) Loren D. Esthleman said this about the Bible, “Lay chosen faith aside and read this beautifully written book.”

(2) Madeleine L’ Engle Franklin added, “It is the foundation stone of the English language.”

(3) John Jakes urged people to read the Bible “for the magic, and the possibilities, of its English.”

Although these writers had some high praise for God’s Word, their endorsement isn’t the reason we should read His Book. The Bible merits our attention because it is God’s breathed and inspired Word of Truth and He has preserved it for us. My beloved, the God who created you and me, has given us His Book, and we need to make it our Book. By reading it, pouring over it, meditating on it, and putting into practice what it says, we begin to know God Himself, and in the process, we fulfill for ourselves the psalmist’s quest, “I have sought Your precepts … I have seen the consummation of all perfection.”

It is the only Book that speaks of earthly things and human experiences (good and bad).  It also describes with clarity and authority areas of heaven and earth, things seen and unseen; revealing facts about God, angels, men, time and eternity, life and death; of sin; of heaven and hell. More importantly we find within its pages everything we need to know to receive salvation and have a personal relationship with God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul declared in 2 Timothy 3:16 it “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”.  It has been stated that people devote more time to learning about the Bible than in discovering its message.  After 30 years as a pastor, a New Jersey minister concluded, “The Bible is the best-selling, least-read, and least-understood book.”  In his view, “Biblical illiteracy is rampant.”  George Gallup, the foremost religion pollster in the United States agrees.  “We revere the Bible,” he says, “but we don’t read it.”  We should be more like the psalmist who asked God to help him understand the way of His precepts and to increase his knowledge of God and His will.

As a believer in Christ that should be your foremost desire.  We should prayerfully study the Scriptures to discover what God is saying to us through His Word about Himself and especially His plan for our lives. 1 Samuel 3:10 puts it this way, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”  We need to be like Samuel, willing to pause in the midst of life’s turmoil to hear the still voice of the Lord.  And we will have this opportunity if we prayerfully read and study the Bible regularly.  You see, God’s Spirit communicates to us through the Word of God.

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Closing thoughts:

The greatest cause for our neglect of the Bible is not lack of time but lack of heart.  Someone else’s word is taking the place of the Word of God.  There are many good books and magazines to read; however, we must not neglect the mysteries of God’s mercy, His grace and His love that are woven throughout the His Eternal Word that will change a person’s heart and life forever. I can attest to fact, the Bible, God’s written Word, changes lives.  It changed my life when I accepted His Son Jesus Christ as my Savior; and you know what; if you want such a change in your life, receive Jesus as your Savior.  It’s only a prayer away!  Then ask God to give you a desire for His Word and a hunger to taste His grace and goodness each and every day.

My beloved, it’s the only Book that will bless you while you’re still in this world, and will show you that through faith in Jesus Christ you can be sure of eternal blessedness in the world to come.  Thomas A. Kempis (1379-1471) summed it up well when he wrote, “Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not for the voice sounding without, but for the truth teaching inwardly.  Blessed are the eyes that are shut to outward things but intent on things inward.  Blessed are they who are glad to have time to spare for God, and who shake off all worldly hindrances.  Consider these things, O my soul, and hear when the Lord your God speaks.”

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How long has it been since you’ve asked the Lord to make your heart receptive to His Word?  He longs to hear you say, “Speak Lord, I’m listening.”

For those who aren’t saved, what are your reasons for living?  The way you live reveals your real reason for living. Actions really do speak louder than words. Take a look at your life and evaluate where your energies are being spent. Are you living to have fun? Get smart? Work hard? Love people? Please God? Do your responses to the following questions support your answers above? How do you spend your time? Do you know God’s Word? Are you living in obedience to God? If not, why not? To what are you looking for satisfaction? What are you doing that has eternal benefits? If these questions make you uncomfortable, maybe you need to recognize the waste of living for anything less than God’s intended purpose.

If you’ve never taken the first crucial step of trusting Christ to rescue you from God’s judgment against sin, accept His offer of forgiveness right now. He will forgive, and He will give you new purpose and power for living (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Ask Him to help you make the most of the new life He’s given you. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

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God’s love is both tough and tender.