...And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2Timothy 3:15-17 (NKJV)
In Part I of this Devotional series, we looked at the Bible being the Divine revelation of God. We learned that:
1. The Bible is more than a Book
2. The Bible is God's Revelation to His People
3. The Bible Is The Word of God
In Part II we looked at how we can know that the Bible is the Word of God. We looked at 3-links that give us that confidence. They are:
1. Inspiration
2. Canonization
3. Transmission
In Part III of this devotional, I want to look at 4-things that the Holy Spirit will do through the Bible to those who earnestly seek to apply its teachings. We can learn these 4-principles from 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
These verses of Scripture tell us much with regard to the Bible.
* It makes one wise for salvation
* It is the source of all change for the believer
God's plan is for man to be reconciled to Him, and this (salvation) was made possible through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Once we have been forgiven of our sin, we're to start that transformation process within our lives. We are changed from the Old Man, into the New Man, and the Word of God is what is used to manifest this change. As we read the Word of God daily, we will realize that the Bible will do the following 4-things.
1. The Bible Teaches us.
The Bible will teach us what we must believe and do. In the Old Testament we can read the commandments of God, and in the New Testament, we can see the example of Jesus' life as recorded.
2. The Bible Convicts us.
The Bible will convict us as we compare our ways of living to the standards laid out within the Bible. As we read it daily, we will see how far we are from living that life that Christ gave as an example. As the Holy Spirit convicts us while reading the Word, we willingly lay these ways of the flesh down, and allow God to shape us.
3. The Bible Corrects us.
The Bible corrects us in our erroneous ways. As this process continues through our understanding of what is righteous, we come to the father and we confess our sin and we repent of these ways of living. As we confess and repent, the change will follow with our actions being more like Christ.
4. The Bible Trains us.
The Bible trains us in how we should live so we avoid those traps of temptation from the devil and his emissaries. It is not enough to know that we are sinners in need of a Savior, or to know how to be forgiven, we must be prepared for the deceiving ways of Satan, and this takes discipline. That discipline is obtained through daily training as we immerse ourselves in the Word of God and we prayerfully read it.
We are assured in the Scriptures above that if we read the Word of God, and we apply its precepts, we will be complete, and thoroughly equipped for every good work. We are told in Ephesians 6:17 that the Word of God is our Sword and it is our only offensive weapon.
Hey Christian, I want to encourage you to dedicate a portion of every day to reading and studying the Word of God. Let's be equipped and ready for that good work that the Father has ordained for us. Let's redeem the time.
STUDY QUESTION: According to the Scriptures above, who gave us all the Scriptures? What are they profitable for?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you reading the Word of God each day? Do you put more time into a hobby, or TV than reading or studying the Word?
APPLICATION: We are what we eat! Let's make it a priority this week, month, year, season of life, to start to give God the best of what we have; let's redeem the time. Let's know the Word of God and share what we know with others.
In Part I of this Devotional series, we looked at the Bible being the Divine revelation of God. We learned that:
1. The Bible is more than a Book
2. The Bible is God's Revelation to His People
3. The Bible Is The Word of God
In Part II we looked at how we can know that the Bible is the Word of God. We looked at 3-links that give us that confidence. They are:
1. Inspiration
2. Canonization
3. Transmission
In Part III of this devotional, I want to look at 4-things that the Holy Spirit will do through the Bible to those who earnestly seek to apply its teachings. We can learn these 4-principles from 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
These verses of Scripture tell us much with regard to the Bible.
* It makes one wise for salvation
* It is the source of all change for the believer
God's plan is for man to be reconciled to Him, and this (salvation) was made possible through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Once we have been forgiven of our sin, we're to start that transformation process within our lives. We are changed from the Old Man, into the New Man, and the Word of God is what is used to manifest this change. As we read the Word of God daily, we will realize that the Bible will do the following 4-things.
1. The Bible Teaches us.
The Bible will teach us what we must believe and do. In the Old Testament we can read the commandments of God, and in the New Testament, we can see the example of Jesus' life as recorded.
2. The Bible Convicts us.
The Bible will convict us as we compare our ways of living to the standards laid out within the Bible. As we read it daily, we will see how far we are from living that life that Christ gave as an example. As the Holy Spirit convicts us while reading the Word, we willingly lay these ways of the flesh down, and allow God to shape us.
3. The Bible Corrects us.
The Bible corrects us in our erroneous ways. As this process continues through our understanding of what is righteous, we come to the father and we confess our sin and we repent of these ways of living. As we confess and repent, the change will follow with our actions being more like Christ.
4. The Bible Trains us.
The Bible trains us in how we should live so we avoid those traps of temptation from the devil and his emissaries. It is not enough to know that we are sinners in need of a Savior, or to know how to be forgiven, we must be prepared for the deceiving ways of Satan, and this takes discipline. That discipline is obtained through daily training as we immerse ourselves in the Word of God and we prayerfully read it.
We are assured in the Scriptures above that if we read the Word of God, and we apply its precepts, we will be complete, and thoroughly equipped for every good work. We are told in Ephesians 6:17 that the Word of God is our Sword and it is our only offensive weapon.
Hey Christian, I want to encourage you to dedicate a portion of every day to reading and studying the Word of God. Let's be equipped and ready for that good work that the Father has ordained for us. Let's redeem the time.
STUDY QUESTION: According to the Scriptures above, who gave us all the Scriptures? What are they profitable for?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you reading the Word of God each day? Do you put more time into a hobby, or TV than reading or studying the Word?
APPLICATION: We are what we eat! Let's make it a priority this week, month, year, season of life, to start to give God the best of what we have; let's redeem the time. Let's know the Word of God and share what we know with others.
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