FOUR GROWTH CONTRIBUTORS – “READ YOUR BIBLE DAILY”

As a Christian if we desire to grow strong in the LORD, then we should *”READ OUR BIBLE DAILY”* – this is the second factor that contributes for our overall wellbeing, and for our sound and steady growth in the LORD. Someone may dare to ask, “Why read the Bible at all in the first place, let alone reading the Bible daily?”
Martin Luther, the great reformer said something that should enlighten us as an answer to the above question.
– “The Word of God is alive, it speaks to me. It has feet, it runs after me. It has hands, it lays hold of me!” – Martin Luther 

The Bible is the Living Word of God. God uses it to speak to us, correct us, encourage us, and warn us. The Bible is much more than a mere “religious” book, that contains some printed pages between its covers.
– “I would rather speak five words out of this book than 50,000 of the philosophers.” – Charles Spurgeon

What is the Bible? The LORD gives us insights as to what the Bible is. Let us read on…
– A LAMP – “105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105
– HELPS US GAIN UNDERSTANDING – “104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.” – Psalm 119:104
– SWEETER THAN HONEY – “103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – Psalm 119:103
– BETTER THAN GOLD AND SILVER – “72 The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.” – Psalm 119:72
– CLEANSES US FROM SIN – “9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” – Psalm 119:9
– KEEPS US FROM SIN – “11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” – Psalm 119:11
– HELPS US FIGHT THE ENEMY – “17 And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” – Ephesians 6:17b
– SHARPER THAN ANY SWORD – “12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12-13
– MILK THAT NOURISHES – “2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,” – 1 Peter 2:2
– A FIRE THAT CONSUMES – “29“Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord…” –  Jeremiah 23:29a
– A HAMMER THAT SHATTERS – “29…and like a hammer which shatters a rock?” – Jeremiah 23:29b
– GOD’s WORD IS LIFE – “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” – John 6:63

The Word of God is likened unto food. It nourishes our souls – “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight…” – Jeremiah 15:16. However, it is good to note and to remember always that, reading our Bibles daily is not like some “magic” potion that will transform us automatically, and empowers us with supernatural powers. The key to our growth is not only in reading the Bible, but also in obeying it diligently. For mere reading of it does not have much impact, let alone lasting impact.
– “22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” – James 1:22-25

Let us make it a habit to diligently read our Bible, everyday. Let us earnestly ask God to help us obey His Word, all the days of our lives. May we build our lives on the principle, values and ethics which the LORD graciously laid out for us in His Word, the Bible. Even so, the LORD Jesus help us.