Friday, December 21, 2012

A Gift from God

The Bible is the perfect gift from God that gives us everything we need to live a fulfilled life in a godly manner, through our knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter1:3). The Word of God is the sharp, two-edged sword of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The profound revelation of the nature and wisdom of God written within its pages builds our faith and guides us through life. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us His truth (2 Peter 1:20-21). We can feed our body with the grain of the earth, but our spirit needs the nourishment that is found only in the Word of God (Matthew 4:4). 

The Bible allows us to recognize what is wrong in our lives by correcting us and teaching us the right course of action to take. It equips us with everything we need for success (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Since the Bible endured through the centuries of time and because it is such an encouragement to us, it gives us hope (Romans 15:4). Believers do not draw our nourishment from secular advice, but from the Spirit and the Word, which give us true life (John 6:63). The Word of God is full of life-giving power. It acts as a surgeon’s knife and dissects our innermost beliefs and feelings and exposes our true motives and desires (Hebrews 4:12).

As Believers, we come to the Father and make Him our home. If we neglect the Word, it proves that we do not love the Lord (John 14:23-24). If we love the Lord, we will cherish His Word. If we continue in God’s Word, we prove that we are His disciples. We learn the Truth, and His Truth sets us free (John 8:31-32). We meditate on the Word night and day, so we can carefully live what it teaches. This discipline allows us to flourish and thrive in life (Joshua 1:8). The wonderful words of the scripture build our faith and teach us about our inheritance as the Bride of Christ (Acts 20:32; 2 Corinthians 11:2).

Even Jesus used the Old Testament verses. After His forty day fast in the wilderness, He defeated the devil by quoting scripture and standing upon God’s Word (Matthew 4:11). Our finite thoughts often confuse and throw a shadow on the wisdom of God’s truth. Even doubts, which Satan whispers to our mind, cause us to wonder at times. However, these are counteracted by the comfort, direction, rebuke, instruction and admonition, which we receive from the Bible. We can trust in the absolute truth of God’s Word. Even when we are not aware of it, God is working behind the scenes to prove to us the truth of His goodness and His faithfulness to His children.

The writers of the Bible refer to it by many different titles:
The Book of the Lord (Isaiah 34:16)
The Law of the Lord (Psalm 1:2)
The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:25,44)
The Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17; 11:13; Acts 13:15)
The Scripture of Truth (Daniel10:21)
The Scripture (Mark 15:28; John 7:38; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The Scriptures (Luke 24:27,32; John 5:39; Acts 17:11)
The Holy Scriptures (Romans 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:15)
The Lively (living) Oracles (Acts 7:38)
The Oracles of God (Romans 3:2; Hebrews 5:12; I Peter 4:11)
The Promises (Romans 9:4-5; 15:8)
The Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)
The Old and New Testament (Luke 22:20; 2 Corinth 3:6-15; Hebrews 9:15)
The Word of God (Mark 7:13; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:12)
The Word of Christ (Colossians 3:16)
The Word of Life (Philippians 2:16)
The Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15; John 17:17)
The Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16)
Gods Word and Statutes (Psalm 119:16)
A Lamp unto our feet, Light unto our path (Psalm 119:105)
(Partially taken from: The Dake Annotated Reference Bible)

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we stand upon Your Word. We use it as a lamp to light our way in this dark and dreary land in which we live. It gives us courage, peace and strength to do Your will with our life. We want to thank You for not leaving us alone on this earth, and for giving us Your Spirit and Your Word to encourage us and to give us hope.

Thought for the Day:
God's Word is alive; and the more you read it, the more it empowers your life.