It is my intent that this booklet help you to continue your journey through God’s Word gaining insights into who God is, and who you are in Christ. The Bible is our first-hand knowledge about God and this can only be obtained in reading the Scriptures themselves. In academics we encourage people to come as close as possible to the original source for things. In knowing God our original source is His Word. Knowing how to read the Bible is vital.
There is power in the Word of God beyond our imagination. If God can speak and have things form at his will, (Genesis 1) then His Word continues to have tremendous power in shaping our lives, if we will engage God through His Word. If we want the power of God in our lives it is not just that we have the Spirit of God, or a confession of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but we must be a people of His Word. We have to do as the Psalmist says and hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we will not sin against Him. (Psalm 119:11)
When we neglect the Word of God and do not place it as priority in our lives we are losing the power of God. We are experiencing this loss of power in our churches as well as in our own lives. Think about the power of God contained in His Word. By His Word He made all things. “Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:2). Let’s connect Jesus the Word made flesh with the creation story. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. How does He do this? By speaking at each day of creation to everything that He creates he says “Let there be…” (Genesis 1:3 et.al.).
If the power of God is in His word then it is vital that we not just read the Word and forget what it says but that we integrate the Word of God into our daily lives. The next section will suggest methods on how to engage God in His Word beyond simply reading the Bible.
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