Did YOU Know Reading The Bible Has Benefits?
Here are four awesome changes that come from reading your Bible every single day.
Regeneration by the Word
The most potent of all changes that come from the Word of God is that of being born again, as Paul reminded the Corinthians, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). Peter puts it as plain as day by writing, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God”(1 Peter 1:22-23). How clear it is when Peter says, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” Every single day, thousands and thousands are being saved by reading the Word of God through the Holy Spirit’s opening it up to them.
Hidden in the Heart
I can recall a lot of Scriptures because I have used them so often in evangelism and I don’t like flipping through my Bible when I am presenting the Gospel to someone. I began memorizing the Gospel in a few select verses, like 2 Corinthians 5:21; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-13; John 3:16; and Mark 1:15. I guess you could call that hiding God’s Word in my heart. David wrote, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). David stored up the Word of God so that he “might not sin against” God. The Word helps in our sanctification (a growing in holiness) by helping us avoid sin. Friend, these are great blessings. Start with one a week, and in a year, wow, you have 52 verses memorized! That’s awesome. It will change you and maybe those around you.
The Power of the Word
My words have no power unless I move to make what I said become a reality. But God’s not limited by space, time, or circumstances like I am. When you give someone a Bible verse, you’re unleashing the very power of God, as Paul wrote “It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). God backs up His powerful word by saying, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). God’s Word never returns void or without having some effect, and that includes you and me.
Growth in Christ
It’s not just a good idea but a biblical command to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). Did you know that those were the very last words Peter ever wrote? He must have thought them to be of supreme importance, and we would do well to heed the Apostle Paul’s admonition to Timothy to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Those words came from the Apostle Paul’s last letter (2 Timothy) before his death. The point is, get into the Word of God and the Word of God will get into you!
Conclusion
I would be negligent if I didn’t include the fact that we should pray before reading the Bible so that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, can open our eyes and ears to grant us understanding of the Word of God. I hope this helps you understand just how important it is to be in the Bible every day. Jesus taught the disciples how to pray and told them to ask for their daily bread. You can’t eat the bread of tomorrow. You must take in the Word of God for there to be any hope of lasting change (Isaiah 55:11).
If you’re not reading your Bible daily, you’re really missing out on these and some other really GREAT benefits, but it’s never too late to start, Below are two Bible websites that would be a great place to start to daily load up on your Bible Based Benefits! If it’s not working, not changing and not getting any better, perhaps reading the Bible might help influence things so that better results can manifest!
http://listenersbible.com/devotionals/biy/
