At a worship service recently I offered an encouragement of how to grow in God's Word. I read about how to make God's Word real in our lives from a book, "You Can!" by Dr. Frank Minirth, the co-founder of the Minirth-Meier Clinics. In this book, the Christian is encouraged to have a confident faith, a faith that is transformed into action.
As we enter the New Year, our thoughts often focus upon how we can improve ourselves. I would also like to suggest that we work to improve our relationship with God's living and eternal Word. Here are some suggestions:
- Read the Bible again and again—Spend 15 minutes a day in the Word, just reading it; this will allow you to cover both testaments in a year.
- Meditate on God's Word—Psalm 119:11 says, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you." How do we hide God's Word in our hearts? By saying it to ourselves over and over again, by meditation upon it.
- Ask God to make His Words real in your life—Turn the words of Scripture into your own prayers. How is this done? Simply by turning Scripture into your prayers. Find a verse of Scripture that fits your circumstances and make it your theme for the year. Need help in selecting a theme verse? Give me a call or stop by church and I would love to help.
- Apply the Scripture to your problems—For instance, if you have a problem with worry, look up the passages of Scripture that speak of worry. Or, turn to our hymn book and look to "I am Trusting Thee Lord Jesus." God's word certainly can help.
- And finally, never give up studying God's Word—We are told this in the Bible: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Keep this new year, 2009, focused on God's word,
Pastor Brad Homan
