Good Reasons to Read the Bible

Good Reasons to Read the Bible

Regardless of where you are from, no matter what you believe (or reject), if you truly desire to know God, there are countless good reasons to read the Bible (God’s Word). Listed below are five important topics addressed in the Bible. Open your heart. Open His Word.

Knowledge

• Psalm 119:160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
• Knowledge without truth is pointless. Relative truth is absurdity. Absolute truth comes from the one true God of the universe – Jehovah. God gave us His Word so that we can know the truth about Him.

Wisdom

• Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
• Without respect for God there is no wisdom. When we reverence God, the Holy Spirit teaches us how to properly apply the knowledge found in the Bible. Godly wisdom leads to a Godly perspective.

Purpose

• 1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
• Worldly wisdom tells us to put the needs of self above the needs of others – pride and pleasure rule the day. But a life with eternal meaning is lived according to the character, instructions and blessings of God. The Bible teaches that we are to bring God glory by putting Him above all else and to put other’s needs ahead of our own.

Salvation

• Colossians 1:21-22 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight
• Have you rejected God? Have you turned your back on His truth, wisdom, purpose and salvation? Jesus Christ, God in the flesh – full of righteousness and truth, died to save us from the punishment we have earned because of our choices.
• However, it is never too late to turn from a life of rebellion and experience the love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of God found only through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way to a fully and permanently reconciled relationship with Father God.

Outcomes

• Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
• Living on the path that leads to eternal torment and separation from God is the result of our depraved human nature. A life lived with purpose on the narrow path of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. God’s Word instructs us completely and correctly about reaping what we sow.

God gave the ultimate gift (the life of His perfect and sinless Son) to pay for our rebellion and sin. Read the Bible to learn about true love and complete forgiveness.

• John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Prayer

Holy Father, creator and sustainer of the universe, please use the truth of Your Word and the power of Your Spirit to open hearts and minds to the knowledge, wisdom, purpose, salvation and outcomes found in Your Word. Thank You for loving us perfectly! I ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen.

There is Hope!

There is Hope!

The prophet Jeremiah was used by God to foretell of the coming judgment against the rebellious southern kingdom of Judah if they would not confess and turn from their grievously sinful ways. But when Judah refused to heed these warnings from God, He sent the Babylonian army to destroy Jerusalem and remove most of the surviving Jews from the Promised Land. Despite the personal torment and suffering Jeremiah experienced during the decades of his prophetic ministry, once judgment came, he mourned deeply for the loss of life, the horrendous suffering, and the exile of his fellow Jews to Babylon.

The book of Lamentations documents Jeremiah’s profound grief during the aftermath of God’s wrath being poured out on Judah. The tragedy of it all. The suffering and anguish of individuals and a nation. However, in the midst his intense grieving, Jeremiah recalls the unchanging compassion and unending goodness of God.

The Burden of Despair
No matter how desperate the situation, there is always hope in the Lord!

• Lamentations 3:19-21 (NLT)
• 19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
• is bitter beyond words.
• 20 I will never forget this awful time,
• as I grieve over my loss.
• 21 Yet I still dare to hope
• when I remember this:

The Basis of Hope
Our merciful Heavenly Father is always ready to receive those who turn to Him!

• Lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT)
• 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
• His mercies never cease.
• 23 Great is his faithfulness;
• his mercies begin afresh each morning.
• 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
• therefore, I will hope in him!”

The Blessings of Inheritance
The eternal treasures of God are graciously poured out on those who trust in Him!

• Lamentations 3:25-27 (NLT)
• 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
• to those who search for him.
• 26 So it is good to wait quietly
• for salvation from the Lord.
• 27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age
• to the yoke of his discipline:

All of us endure difficult days, overwhelming circumstances and the burden of grief. This can lead to feelings of helplessness and despair. But praise be to God that there is always hope in Him!

Hope in Him – Turn to Him – Trust in Him 

Prayer

Father, thank You for being unchanging, faithful, merciful, generous and so much more. Help those who have already surrendered to You to find ongoing hope in a personal relationship with You. Please touch the hearts of those who have rejected You, or who have never heard of You. Draw them into a reconciled relationship with You through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray these things in His name. Amen.