Bible: February 15, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2011

BIBLE

DEFINITION:

The collection of sacred writings of the Christian religion comprising of the Old and New Testaments.

SCRIPTURE:

“Whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24.

I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. I Peter 5:12.

They received the Word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were true. Acts 17:11.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

God gave us the Bible so that we could know who God is and know His plan of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible is the inspired Word of God. This has never been proven wrong by intellectuals, scientists or others. But, unfortunately, many people today are not convinced that the Bible is true and whether it can be trusted as the infallible Word of God.

President Ronald Reagan had a plaque on his desk that simply read: “TRUST, BUT VERIFY.” He was a man that wanted to trust everyone but learned at an early age that not every person that told him something was accurate in their words. Thus he learned to trust but then also to verify what he had been told.

President Reagan approached his belief in God and the Bible the same way. When he came to find Jesus as his Savior his pastor developed a program with him to answer any question he had about God, the Bible or his faith with scripture as the answer. The Presidents faith in God was real and true because he had studied the Bible and knew that every word in the Bible was accurate and written for him.

This is a reminder for each of us today. Whether we are taught the Bible in church, in a Bible class, from a friend, Sunday school, the radio or on TV, we need to test what we hear by reading and studying God’s Word. II Timothy 2: 15-17 reminds us to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God, rightly dividing the Word of truth. If we do this we will not become prey to those who teach a different gospel and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

In the verse above Peter created for us a certificate of authenticity for his message on the grace of God. Peter was assuring us that the many messages, themes of hope and courage and even suffering were all authentic and demonstrated to us the grace of God.

In chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew, Jesus was teaching His followers how to live a righteous life that was pleasing to God. Jesus set down lifestyle principles that would set apart His followers from those of the world. Jesus taught that not only are His followers to keep His commandments but to “go the extra mile’ by loving our enemies and caring for the needy. Jesus expects more from us than just listening to His instructions. He expects His followers to follow His instructions with action.

Read the Bible daily and you will develop a lifestyle that God wants for you. Reading the Bible is the only way God can communicate with you. Try it and you will see.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 100:4.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

PRAYER:

Help me to develop a time each day to read the Bible so that I may learn from You what and how you want me to live. Help me to be the leader I need to be to involve my family and friends in the task of reading Your Word.