It gives us hope and
encouragement
There have been many
times where I have been feeling down and been inspired by reading the Bible.
Verses like “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will
never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged"
Deuteronomy 31:8 and stories like Daniel and the lion’s den inspire me to
believe that God is real and he can save me from anything.
Romans 15:4 says,
“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the
Scriptures give us hope and encouragement.” Bible stories are meant to teach
us. Some are cautionary tales, telling us what not to do (like Judas’ betrayal
of Jesus and subsequent suicide), while other are models for us to follow (like
the life of Jesus Christ). No matter what, the Bible shows us that Jesus Christ
within us is “the hope of glory” and that the Lord has "plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Colossians
1:27, Jeremiah 29:11).
It teaches us patience
Romans 15:4 goes on to
say that the Scriptures “give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently
for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” Each and every day, God forces us to
abandon our childish nature of “want, want, want” and our false perception that
things should happen on our time. Even David called upon the Lord to work on
his time saying, “Please, God, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me… But
as for me, I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid, O God. You are my
helper and my savior; O Lord, do not delay” (Psalm 60:1,5). There is
nothing wrong with praying to God to do a quick work on our behalf, but there
is something wrong with sulking if he chooses not to.
Still, I can
definitely attest to the fact that the Bible is teaching me patience. If
anything, the past 6 months, the complexity of the Bible has taught me to be
patient in understanding! But seriously, as I grow in God, I see myself
becoming slower to anger, and less anxious to have my way. It’s truly amazing.
It helps unify
believers
The Bible is meant to
be a tool that helps unify the body of Christ. Not only does it teach us the
tenets of Christianity and the manner in which God wants his people to live,
but it provides us with a common bond. Furthermore, the Bible says that we have
power when we bind together as believers. Leviticus 26:7-8 says, “In fact, you
will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. Five of
you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All
your enemies will fall beneath your sword.” When we bind together we can chase
away evil in droves!
I have seen the power
of God when believers bind together in unity. I truly believe that this blog is
an example of unity. Since all seven of us began working together on this blog,
we have seen ourselves grow individually and as a unit. I mean in the past,
Brittney (our Warrior Wednesdays blogger) really got on my nerves!! But I have grown to the point where it is so
much easier to talk to her….IM KIDDING lol. But really, our commitment to
binding together to read the word of God has helped us to spread the Gospel to
people we did not regularly contact in the past, people living in other states,
and people struggling. It issuch a blessing.
So I encourage each of
you to examine yourselves and think about the importance of reading the Bible
and think about what the Bible means to you. Watch the video below to hear just
one of millions of stories of how the Bible changed a woman's life:
Merciful Mondays: Jael
“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 4:31
Everyone must own the Bible. It is the book which teaches us not only about the God but also how to live life in a better way. You will get rid of all the earthly suffering once you read this book. Order it now from Church Supply Store.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Brano