Christians have historically been called the "people of the book," because they placed so much emphasis on the Bible as the source of all truth. I was recently in a meeting of Christian workers and people were invited to come forward and read a verse or verses which had profoundly impacted their lives - life verses if you will. A long line formed and for almost an hour, those key verses were read.
What was interesting was that there were almost no duplications and as one connected the life verse with the individual reading it one realized how that "truth" had profoundly impacted their lives. It was one of the most moving experiences I have seen around the Word. And it was a reminder of the amazing spiritual power of the Word to change lives and direct the steps of our daily walk. Many were in full time ministry because the Holy Spirit used a specific Scripture to point them in that direction.
Our world is awash with books on the Spiritual life. I have written several and am working on another. But, there is no substitute for the Word itself. It has power as God's voice to us that nothing else can compete with. While I did not like it at the time, I am thankful for the many verses I had to learn as a child (one a week for allowance) that have stayed with me for fifty five years now. Those verses inform my life, my decisions, my writing and my thinking daily.
Paul said to Timothy and to us, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17)."
When it comes to understanding and relating to God, understanding and relating to ourselves and understanding and relating to others - the three important areas of needed knowledge, nothing can substitute for God's Word: not messages, not reading about God's Word or small groups. It is His Word that has power to change our lives through the Holy Spirit. When we neglect the regular reading of His Word the joy of our lives is diminished and the quality of our followership is compromised. Second hand knowledge does not substitute for first hand experience.
Do you have a plan for time in God's Word daily? There are no substitutes. Spiritual formation and time in God's word are inseperable.
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