Reading the Bible and receiving it into your heart allows the Word of God to work in you.

When we really see ourselves for what we are without God, we understand how desperate we are for God to work in our lives. From the moment we are conceived sin begins its work within us. We are all broken by its effects. We understand the truth of these words, SIN DESTROYS! Because we all have experienced the fruit of sin— our bad choices and actions. But there is something stronger than the sin that can works in our lives. It is the Word of God, the Bible. It has an opposite effect on us. It gives life! But in order for the Word to work in is we have to receive it.

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV

God wants to break the power of the sin working in us. But we have to receive the Word of God in order for that power to be broken.

We can call out to God in prayer and ask for Him to work in our lives and to change us and that is good! But He does that work inside of us by His Word! This is why it is imperative that we take the Word of God into us by reading the Bible, thinking on what it says throughout our day, internalizing it by memorizing it, etc. If we want the Word to work we must take it in.

I’m doing laundry right now. I could run my machine all day long, over and over on the same load, just the water. It might help a little. But if I want the clothes clean I must apply the soap.

You and I can live our lives to the best of our abilities. But if we want to experience God working in our life we must apply the WORD! May we ask ourselves, what is at work in me sin that comes naturally, or the Word that must be received and applied?

Reading the Bible Decreases the Likelihood of Living Your Life in Error.
When I was in high school I took classes on computer programming. In fact, when I started college it was my major (one semester of College Algebra and all the college level math changed my mind on that one… 😂) However programming I enjoyed!
Programming in the 80’s in Basic or Pascal languages was tedious. One little semi colon or asterisk off and the whole function you worked on would not work. It was in error!
Our lives as Christians are much like a computer program I would create in the 80’s. One little detail not built on the truth of God’s Word and we are in error.
Jesus warned against this:

“Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These words were spoken to men who thought they knew God and His ways. But their “error” came from not really knowing the Scriptures, or in our terminology- the Bible. They also did not know the power of God. Their “error” kept their hearts far from the God they thought they had figured out by their own ways and traditions.
Our culture promotes views of God that simply are in Error. Our traditions and our ways can put us in Error as well.
God does not fit into a box that we define and create for Him. Because God is the one who defines and creates. The only way to not be in Error in how we see God is to know Him by how He defines Himself. That would only be in Scripture!
The question remains… How do I know if I am in Error in my thoughts, my feelings, my life?

“For the kingdom of God is… of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Do you have peace? Do you know you are in right standing with God- no sin separating you from Him? Are you experiencing His joy?
If you live in God’s Kingdom, His rule and reign, this will be your daily experience.
If you are in turmoil, distanced from God by sin, and living in depression and sadness, ask God to show you if you are “in error”. Could this “error” be because you do not know God through His Word?
Reading the Bible daily, memorizing it, and practicing what it says is what keeps us from living our lives in Error.

Bible Reading can Be Attempted at Home! (In fact it is imperative that it is!)
To be honest with you I had not really seen just how important reading the Bible was until I started writing this series. I knew God wanted me to read the Bible. I knew He mentioned it in His Word. I read my Bible daily, but I did not really see what a priority God wants it to be in our lives. So much so that He inspired the Words of these verses that Jesus, Himself, quoted as the greatest command:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He followed those words with the importance of us knowing, memorizing, and talking about the Word in our homes and to our children:

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why is reading, knowing, and memorizing the scripture so important to God? God is His Word and His Word is God!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

That Word is Jesus! If we want to love Jesus with all of our hearts, soul, and strength we have to know Him. I cannot fully love someone I do not fully KNOW!
If we want our families to know Jesus we have to be the ones to introduce Him to them. That is why we need to talk about His Word as we go about our daily lives. We need speak of His Word in our homes. We need to set His Word before us at all times.
But here is the kicker. We cannot impart what we do not have. If we want our families to follow God and experience the benefits of knowing Him. We have to KNOW Him. It starts with US!

According to the Guinness Book of World Records the Bible is the best selling book of all time.
Statistically speaking, most Americans own Bibles 85% of American homes have Bibles. The average number of Bibles that are in US homes is 4.3 per household. And the popular Bible App YouVersion celebrated 500 million installs on electronic devices
in 2021.
But this does not mean that our nation as a whole is reading the Bible. Research showed that on 2021 only 11 percent of Americans read their Bible daily.

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have been having a drought in Missouri. My grass in my yard was dying and dry. But the past week we have had rain. This morning I noticed as I went out on my deck to pray how GREEN the yard is. What a difference a few days of rain has made!
Most of us live in a SELF IMPOSED spiritual drought! Our lives are DEAD to God in many ways. He seems distant and so we struggle with fear, anxiety, anger, jealousy, etc. We go from one bad day to the next. Notice I said “SELF IMPOSED”. We have access to the living water of the Word of God! (John 4:10) Yet we refuse to engage with it in our lives!
Psalms 1 states that a person whose life is connected to the Word of God/ the Bible is like a tree that has ample supply of water. That tree is vibrant!
Are you in a spiritual drought and dead inside? Or are you fully alive in God? Check your connection to the living Water of the Word of God!

https://www.statista.com/statistics/299433/bible-readership-in-the-usa/#:~:text=A%20survey%20from%202021%20found,to%2029%20percent%20of%20respondents.

Reading the Bible four or more days a week will decrease the impact and power of emotional struggles in your life!

For more than eight years the Center for Bible Engagement has researched the spiritual lives of more than 100,000 people from around the world. Engaging in the Bible most days of the week is critical to grow in the Christian faith.
Their findings include:
Receiving reflecting on and responding to God’s Word four or more times a week decreases a persons “odds” of struggling with issues such as bitterness, critical thinking towards self and others, depression , discouragement, loneliness, and unforgiveness.

“The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Based on the findings from the study “Understanding the Bible Engagement Challenge: Scientific Evidence for the Power of 4” by the Center for Bible Engagement

https://bttbfiles.com/web/docs/cbe/Scientific_Evidence_for_the_Power_of_4.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2ybX_LGpMZ5fyOadIwUa2u1VqKgxD1Pi3u4CcH9qxjIvFSX8HYfvmVVXs_aem_ATVyHcBRxif3TviDv0WuJF-rIwRulbz-M_z-2qbG_65xxntWD-2LKtYv2iKqXQEtjQM&mibextid=Zxz2cZ