The word of God is our lifeline. It is the treasure trove of promises that God has made to us. However, we cannot live for and believe in His promises if we do not know what His promises are. It is in scripture that we find the foundation of faith. To know God is to be in community with Him. We cannot get to know Him if we are not reading what He has written to us. In many ways scripture is God speaking to us. By digging in and learning His words, our faith grows and we move into true friendship with Him. Until we invest time and energy into our relationship with God, as we would with any earthly relationship we want to grow, we cannot hope to live on a path of faith. It is by talking with and learning about God that we become acquainted with this righteous life we are called to.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:16-17 NIV
We must look to God to teach us how to live right. He will show us what to do and where to go. When we listen to Him our life will overflow and the blessings will never end. In order to listen to Him we must know where to go to learn from Him. Scripture is where we must always start. However, everything we consume we are learning from. This means our music, movies, TV shows, people we choose to spend time with, and all the things that we consume on a daily basis are what is teaching us how to live. Peace, joy, comfort and ease of life are ours for the taking. We need to seek God in all things to live right and well.
If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.
Isaiah 48:18 NIV
A Story of Learning God's Promises:
For years I didn’t read the bible. I believed in God. I even went to church. I would read faith and biblically based books. Yet I would never read the bible. I remember one time I told a friend that asked me why I didn’t read it, “I have incredible faith. Besides, I don't really understand the bible. It just confuses me.” Looking back on that statement I realize how silly it sounds.
This same friend gave me the Message version bible for my birthday. She encouraged me to try a different version than I had been exposed to before. I didn’t do it right away, but eventually the spirit moved me to commit to reading one chapter a day.
It has been 3 years since I made that commitment. In those 3 years I have been transformed more times than I can count. God grows my capacity daily. My life is truly a reflection of the blessings He promises. I can’t believe I might have never known all He has for me. The bible is a never ending wealth of new things to learn. I can’t wait to consume more everyday.
- Anonymous
Strengthen the Christian Planner Family by sharing your experiences. We'd love to hear a story about God's work in your life. Use the form linked below to submit your story.
Considerations for your planner:
- Write down the promises you know for your life that are from God. Use finding His promises for you as motivation to be in His word.
- Write down what you are consuming today. Not food, but everything you are hearing today. This is what you are learning.
