Treasure God’s Word (3)

Thu, 21 Jun 2018

‘Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.’ Colossians 3:16 NLT

As you fill your mind with God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will use it to transform you. ‘Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives…with all the wisdom He gives.’ How do you do that?

(1) By reading it. If you read the newspaper but not the Bible, you won’t grow spiritually. You can’t watch TV for three or four hours, then read your Bible for three or four minutes and expect growth. How can you say you believe the Bible from cover to cover, when you haven’t read it from cover to cover? ‘[We] should…read from it every day.’ (Deuteronomy 17:19 NCV) If you read your Bible for just fifteen minutes a day, you’ll read completely through it once a year. If you cut out just one thirty-minute television programme daily, you can read it through twice a year. Daily Bible reading keeps you within range of God’s voice. Do you want to grow spiritually? Develop a daily Bible reading plan and stick with it.

(2) By receiving it. In the ‘Parable of the Sower’ Jesus talks about three unreceptive attitudes: a closed mind (hard soil), a superficial mind (shallow soil), and a distracted mind (soil with weeds) (see Luke 8:5–15). He then goes on to say, ‘Consider carefully how you listen.’ (Luke 8:18 NIV) Any time you’re not learning, check your attitude, especially for pride, because God can speak to you through the most boring teacher if you’re humble and receptive. James says, ‘Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.’ (James 1:21 NIV) These aren’t just good ideas; they’re life-changing principles!