Why is God’s Word, the Bible, so important to us as followers of Jesus?
There are many reasons why, but today, let’s start with just one:
God’s Book reveals God’s thoughts.
If you want to know what God thinks, if you want to know His will, if you want to know His opinion, you should look in the Scriptures.
In Isaiah 55:8–9 God says this:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Some people stop right there and say, “If God’s thoughts are higher than ours, His ways as high as the heavens, you can never know them. They’re just a mystery.”
But God didn’t stop there. Yes, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Yes, His ways are higher than our ways. But then He begins with a metaphor and tells us something that He’s done. The next verse, verse 10, and start of verse 11, read:
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth.”
So yes, God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, but His thoughts have come down. Just like the rain has come down. Just like the snow has come down.
That means we can know what God thinks on a whole variety of topics.
We can know God’s opinion of sickness, sex, raising kids, managing money, dealing with difficult people inside the church and outside of the church, how to treat the elderly, how to respond to governmental authority, how to love a brother, how to treat an enemy, and on and on.
God’s will is not meant to be some unsolvable enigma.
God wants us to know His thoughts. God wants us to know His will. He gave us a Book so that we can know His thoughts. He gave us a Book so that we can know His will.
But there are many more reasons to fall more deeply in love with the Bible. Let me just highlight a few of them:
- Scripture illuminates your path. (Psalm 119:104–105)
- It feeds your spirit. (Jeremiah 15:16 and 1 Peter 2:2)
- God’s Word is your ONLY offensive weapon against the enemy. (Ephesians 6:7)
I can’t overemphasize how great a treasure we have in the Bible. It shows us God’s thoughts, lights our path, feeds our soul, and arms us for battle.
That’s why I pray that you will have a love affair with God’s Book. You cannot truly know God in an intimate way apart from His Word. It can bring you into a close relationship with Him.
So I want to challenge you today to commit to spending time in God’s Word. Fall in love with this treasure God has given you.
And as you read the Bible, take time to meditate on what it says. Let it sink into your mind and permeate your thoughts, so that as you hear what God is saying to you, you can put it into action.
I guarantee that there is no better investment of your time you can make than taking time each day to get to know God more intimately through careful study of the Bible.
