Introductory Thoughts
The Lord laboured to reveal, inspire, and preserve His words for man to read, learn, and study. Did He do so but then insure that no one could possibly understand? No! The Lord gave man His word with the expectation that each believer would read it and heed what it says. In Isaiah 34:16, the Lord commanded His people to “Seek . . . out of the book of the LORD, and read.” In fact, a constant theme of the Lord’s rebukes, during His earthly ministry, pertained to man’s failure to read the scriptures. In Matthew 12:3, the Lord rebuked the Pharisees for their failure to read about the exploits of David. In another place, the Lord rebuked the Sadducees by saying, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The Lord obviously expected His people to know and heed His word.
Devotional Thoughts
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(For children): Children who have yet to learn how to read can learn the scripture this way. Start with simple verses like 1 John 4:19. Take their finger and point to each word. You say the word then have them repeat the word. Do the same verse a few days in a row. They will learn to recognize some words and be excited that they are reading Gods word.
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(For everyone): Do you have the words of God? Do you spend quality time reading those words? What benefits do you find from faithfully reading your Bible?
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If the Lord returned today, would He rebuke you for your failure to spend time in His word? Would you hear statements similar to those expressed to the Pharisees and Sadducees?
Prayer Thoughts
- Ask the Lord to give you a desire to read His word.
- Ask the Lord to convict you when you fail to do so.
Song
BREAK THOU THE BREAD OF LIFE
