Have you ever listened to a great speaker and afterward thought, “Wow, God really spoke to me through that message”? Or maybe you woke up today and read a really good devotional, and you just know that’s what God wanted you to read. Those moments are awesome. God often speaks to us through the words of others.
For me that’s what my relationship with God used to be all about. I’d read all kinds of devotionals and listen to a bunch of different speakers. And although those things continue to be a big part of my walk with Christ, I now know it takes more than that.
I got a lot out of reading those books and listening to those speakers. But something still felt like it was missing. I started to ask myself, "Why do I just accept what someone has to say because they’re standing on a stage or because they wrote a book? Why do I so often assume what I hear from Christians is the truth?"
So decided to make a few adjustments. Instead of only relying on people to tell me God’s truth, I turned to the Bible. Sounds like a simple solution, right? That’s because it is.
But think about it. Have you ever picked up a devotional and left your Bible on the shelf because you just want an “easy read”? Maybe you’re not like that. Maybe getting into God’s word was easy for you right from the start. That wasn’t the case for me.
At first, reading the Bible took discipline. But sooner or later it became a habit - a lifestyle even. I still don’t understand everything I read. I don’t know that I ever will. But it gets easier. Because when you really dig into God’s Word and get serious about your prayer life, things happen. God gets a hold of your life in a way that no devotional book or speaker ever could.
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17I want to hear truth when it’s spoken to me. I want to be able to distinguish God’s truth in man’s words. We live in a world with countless resources. You’ll always be able to find a person - a book - an article that agrees with you. But there’s one resource that you can’t manipulate. It’s the Bible. So take it off the shelf, open it up, and read it. Pray that God will give you wisdom and understanding to read it as He intends us to. Don’t stop using the resources He’s blessed us with - sermons, books, other believers - Just be sure you know God’s truth before accepting everyone else’s.
And don’t just take my word for it. Find out for yourself.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. - Psalm 1:1-3
