Sunday Worship at 11AM | 4967 Fincher Rd., Canton, GA 30114

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)

I’m convinced that one reason people don’t spend more time reading the Bible, meditating on the Scripture, praying for understanding, and actively seeking to apply it to their lives is because they don’t know how powerful the Word of God is.

Recently, my beautiful bride Amber bought me an elliptical for Father’s Day. For the past year or so I’ve been on a mission to get more physically healthy. For the past few weeks, I’ve been making time to complete a workout on the elliptical each day and I’ve been weighing myself every few days to monitor my progress. Can you guess some of the top reasons that people who really want to see themselves get healthy give up?

1. It’s too hard
2. They don’t have time
3. The results take too long

OK, so those reasons probably aren’t scientific, they are just from my own experience. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been overweight. I’m not overweight because I want to be or because I enjoy it. I’m overweight because I hate working out and I like eating orange slices (not the fruit, the heavenly candy)! But there is one that sticks out in my mind from my list that I want to talk about: the results take too long.

I’m convinced that the reason so many people give up so easily on reading, studying, and applying the Scriptures to their lives is because they don’t always see the results they want quickly enough. The cycle goes like this:

1. I want to be a better husband
2. Someone told me the Bible can tell me how to do that
3. I read and try some of what I read
4. My marriage doesn’t immediately get better
5. The Bible, God, and the church thing failed
6. I give up

Have you discounted the power of the Word of God? Have you given up on reading, studying, and applying the Scripture because you aren’t seeing the results you expected? God promised to complete the good work He started in your life (Philippians 1:6). You may not see exactly how God is moving or understand why He isn’t working where you wish He was, but you can trust He is faithfully molding you and shaping you to be more like Jesus.

I’d like to end today’s devotion with a reminder about the power of the Word of God. In the Gospels we see that Jesus is driven into the wilderness before His public ministry began, to be tempted by Satan (see Matthew 4:1-11). Over the course of 40 days, Jesus was fasting. Near the end of the 40 days, when Jesus was physically exhausted, weak, and near the point of starvation, in comes the Tempter. Over the course of three specific temptations, Satan tries to destroy the ministry of Jesus. Any guesses on how Jesus responded to the temptations of Satan? Scripture.

Satan tempts. Jesus responds with Scripture to combat the temptations. Eventually Satan flees in defeat. Today I challenge you to remember: the Word of God is powerful. Maybe I could say it like this: first, the man reads the Word of God then the Word of God reads the man. If you are seeking true, Christ honoring transformation, it’s time to read, study, and apply the Word of God intentionally, consistently, and purposefully.

Father, thank You for the living, powerful, active Word that You have given us. Jesus, I am thankful that You are the Living Word of God. Lord, please teach me the importance and show me the power of Your Word. Help me to stop discounting the importance of the Scripture because I’m not seeing the results, I thought I would as fast as I had expected. Holy Spirit, please help me not to be discouraged but to have an overwhelming desire to read and know Jesus more through the Bible. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Categories: Devotion