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GETTING INTO THE WORD OF GOD ALLOWS THE WORD OF GOD TO GET INTO US!

How have the times in YOUR Bible been going so far?  Are you becoming more familiar with YOUR OWN “equipment”; YOUR OWN copy of the Scriptures?  Have you made a genuine effort to regularly spend time with God and His Word?   My challenge to the church has been to make 2010 “The Year of the Bible.”  As Christians, we need to get into the Word of God so the Word of God can get into us!  Those who do, experience endless benefits!  No one else is going to read YOUR Bible for you; for you to get the benefits, YOU have to do the reading. 

I have been reading the book of Deuteronomy in my quiet times.  This book is a sermon – described as a series of sermons or the longest sermon in the Bible.  This message presents Moses, standing on the Plains of Moab with all Israel assembled before him.  He is preaching his last sermon, where, when he finishes instructing the nation of Israel one last time, he will leave his pulpit on the plains, climb a mountain and die, completing his mission and going to be with the Lord.  In Deuteronomy 17, we see Moses discussing Israel’s desire to have an earthly king.  I could discuss why Israel would have been better off to just follow God as their King, but they wanted an earthly king just like the surrounding nations did.  What stood out to me is how Moses instructed whoever was going to be the earthly king.  You see, in the eyes of God it didn’t really matter “who” was the king, but rather what that person did and how they led the people.  Deuteronomy 17: 18-20 says, “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites.  It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees……..then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”

The Message translation puts it this way in “This is what must be done: When he sits down on the throne of the kingdom, the first thing he must do is make himself a copy of this Revelation on a scroll, copied under the supervision of the Levitical priests.  That scroll is to remain at his side at all times; he is to study it every day so that he may learn what it means to fear God, living in reverent obedience before these rules and regulations by following them….If he reads and learns, he will have a long reign as king in Israel, he and his sons.”

Do you see what is going on here?  I have never read this passage in this way but it seems plain as day.  In order for the king to be faithful and successful, he must continually read, study, and apply the Word of God in his life.  It is always more important that whoever is leading is personally seeking God and exposing themselves to His Word continually, because it is the Holy Spirit that is actually doing the work.  If we seek God and spend time with Him in His Word, He will guide us, teach us, and protect us!  Even in this Old Testament passage we see how God is emphasizing the importance of personal Bible study and time with Him.  It is my passion to encourage and help as many people as possible to fall in love with THEIR Bibles and their personal time in it.  After you catch the fire, pass it on to others!

In closing, the next sermon series will be on how to “Raise G-Rated Kids in an X-Rated World.”  We have several families in our church that have been asking about such things, and we can all benefit from seeing how God instructs us in His Word on raising up the next generation of His people.  God Bless and don’t forget, Read YOUR Bible!!  God loves you and so do I………….

Pastor Doug