Target Point, Vol. 9 of 33 Today's Verse/Thought: Reading the Word
Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8
Life Implication:
The Bible makes it clear that we need to be reading the Word if we are going to be prosperous and successful. We must be careful not to equate what the Bible means as prosperous with earthly possessions or money. REAL prosperity comes in understanding the depths of God and ultimately what He wants for our life. Psalm 119:105 says that the Word of God will be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. If we are not reading the Word we are not realizing the potential for God to illuminate our daily steps and shine His wonderful beacon on the end of our path.
Life Application:
There is a difference between READING God's Word and STUDYING the Bible. With the use of a read through the Bible in a year scheduling system you will do just that-read through the Bible. This is a good habit to form in order to fill yourself up with God's word.
When you read the Bible I suggest having a pen and paper at hand to record significant scripture verses that may awaken something in you. I like to underline them in my Bible and then go back later and re-read them.
STUDYING the Bible means that you are taking a verse, series of verses, or maybe a whole chapter or book and going more in-depth. You may want to separate your READING from your STUDY. If you are in a Bible study with others you may not sense a need to do more. In this case, I suggest that you pick a book and conduct a personal study with the use of your Bible dictionaries and concordances.
Finally, do not be discouraged if you find yourself reading a whole chapter and then not remembering what you just read. It is not uncommon. Just press on and read it anyway. Before you know it, you will have developed a long-lasting hunger for God's Word. Remember what goes in will eventually come out
Tomorrow In TargetPoint:
Purposeful Prayer