This is The Way – Devo Day 1

Introduction to the Devotional

It is no accident that early followers of Jesus where known as belonging to The Way. It probably originated from Jesus when he referred to himself as “the way” (John 14:6). It is clear that early Christians identified with a “way” that was not the Jewish faith or the Roman culture in which they lived. It embraced a destination, a path, and a traveling companion that set them apart. The principles and disciplines of The Way have not lost their veracity or their benefit to the followers of Jesus even to this day. And we would be wise to learn them and incorporate them into our lives – This is The Way.

Why Should We Study the Word of God?

Many people, even professing Christians, respect the Bible, even consider it to be God’s Word, but don’t read it, much less study it. And even among those that read the Bible, there are many that don’t obey it as they know they should.

So why should we study the Bible? We know that God commands us to study His Word (2 Tim. 2:15), and we know we must obey that command, but there are other reasons. I’ve listed several of them below, but note this is not an exhaustive list and that these are not necessarily in order of importance.

We Should Study the Word of God because of Who Wrote It and Who it is about

The major theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. We must never forget that the way we treat the Bible is the way we treat Jesus Christ. Jesus is the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1–14) and the Bible is the inspired written Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16–17), and you cannot separate the two.

I’m sure you get the point: the way we treat the Bible is the way we treat Jesus Christ. If we ignore the Bible, we are ignoring Jesus. If we read and understand God’s Word but don’t obey it, we are disobeying Jesus. On the other hand, to love God’s Word, learn it, and live it means to love our Lord, know Him better, and introduce Him to others more readily. Just as Jesus counseled His disciples, so the Bible counsels us as we are guided by the Holy Spirit (John 16:12–15; Ps. 119:24, 169; 2 Tim. 3:14–17).

WE SHOULD STUDY THE WORD OF GOD BECAUSE OF WHat It Is

Look at some of the word pictures that describe the Bible in the Bible. The Bible is compared to gold and honey. “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Ps. 19:9–10). The Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Is not My word like fire … and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jer. 23:29).

The Bible is like a lamp: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). The Bible is like food for the inner person. It is milk (1 Cor. 3:1–3; Heb. 5:11–13; 1 Pet. 2:2), solid food (Heb. 5:11–14), bread (Matt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3), and honey (Ps. 19:9–10).

God’s Word is also a mirror (James 1:23–25). In His parable of the sower, Jesus compared the Word to seed (Matt. 13:1–9, 18–33). Paul wrote about the cleansing power of the “water by the word” (Eph. 5:25–26), a metaphor Jesus also used in the upper room (John 13:10; 15:3). Keep in mind that water for washing represents the Word of God, while water for drinking represents the Spirit of God (John 7:37–38). The Word of God is also a sword (Eph. 6:17 and Heb. 4:12). In fact, when the people heard Peter preach at Pentecost, they were “cut to the heart” by the Word of God (Acts 2:37).

WE SHOULD STUDY THE WORD OF GOD BECAUSE it strengthens our spirit

Prayer and the Word of God must always go together. The prophet Samuel prayed for the people and taught them the Scriptures (1 Sam. 12:23–24). The apostles said, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4); and Jesus promised, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7). King David wrote in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

The Word of God teaches us how to pray and what to pray for; otherwise, we risk praying in vain. We read the Bible, meditate on its truths, and obey its commands not because we want to debate people or show off what we think we know but because we love Jesus and want to be more and more like Him. The Word of God in our hearts and minds is one of the Holy Spirit’s tools to mold us into the image of Christ, which is God’s goal for each of us (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18; Col 3:10).

WE SHOULD STUDY THE WORD OF GOD BECAUSE The Enemy knows it

When Jesus faced Satan’s temptations, He overcame him by using the Scriptures (Matt. 4:1–11). But Satan also quoted the Scripture! Read Psalm 91:11–12 and Matthew 4:5–6. Satan quoted the verses, but Jesus deflected each of the Evil One’s quotes with another verse. The Bible does not contradict itself, but the truths found in the Bible must be kept in balance with the whole. Jesus said to Satan, “It is written again …” (Matt. 4:7). One of my seminary professors used to remind the class that “a text out of context is a pretext,” and he was right. It’s so important that we see the context of the whole counsel of God and not just a snippet here and there.

Questions to Ponder

1. What are your current Bible reading and devotional practices? Are they regular, sporadic or non-existant?
2. Do you need a new plan? If so, what would it look like? What are you going to do to ensure it happens?
3. What benefits will accrue to you if you draw nearer to God, listen to Him, and obey what He says?
4. How might the Word of God help you in your life, your work, your family, and your relationships?