DAILY BIBLE READING:
2 Samuel 14:1–15:22
John 18:1-24
Psalm 119:97-112
Proverbs 16:8-9
BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:
Psalm 119:103-104 (CSB) "How sweet your word is to my taste - sweeter than honey in my mouth. I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way."
REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):
The Psalmist didn't read God's Word because he had to. He read it because he wanted to. It was "sweeter than honey in (his) mouth."
And as a result of spending time reading and meditating on God's Word, he "gain(ed) understanding" and "hate(d) every false way." He became more astute in how he thought about life and he despised what he understood to be sin.
So, the Word of God was a catalyst in the Psalmist's life to develop wisdom and a distaste for sin. And he spent much time in it because he loved reading and meditating on God's Word.
Friend, do you enjoy your time in God's Word? Is it as enjoyable to you as a sweet dessert? If you don't enjoy your time in the Bible, you won't spend sufficient time in it and you won't benefit from your exposure to it.
Why not ask God to give you a hunger for His Word today. Then take your responsibility seriously by spending time reading it, thinking deeply about it, and looking for ways to apply it.
Oftentimes, our appetite will increase as we spend more time at the supper table.
DAILY BIBLE READING:
1 Samuel 2:22–4:22
John 5:24-47
Psalm 106:1-12
Proverbs 14:30-31
BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:
John 5:39-40 "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life."
REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):
Our Verses for Today provide a very powerful perspective on Scripture. They tell us what the Bible is ultimately about.
Jesus said that the Jews "pored over the Scriptures" in their attempt to gain eternal life. They treated the Scriptures as an end in themselves. They saw them as a list of "dos" and "don'ts". They thought that if they could comply closely enough to the Biblical standard that they would inherit eternal life.
But, Jesus said that they got it all wrong. The Scriptures were not an end in themselves. They were the means to an end.
What was the end? What do the Scriptures point to?
Jesus!
John 5:39 "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me." (emphasis mine)
Did you get that? The Bible isn't the end of the road. It is a road sign pointing to Jesus.
But, the next verse gets even more specific. The Scriptures don't simply point to Jesus. They tell us how "to come to (Him)." They tell us how to gain eternal life through Jesus and enjoy relationship with Him. Unfortunately, the Jews didn't (wouldn't) connect the dots.
John 5:40 "But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life."
So, this morning as you pick up your Bible, don't simply read the words. Don't simply look for the dos and don'ts. Look for Jesus! Look for what it says about how you can enjoy fellowship with Him.
Because, when you see Jesus, you've come to understand the true meaning of the passage of Scripture.
DAILY BIBLE READING:
