The Word To Live By:10-9-25
Phil Waggoner
Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions. Do what I say and you’ll live well. My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it! Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart. Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat insight as your companion. They’ll be with you to fend off the temptress— that smooth-talking, honey-tongued seductress. Proverbs 7:1-5 The Message
The Word to live by: Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. Treasure it as you would your favorite thing in life and you’ll live the life that Jesus came to give you. When I’m asked for some kind of life advise from young people, I will say something from the Bible. It usually starts with, “Make your relationship with God your number one priority through His Word and guard it so that nothing takes priority over it.” I always know if I’m getting through or not by their answer. If they say, “Yeah, I know that but …” I immediately know that they might know it but aren’t taking it seriously. If they say something like, “Yeah, you’re right. I need to do a better job than I have been.” Then I know they are serious about solving their problem. So how do you cultivate a personal relationship with God? By studying the written Word. When I say study, that sounds like studying for a test in school and most of us don’t have that kind of time. But it doesn’t have to be that dramatic. Here’s what I do. Read the Bible every morning and write down a scripture that jumps out at you and what you think it means to your lifestyle. Put the verse on a card or piece of paper you can look at throughout the day and memorize it until it becomes part of you. Speak the Word of God freely in your conversations to yourself and be grateful for it as you would a friend you can trust completely. It will deliver you from temptation and keep you on the right path for the will of God for your life. Then do your day. That whole exercise takes about 15-30 minutes a day and will change and mold your life into what you and God want it to be.
Read through the Bible in a year: Revelation 9; Nehemiah 12; Psalms 104:1-23;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 9, Luke 7:1-25, 2 Thessalonians 3
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160