2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Today’s point: loving God’s Word is a great source of joy and satisfaction for Christians.

I wish I had been taught to love reading God’s Word when I was younger. I wish I had understood reading the Bible wasn’t something to do like a homework assignment, but rather reading God’s Word is good and satisfying. It is satisfying because it is from God.

In the Zone

If you play sports, have you ever played in a game where you were in the zone? You know, when you couldn’t do anything wrong and everything you did was right? That happened to me two times – one time in over 10 years of playing basketball, and one time in six years of playing soccer. I remember how great it felt to do everything right in those two games. I also remember all the games I was frustrated and discouraged, because I didn’t do everything right.

Think about God. To say that God is righteous is to say that He acts in an upright, moral way. God always acts in a right way, because He does not change (Malachi 3:8). He always does what is right. We could say that He is always in the zone. He is never frustrated, discouraged, or unsure of what He does. Imagine how satisfied He must be and how He must feel about all He does!

Not Without Jesus

Jesus is the only way for us to be made right with God. Consider the following:

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who you are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood (Romans 3:22-25a NLT).

Love God’s Word

We are made right with God because Jesus, on the cross, paid the penalty for the sins of His people. Therefore, we don’t do things, like read the Bible to be accepted by God. We read and love God’s Word, because we are already accepted by God through Jesus. That’s grace!

The Bible trains us, as followers of Jesus, to be all that He has made us to be. Read 2 Timothy 3:16 again. The Bible is profitable to train us in righteousness. Or to say it another way, the Bible is profitable to train us live the right way so that we can be happy and satisfied in God. So, read and love God’s Word and be trained to be satisfied in God. You won’t regret it!