2. I must Assimilate its Truths
- By Listening to God's Word
- By Reading God's Word
# Get a paper Bible
# Set aside time to read it
# Have a plan
# Don't just read the Bible, let the Bible read you!

For further discussion:

The Christian life is all about growing in our relationship with God – and if we want to get to know God, we have to get to know His Word! John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” This verse indicates that “The Word” and Jesus are one and the same. We have direct, tangible access to the Word every day, and if we are dedicated to studying it, we can know and love Jesus more and more as we grow in our knowledge and love of the Bible. One of the key things we need to understand about the Word is that just as Jesus himself is alive, the Bible is also alive. The Word comes alive in our life through meditation, revelation and faith. Faith activates the Word, but revelation activates faith, and revelation is the product of meditation. The activation of the Word in our life begins with our willingness to read it and meditate on its truth. Now, more than just having the Word in our life, we want it to be the foundation upon which we build our life. Next, we must assimilate its truths; we need to adjust our life to fit what the Word says. We do this by listening to the Word as it is preached in church, reading God’s Word on our own, and exploring the Word in study and discussion with others in small groups. And finally, we must apply the Word’s principles. It’s not enough to just know what the Bible says – we need to do what it tells us to do. This kind of life, built on God’s Word, is a life built on solid rock. Though storms may come, we will not be shaken because our foundation is secure in truth!

“The words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock.” – Matthew 7:24 MSG

Discussion Questions

Share what meditation looks like to you.

What are some practical ways that you can implement meditation into your daily routine?

How do we help other believers understand that the wisdom or opinions of other sources do not hold equal weight to that of the Word?

What does your time in the Word look like each day?

What steps can you take this week to approach the Bible more intentionally?

Prayer Focus

Thank God for giving you access to His heart and His thoughts through the Word. Ask Him to help you get to know Him better this year through the Word. Pray for revelation as you read the Word so that your faith will grow, activating the Word in your life. Pray for the wisdom to apply its principles to every area of your life so that you can build a life on the solid foundation of the Bible.

Next Step

Make a commitment to studying God’s Word this year. Decide ahead of time that you will attend church weekly in order to hear the Word preached often. Set aside a time each day when you will read the Word, and set up practical ways to meditate on what you read.