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Reward Yourself: Open the Word of God and Read

 

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

By Joseph Parker

Reprinted from American Family Association

 

In the book of Exodus 15:1 (NKJV) we are told  :

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

God is our exceedingly great reward. Therefore, His Word – Jesus Christ – is our exceedingly great reward. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Therefore, the written Word of God is our exceedingly great “reward.”

So, when you make time to read and meditate on the Word of God, you reward yourself. God’s Word is a reward we can give to ourselves every time we spend time in the Word of God.

A question that may come to some might be:  In what way or ways is the Word of God a reward to me? Why should I consider God’s Word a reward?

Well, I’m glad you asked.

A believer’s daily time in the Word of God is so much more productive and fruitful than any of us as people of God fully understand.

Great are the blessings of spending time one-on-one with the Lord Jesus as we read and meditate on His Word each day.

The following are 11 excellent reasons to read the Word of God every day:

  1. It tells you how to be genuinely saved and how to grow up in your faith. See John 3:16, Psalm 119:105, Romans 12:1-2, and Philippians 4:6-7.
  2. It gives you clear guidance and direction for much of your life (Psalm 119:105).
  3. It empowers your prayer life (Philippians 4:6-7).
  4. It sharpens your ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit more and more clearly in your life (1 Corinthians 1:5).
  5. It ministers to your mind, body, and spirit (Proverbs 4:20-22).
  6. It helps you to maintain your mental health, according to Dr. Paul Meier (Proverbs 4).
  7. It increases the anointing on every area of your life (1 Corinthians 1:5).
  8. It increases your wisdom in every area of your life (Proverbs 1 – 4).
  9. It enhances your intellect and your personality. It can literally increase your IQ (1 Corinthians 1:5).
  10. It pours grace, joy, and peace into your spirit, your mind and your life. See 2 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, and Galatians 5:22.
  11. In direct statements or in principle, it gives you guidance and/or direction about every issue or topic in life (Psalm 119:105).

Remember reading three chapters of the Bible daily will bless you a lot!

Seven wise ways to use the Word of God every day:

  1. Read It.
  2. Hear It.
  3. Believe It.
  4. Speak It.
  5. Obey It.
  6. Pray It.
  7. Meditate On It.

Psalm 119:105 tells us “Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” 

Proverbs 4:20-22 says :

My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.

It’s impossible to exaggerate the good and the blessings God pours into the life of a believer who delights in the Word of God by spending serious time reading and meditating on God’s Word every day. Psalm 1 shares below:

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Remember that reading three chapters in the Bible daily will bless your life a lot!  And parents, be mindful that having each of your children read aloud three chapters to you from the Word of God each day is extremely fruitful in the life of each of your children.