Growing in Righteousness
Scripture is one of the most important aspects of our Christian spirituality.
God has chosen to speak to us through His Word. Rather than waiting around to hear the voice of God, we can turn to Scripture and hear God speaking to us.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us first and foremost that Scripture is God-breathed. This means that it is inspired by God. This makes Scripture unlike any other book. God divinely inspired human authors to write these letters.
More than that, Scripture has the power to radically change our lives if we read it and live it out. Paul tells us that Scripture is able to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us in righteousness. All of these things are happening when we choose to engage in God’s Word.
When we read God’s Word, we should be attentive to what God is communicating to us. He may want to correct some of our behavior, convict us of choosing our own way instead of His, or teach us something about Himself.
All of these things are so that we can continue to live in a way that pleases God.
As we read Scripture and do what it says, we grow in living righteously. We are also equipped for the good works that God wants us to do.
Engaging with God’s Word is the primary way that God equips us for the life He planned for us.
What ways can you continue to build a habit of reading God’s Word every day? Consider how you can better live out what God’s Word says so that you can grow in righteousness and accomplish all God wants for you.
I just started to read “Why Grace Changes Everything” by Chuck Smith. The introduction by Raul Ries has brought back my journey to accepting Christ.
I was a preteen, I remember wanting to read “Joni” by Joni Erickson (now Tada) and the “Cross and the Switchblade” by David Wilkerson. This sparked something in me but I wasn’t sure. Then I became friends with teen a little older than me who introduced me to the Bible. But it would be years later that I made my impassioned plead to the Lord only to backslide a few years later. Then another friend took me to Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia and it was there that I rededicated my life to the Lord. And is there that the Lord has been dealing with my sin through grace until this day. I am a work in progress because I have things that come to light from my past that may hold me from things the Lord has for me.
I am looking forward to reading this book just by reading a short part of the introduction. It may inspire me to write about my own ...