the power of God's word

James 1:5  NASB

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

This is one of my favorite verses.  It is mine and is a promise from God; one I share often.  It is what I put on the end of letters and some emails.  At a time I needed to understand that pure wisdom is found in the truth of God this was a gift from God.

God gave us His word, the Bible, as a love letter to change our lives, not just our future destinations.  The word of God is intended to shape our lives on a daily basis as we ingest and apply it.  The word of God was fashioned for that purpose in our lives. 

Thomas Watson said, "The devil is always trying to blow out the light of Scripture one way or another."

How we look at the Bible is critical.  Is it simply a best seller or is it God’s word?  Is it full of pithy sayings and poetry or is it life giving and full of purpose?  Is it laced with wisdom and nuggets of Gods thoughts or is it from start to finish God’s word?

I believe it is all God’s word.  I believe that Bible is intended to give us direction and purpose.  It is the Bible that gives us the power of God mingled with the Holy Spirit in us allowing our lives to overflow with meaning.  The Bible helps me live with purpose.

What does God say about the Bible?  Here are the verses that are most often quoted about the Bible. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17  NLT

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.  I believe that inspiration is from God, not man, and it’s 66 books written by numerous men who heard and were driven by God to pen these words.  I believe the Bible is for us and is a gift from God.

The Bible is not only true but has purpose in our lives.  The Bible corrects our wrongs, the Bible teaches us truth, convicts us of wrong and right, the Bible prepares us to do good and to press on to follow and honor God.

What is YOUR VERSE?  Or maybe verses?  What Bible verses does God rush back to your mind when you need them?

The Word of God is a powerful book.  It may seem simple, but the Bible is not.  It gets complicated.  Yet God takes what seems tough and brings it to us for strength and wisdom, insight and peace, correction and direction.  I need that every day!

The Bible doesn’t just contain God’s word.  It is God’s word.  This word changes us.  The Bible changes our lives, our thinking and intertwines us with God Himself.

1 Corinthians 2:13-16  NLT

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

This is the mind of God.  Trust the Word.  Cling to or hold on to it daily.  When the road is tough, hold tight.  When all is well, sing from it’s praise.  The Bible is God revealed to us.  It is YOUR VERSE from God, a gift and more.