Is the Bible beneficial? Is the Bible still relevant? Can the Bible still teach us lessons? These are probably some of the questions that you have in mind upon seeing a Bible, and upon hearing the challenge to read the Bible.
Joshua became the leader of Israel when Moses died. He will eventually lead the people of God to the Promised Land. Before he became a successful leader, God gave him many commands to remember. The commands of God to Joshua can be seen in Joshua chapter 1.
One of the commands of God is to read the Book of Law. Its meaning now is expanded to the whole Bible. Let us now look at Joshua 1:8 and learn from it.
God said to Joshua, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
What lessons can we learn from this verse?
First, it is God who commands us to read the Bible.
If you are a student, then in all probability you will obey the command of your teacher to read the textbook. If you are an employee, then you have probably read the manual of operations of your organization because it was required by your boss.
Now, how about the Bible? If we know that it is God who commands us to read it, then we have to do it. We have to realize that the One who commands us is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Nobody is greater than God. So, let us start reading the Bible.
Second, memorize Bible verses.
God said, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips…” Another translation says, “This Book of Law shall not depart from your mouth…”
God is telling us to keep God’s Word in our mouths by memorizing it. The people during Biblical times memorized Bible verses. They do not have the luxury of having smartphones and printed Bibles. Only a few have scrolls. So, they had to memorize it and pass it on to the next generation.
Jesus answered the Devil with Bible verses. How about us? How many verses have we memorized?
Third, meditate on what is written in the Bible daily.
To meditate is to reflect and to contemplate. God is telling us not just to meditate on Sundays but it should be every day. Another beautiful synonym in the Bible for meditate is to ponder. The Greek meaning of this word is “to stir together” like a cook putting all the ingredients in a pot.
Let us make it a daily habit to read and meditate on what is written in the Bible.
Fourth, put into practice what is written in the Word of God.
God told Joshua, “be careful to do everything written in it.” This means that we should not just do a part of it but all of it. This also means that we should not be careless but instead be careful. We have to be careful to obey what is written.
And what is the result if we do what God has commanded? God said to Joshua, “Then you will be prosperous and successful.” This is indeed what happened to Joshua. This too will happen to us if we read, meditate and obey what is written in the Bible.
May God bless us all!
Sincerely,
Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Director, Office of Communications