What are you thankful for?

What are you thankful for?

Most of us would say we are thankful for our families, those close to us, what God has given us and maybe even that God has used us for His will and glory.

I'm certainly thankful for my family as well and the things that God has given me in my life. The understanding that he gives, the wisdom he imparts, the ability he enhances and so on.  I'm truly blessed, my cup runs over and over.  Your cup will run over too if you will only allow Him to bless you.

You're probably saying, "allow, what are you talking about, God can bless me anytime." 

There's no doubt that he certainly desires to bless each of us in many different ways. Sometimes we can actually keep Him from blessing us. We can miss out on blessings because we do not serve Him, or in some cases when we don't serve Him for the right reasons.

We should not serve Him for a reward in Heaven or for any recognition that we might get here on earth, or the stature we might gain in the community, church, or family of friends. That would be serving Him in vain.  We serve God because it is our duty as a Christian to serve Him. It's what we're supposed to do, use our talents to serve Him.

I've said all that to say this, I am so thankful for God's Word!  The Bible!  It endures forever.  It feeds us, it fills us, it is the source of our nourishment as Christians and by it we will grow or mature spiritually. I Peter 1:25 says, "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever..."

God's Word is eternal, it never changes.  It might have been written nearly 2000 years ago, but it was written for us today.  It's our source of inspiration, doctrine, guidance, reproof, and spiritual food.  


You don't have to attend a Bible Conference debating whether or not God's Word is meant for us or applies to us today.  It does, one-hundred percent of it!

Unfortunately though there are things that might creep up on us in our life that might inhibit us from getting the nutrition from the Word that we should.

1 Peter 2:1 says, "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings."  Just as there are diseases in our physical life that inhibit us from getting the nutrition our body needs to grow and stay healthy, the same is true for our spiritual body.  Spiritually we need the nutrition of the Word, the more nutrients we get from His Word, the healthier we'll be. Unfortunately there are things in our life that might inhibit the benefit the spiritual food the Word provides.

Such things are the bad attitudes, hatred or anger, deception or disobedience, living a hypocritical life, and of course just plain sin.

The more that we study His word, the closer that we will be to Him.  The healthier our spirit will become.  We will grow spiritually.  We're getting fed from the Word.  But these inhibitors will likely keep us from studying His word, praying, serving Him, and we'll move farther way from Him.  Spiritually speaking, we'll become sick, and we could even die to Him spiritually.  We won't lose our salvation, but we could be as useless to Him as a physically dead person.

Have you ever known someone close to God who serves Him with all their heart who doesn't study His word?  I doubt that you do. But I'm sure you and I both could list many names people who seem to be dead Christians who never open the Word of God and study it!  Christians who have sin in their life will inhibit the Word from speaking to them as well.

Growing in Christ requires action on our part.  Being a Christian requires action on our part.  Becoming a Christian is a result of His action, sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins!

The more you study His Word, the closer you will grow to Him and then the more you will serve Him.  And of course as a result, the more you'll be blessed by Him. This doesn't mean you will be without trials and tribulations in your life.  Trials and tribulations will happen to all of us, the Bible tells us that.  We are to count them joy, not because we have them, but because God works through them, and because we grow and mature spiritually and in our Christian walk and life as a result of them.  

The closer we draw to Christ, the more Satan will work to distract us which, if successful, will inhibit us from receiving the nutrients from His Word that He intends for us to receive.

I am so thankful for the Word of God, the effect It has on us as Christians to allow us to grow and mature, the guidance and direction it gives us in our lives, and the substance or nutrients it provides, that we need as Christians.

The Lord is truly gracious!  If you have tasted His Word, you know that.  If you have tasted His salvation, you know that! 

Stay in the Word!  Study the Word!  Spend time researching, praying, seeking wisdom and understanding from His Word.  God, the author of our Salvation, is the author of the Bible as well, shouldn't Christians read His Book?

Some Christians might just read the Bible and say, "I've read it" and they're done.  But it's more than just reading, it's studying, searching, re-reading over and over.  The more you read it, the more blessed you'll be.

I can't guarantee many things, but I can guarantee you this, the more you read it, the more you will be blessed!  

Allow Him to bless you, read His Word!  You'll be thankful you did!