Topic: Get a Grip on God’s Word[RICK WARREN Devotional  10 SEPTEMBER  2024]

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Get a Grip on God’s Word

by Rick Warren — September 10, 2024
From 40 Days of Prayer

“The message of his grace . . . is able to build you up and give you the blessings God has for all his people.”

Acts 20:32 (GNT)

The Bible is your soul food. When you feed on the Word of God, you grow. You can’t be physically healthy if you eat junk food all the time. In the same way, you can’t be spiritually healthy unless you feed on the truth of God’s Word.

Would you like to have all the blessings that God has for you? Of course you would! I want that for you too. 

How do you get those blessings? They’re a direct result of spiritual maturity. The Bible says, “The message of his grace . . . is able to build you up and give you the blessings God has for all his people” (Acts 20:32 GNT).

What does it mean for the message of God’s grace to build you up and give you blessings? It means that, when you grow in spiritual maturity, God can give you all the blessings he has for you. There are some gifts you can’t give young children because they aren’t mature enough for them yet. In the same way, there are some gifts God wants to give you, but he’s waiting for you to grow up.

You can actually use your hand to help you remember how to use the Bible to grow in spiritual maturity. You feed on the Word of God by doing six things: You hear God’s Word—that’s your pinky finger. You read it—that’s your ring finger. You study it—that’s your middle finger. You memorize it—that’s your pointer finger. Then, you meditate on it—that’s your thumb. Your palm represents applying God’s Word.

It’s important to do all six of those things as you feed on God’s Word.

Think of it this way: If the only spiritual input you get is hearing the Word of God at church, then you won’t have a very strong understanding of it—just like you can’t have a very strong grip with just your pinky finger. In fact, some studies suggest we forget as much as 95 percent of everything we hear within 72 hours! If the only exposure you have to God’s Word is hearing it at church, then Satan will be able to steal your joy pretty easily.

But if you hear the Word of God and then you read it every day, you’ve got a better grip. Satan can’t pull it away from you as quickly. Then if you hear it and read it and study it, then you’ve got an even stronger grip.

When you do all six things—hear, read, study, memorize, meditate on, and apply it—you’ll have a firm, strong grip on God’s Word. No one will be able to take it away from you. And you’ll find yourself growing toward spiritual maturity and receiving the blessings that come with it.

Talk It Over

• To grow, you need to commit to spending time in God’s Word every day. Set yourself a goal to study the Bible for the same amount of time, at the same time every day for the next six weeks. (You could even commit to just five minutes a day!) Put it in writing and tell a trusted friend who can help hold you accountable.
• What are the biggest distractions that keep you from studying the Bible every day? Are those things more important to you than growing spiritually?
• What does it mean to meditate on God’s Word?

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