Bible Reading for: December 25

2 Timothy 1-4

It is not enough for the Christian man to read, meditate, and memorize Scripture. He must also take action on the Word if he hopes to mature in Christ.

Merry Christmas Brother! Hope you and your family have a truly blessed and joyous day of celebrating our dear Savior’s birth. Now on to our daily reading. Today we read all of 2
Timothy and one of my favorite verses concerning the purpose, the power, and the role of Scripture is found in this book.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

In a week, if you have been with me from the beginning, we will have read through the entire Bible many times since January 1, 2010. This year we read in chronological order and I found it fascinating to look at the Scriptures in this way. Clearly you can tell that I think Bible reading is not only important, but crucial to the spiritual growth of any Christian, and the reason for this is summarized in the verse above. I have grown immeasurably through the process of reading and studying the Bible on a daily basis. I hope you have as well.

The reading of Scripture is part of the process of making the man of God complete. Scripture provides training in righteousness, and equips the man of God for every good work. I have a long way to go, but looking back, I feel like I’ve come a long way as well. Have you? Have you noticed a difference in your life since you’ve started reading the Bible on a daily basis? I hope so. Of course, it isn’t enough to read the Bible. We must study it, we must meditate upon it, and most importantly, we must act upon it. I think one of the greatest challenges to our spiritual growth is our lack of action. We seem to sit around and soak up the Word of God and the preaching of His prophets, but we don’t seem to take what we’ve learned and put it into action.

I think it is important to notice that Paul ends those verses on Scripture with the words “equipped for every good work.” Why would one be equipped if there was not work to be done with the equipment? If there is not work, there is no need for equipment. We are not growing and gaining all that we can from God’s Holy Word, if we are not taking action on what we learn. So, that is my charge to you today. Continue in daily Bible reading, study, and meditation, continue in daily prayer, but for the love of God, take action on all that you learn!

Vivere Victorem! (Live Victorious!)

Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

P.S. I hope you don’t think I was taking the Lord’s name in vain when I wrote “for the love of God”. I know some people use this phrase in a way that does take the Lord’s name in vain, but I mean this phrase in a very literal way. Your love of God should motivate you to do what He has asked of you, and He has asked you to do more than read and pray; He has asked you to go and make disciples of all nations, He has asked you to take action.

Alternate Reading Plans
Bible Order: 2 Peter 3 – 1 John 3
Old Testament Only: Nahum 1–3
New Testament Only: Revelation 14