written by Chester
Lots of Christians read their Bibles daily, but it’s easy to miss the depth that God has for us. We know reading Scripture isn’t another chore to earn God’s love—our eternal destiny is already a 100% free gift, secured by Jesus through faith alone! But we can still be missing out on true rewards.
Amy and I have been reading a book called Money for Couples by Ramit Sethi over the summer, and as we have talked about and learned the lessons from that book, we’ve started to see connections to other areas of life and marriage. Here’s what I mean: you can read a hundred books on finances, communication or marriage (for example Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages or Willard Harley’s His Needs, Her Needs, or Sethi’s book that we’re reading)—but reading only adds a shot of knowledge to your head. To get the real reward, you have to apply it. For us with this book, that involves learning new ways of communicating, and learning to actually talk about money together. Even at my age, I’m still learning how to adjust my habits and do things differently—and it has been very rewarding.
I love the word “wisdom” in the Bible, because it carries this idea of taking in knowledge and rightly putting it into practice. That’s the path for every disciple, and it comes with great reward.
Learning new truths from God’s Word is a thrilling, life-changing adventure. But we only harvest the transformation God has for us when we respond by putting what we learn into practice.
The Bible warns us against becoming spiritual couch potatoes:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)
Don’t just look for cool new insights in the Bible and leave them there. Trust that God won’t abandon you when you step out in faith. Take what you learn from His Word and put it into practice—in your marriage, your family, and your church! This is the rewarding, fulfilling life God wants for you.
