How to Get a Grip on God’s Word

Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.

–Psalm 119:18

Would you like to have a better relationship with God? Would you like to have victory over temptation? Would you like to have supernatural equilibrium when the world around you is topsy-turvy? The answer is allowing God’s Word to “richly dwell within you” (Colossians 3:16).

I like this illustration from the Navigators ministry: Think about holding a Bible. You can’t get a good grip with just one or two fingers; you need all five fingers to hold tightly to God’s Word. In the same way, I want to share with you five ways to “get a grip” on God’s Word and let it dwell richly in you.

First of all, listen to the preached Word of God. Part of God’s plan for your spiritual growth is that you be in a local church where you hear His Word taught regularly. But in our world, we also need to take in God’s Word during the week. There are many ways to receive God’s Word, including Christian radio programs, CDs, and podcasts that teach the Word of God. Those are not substitutes for going to church, but they can augment what you hear each Sunday.

Second, to get a good grip on God’s Word, you need to read God’s Word. As a pastor, I’ve heard all kinds of objections to reading the Bible. Some Christians say, “I just don’t feel like reading the Bible.” Start reading it anyway. You’ll find that the more you read, the more you will hunger for God’s Word.

Other Christians say, “I don’t have time.” I’ve found that we make time for the things that are important to us. Years ago, I got a Bible reading plan from another pastor that really helped me: Choose one book of the New Testament and read it once a day for a month. The next month, move to another book. Divide the longer books in half or in thirds, and spend one month on each part. In three to four years, you’ll have read the entire New Testament thirty times. That’s a powerful way to understand God’s Word! And it takes only twenty to thirty minutes a day.

Finally, some Christians say, “I don’t understand what I read in the Bible.” Let me encourage you to get a version of the Bible you understand, whether it’s the King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, or New Living Translation. It’s all God’s Word, and it will be blessed by God in your life.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “Bright Lights and Night-Lights” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

“The Word Hand Illustration,” Navigators, https://www.navigators.org/resource/the-word-hand.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.