My plan is to write one reason per week. That way, you won't get overwhelmed with reading. Also, by adding reasons week by week, it will hopefully give you on-going motivation to keep at it. So, what I write here will be expanded upon in the weeks ahead. Please check in from time to time to see how the list evolves.
- To follow the example of Jesus. We remember that when Jesus was with the people, often times he begin his teaching by saying, You have heard it said... and then he would quote a particular portion of scripture. When Jesus battled Satan during the Wilderness temptations, he used the scriptures. He didn't pull out his pocket bible; he didn't have a scroll with him; he didn't have an app on his Blackberry. He had the scriptures in his mind and in his heart. Since Jesus is the model for believers, as he memorized the scriptures, so should we.
- In Ephesians chapter six, Paul is preparing believers for battle. He tells us in verses 10 and 11, ...be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. So,what are we to put on? A lot of things actually, but the very last thing Paul says (saving the best for last?) is that we should take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. When you look at the entire list, you note that the only weapon we carry is the word of God. With that being the case, we should view scripture as the sole weapon we have in the battles we are called to fight. The better we know our weapon, the better we know the word of God, the better that we can readily call up scriptures in our daily battles, the better we will be able to stand against the devil's schemes. After all, isn't that exactly what Jesus did in his battle with the devil in the wilderness (#1 above). So once again, be like Jesus, know your weapon, know it well, and don't be afraid to use it.
- To be continued...look here next week for another reason. This will be continued throughout the year!
