"That the Man of God May be Fully Equipped. . . "

I became a Christian through reading a Gideon's Bible. I have shared my testimony many times in various Gideon's camps and from the pulpits of the churches I have pastored or had the privilege from which to speak.

The gist of the story is simply that I was given a Gideon's New Testament when I enlisted in the Air Force. During an intense period of questioning where my life was going, I was directed to reading the New Testament. I read the entire New Testament in 2 days and the entire Bible in a little less than 2 weeks. I was hooked. It seemed that every word I read had relevance for life in general and my life personally. I accepted Christ as my Savior and have devoted my life to learning as much as I can about Jesus as revealed in God's Word the Bible. On the flip side, I have followed His call on my life to tell those who have not heard The Message how they can be saved and then to follow up on them by teaching them about God's character and ways as revealed in The Holy Scriptures.

I love the Bible. I remember when I got saved, every Christian carried a Bible. A full-sized one! We would carry our Bibles everywhere looking for opportunities to open them and learn from its teachings.

As a young Christian I attended Church every chance the doors were opened. During weeks of revival, planned or spontaneous, it was not unusual to find me in a pew or at the altar. My first Pastor was a lover of Scripture. He had one of the most worn out Bibles I have ever seen, even to this day. I wanted to be like him and would spend my time listening to his fully Bible saturated messages, all the while flipping my thumb past the pages trying to wear out the gold edging so that my Bible would look like his.

Things have changed now. Many people no longer bring a Bible to church services or gatherings of Christians. Bibles are downloaded on PDA's or cellphones. Passages of Scripture are flashed on a screen. Often the messages that are heard from the pulpit only vaguely allude to Scripture. I wonder if a lot of Christians even read the Bible at all outside of the few verses they may hear at a church service?

Our culture is showing some strong signs of decay. Our society has changed so dramatically that evil is called good and good is called evil. Christians are caught up in lifestyles that correspond to those of unbelievers and their problems are similar and just as bad as the lives of their unsaved friends.

We need to get back to the Bible. To read it prayerfully, in long sections and in-depth. The Word of God, empowered by God's Spirit will give us the wisdom we need to live life in these perilous times. We need the knowledge of God as revealed in his Word. Our families will once again thrive in righteousness as we humble ourselves before its truths. Our neighborhoods and workplaces will reflect positive change as God's people live by the Word.

The very words of Scripture compel us to commit to living a life of humility and trust in the Lord:

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NIV)

My personal life testifies to a simple truth. When I have been diligent in studying God's will and ways through His Word, my life has experienced a heightened level of his peace, joy, wisdom and power. The times I have failed him in the most miserable ways, have been when I neglected his Word and prayer. I hope everyone who reads this simple post will make a commitment to make studying God's Word a new and first priority.