Bible -God's word

I spend a lot of my time preparing Bible studies for my weekly Bible class here at our church. In retirement I don't preach sermons as often as I did like in the past when I was in active service. Nowadays I preach only when invited to do so by my colleagues the Corps Officers, Pastors.

I read the Bible everyday and in order to understand and interpret God's word, I have to read many books and magazines about the Bible. There have been times when I seem to spend more time with books about the Bible than with the Bible itself. I can recall times when I have given less time to the word of God and get sidetracked by the different authors commenting on the Bible. At times I come across conflicting views. I have to pull myself back and ask what God intended to say to me. I need the guidance of His Spirit in my preparation.

The Bible is the authority upon which I live my life. I don't understand everything in the book. The older I get and the more I study, the less I seem to understand. That doesn't lessen its importance in my life. I do have a desire to spend some time every day in the word. Failure to do so deprives me of sustenance.

The psalmist refers to this food that is good to eat. When I take the word seriously and meditate on it, it's not just that I learn a lot more Bible information. I fall more deeply in love with the Author, God, as I read it and commune with him. I know him at much deeper levels.

When I'm not in tune with the Lord through His word and I neglect to seek His counsel, people around me know it. Arthur Rubinstein, the world-famous Polish born American pianist, wrote about the importance of practising the piano every day: "If I don't practise one day, nobody knows. If I don't practise two days, then I know. But if I don't practise three days, the whole world can tell."

I am called to immerse myself totally in God's word, if I want God to bless me in the ministry He has given me. I cannot expect Him to bless my preaching if I just lift something from the Internet or from a commentary and read it out to my congregation. God expects me to spend time with Him the source of the Word.

Spend time with the Lord and His Word. "Speak Lord for Thy servant heareth"