And We’re Back…

Ryan back here with you again. Was it a good weekend? Hopefully, you were
able to get together with other believers at church and take some time to
worship and talk about God with other people. Last week we talked about things
that were different in your life. Isn’t the change that God makes awesome?! This
week we are going to talk about the basics of following Christ. Over the next
five days, I am going to help you discover some things that can help you to grow
more like Jesus every day.

Grab your Bible and open up to Psalm 119:9-16. By the way, these verses are in
the longest chapter in the Bible.  Read those verses at least twice.

Did you catch the repeat in those verses? “Your Word” is repeated several
times. So what is God’s Word? Well, it’s the book you hold in your hands – the
Bible. In the Bible, we have God’s Word to us. It’s like a love letter,
instruction book, biography, song book and more written for us from a God who
wants us to know Him. The Bible is powerful. Look at your passage again.

This Bible can teach you how to stay out of sin. The truth in the Bible can
help protect you from going back to your old life. Remember when we talked about
putting the guilt of the past behind you last week by learning to live a new
way? Well, the Bible is one of the keys to learning to live that new way. In
fact, the Bible has been called a light to guide us down the path of life. How
do you use this light? Well, you read it every day like you’ve been doing the
past week. Also, you listen when people talk about it, like at church yesterday
or at camp or during a Bible study. You can also memorize it. For example, when
you find a verse that speaks to your life, write it down and memorize it like a
song lyric.

Take a few minutes and reread Psalm 119:9-16. Then take some time to pray.
Thank God for His word (the Bible) and for the guidance it provides.
Ask God to help you discover how to live by studying His word.
Also, ask God to send someone into your life to help you
understand the Bible better. (One possible answer to that prayer is the person
who you are going through the mentor guide with every week.) Finally, take a
look at John 3:16. That’s a good verse to
memorize. Work on that this week!