As you read the Bible, God will give you strength and guidance for your life that you simply can't get any other way. Eliphaz said to Job the patriarch: "He bruises, but he binds up; he wounds, but his hands make whole" (Job 5:18 NKJV). That's what God does to you as you read the Scriptures. "His Word can cut through our spirits." Others see what we do, but when we get alone with God and open the Scriptures, He reveals to us what we are. He brings to the surface long-standing and unresolved issues, and helps us to deal with them. He confronts us over our stubborn habits and shows us how to conquer them. He pinpoints our selfish and unloving attitudes, giving us a chance to repent and change our ways. The old Quakers had a saying: "Sin will keep you from your Bible, and your Bible will keep you from sin." You say, "But when I get up in the morning, I'm so busy that I don't have time to read the Bible." Then read it when you come home at night! You say, "By the time I get home from work at night, I'm exhausted and can't concentrate on anything!" You must rearrange your priorities. If you spend hours watching television, surely you can spend some time each day reading your Bible. The truth is that we make time for the things that we want, that we value, and that we enjoy. So ask God to give you a greater appetite for His Word. Then read your Bible, and watch your appetite for it grow!

Soul food: Exo 25-27; John 3:1-8; Ps 89:38-52; Prov 26:23-26