Getting to know you

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. I see it as the very power of God working for the salvation of everyone who believes it, both Jew and Greek. I see in it God’s plan for imparting righteousness to men, a process begun and continued by their faith. For, as the scripture says: ‘The just shall live by faith’. (Romans 1:16-17)

God's plan - let the gospel permeate the hearts and minds of mankind, changing them at the core of their being. How can this happen if we don't open those pages ourselves, taking in the words contained therein? We can find truth for our everyday lives - generational truth that has sustained and encouraged mankind from the beginning of time. We might forget that our salvation is both a finished and a continual process. When we get into his word, we find that truth begins to work within us. Truth isn't meant to be a one-time exposure - it meant to be a lifetime intake.

The gospel message is God's plan for imparting righteousness - at the point of our salvation and with each exposure to its message. We cannot take in the gospel and be unaffected by its words. Even before we said yes to Jesus, every time we heard truth from is word, a little bit of conviction began to take place, or perhaps a bit of encouragement entered into our weary hearts. Truth is, we cannot live by faith and never take in his word. We need the work he began when we said yes to continue!

I have witnessed the power of God working in my own life through his word. How about you? Have you ever been struggling with something only to find that he takes you to some word of encouragement that helps to settle your mind, change your heart, or encourage your emotions? God wants us to get to know him, and he gave us his word so that we could know him intimately. Don't you find that the more you share with someone you know, the better you get to know them? The things they share actually help us to form a 'fuller picture' of who they are, why they act the way they do, what makes up their character. The same is true when we get into God's word! We find out about him, and in turn, he helps us find out more about ourselves that we didn't even realize! His word may be the very thing that we need to really get to know ourselves. Just sayin!