Staying Faithful to God's Word

My hometown of St. Louis is the world headquarters of Joyce Meyer Ministries and her ministry's theme is "There is Life in the Word" and I couldn't agree more. God's word is the bread of life that feeds our souls and sustains our spiritual lives. When we are struggling in our faith, it is very tempting to stop reading the Bible on a consistent basis. After all, we don't feel we are getting anything out of it. We just don't feel like opening it. But a lesson most of us learned as children, and still learn as adults, is that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to or feel like doing. However, if we don't do certain things, there are consequences. If we don't keep up with homework or study for tests, we might fail a course. If we don't pay our taxes, the IRS will find us and make us pay or charge us criminally. If we don't nurture a relationship, the relationship might die. There are consequences to not reading the Bible regularly, too; we just don't always readily see them. But they are there. When we are having dry times in our faith, it is crucial that we read the Bible every day, even and actually - especially when we do not feel like it. Otherwise, we drift farther from the Word and it drifts farther from our consciences, from our hearts and minds. Also, I can tell you from personal experience, that even when I thought I wasn't getting something out of Bible-reading, I was - the effects may not show themselves immediately. But every time we read a verse from the Scriptures, it is pushed a little deeper into our hearts and minds. Satan would be delighted for us to stop reading the Word when we don't feel like it. It fits right into his plan. And God wants us to delight in His word. We need to pray to Him to help us crave it. 1 Peter 2:2 tells us "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" NKJV. We must read the Word every day. We will not grow close to God as long as we don't study His word, for He has provided this for our salvation and growth, and as a means for us to learn about His character, as well as for encouragement, and helping us to live the life He wants us to live. Paul told writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17- "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" NKJV. God wants us to have abundant life. He wants us to have a joyful life. Just as Jesus said in John 10:10-“I have come that they might have life, and more abundantly.” We will never have the abundant life or the joy that God wants for us, if we do not digest His word on a consistent basis. Get in the word of God and God's word will get into you.