How often are you reading and studying the Bible, going to the source?

I know podcast and listening to messages is good and engaging. Following people on social media can encourage us at just the right moment. But we also need the reality of what is in Scripture so we can measure what we’re being taught and be challenged in our personal relationship with Jesus.

It’s good for us to quote specific verses and apply them in our lives, but I find we’re often willing to apply them in other people’s lives more than we are willing to revisit familiar verses to make sure we keep them in context then apply them wisely as we live them out. When we expand our familiarity with Scripture, we steep in God’s character and are less willing to use Scripture as bruising stones and more likely to accept Scripture as a guide of humble encouragement and correction.

Instead of pulling out a verse to insert into our lives to keep us comfortable or prove a point, let’s intentionally put ourselves in Scripture and God’s presence.