By Scott Basham, BibleSteak contributor

As Christians we are encouraged to get to know the Bible. How? By listening, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Word. But why? Let's see what Scripture says about the value of Scripture, God's Word.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
"You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
"You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

We are not simply to learn God's Word with our mind, but also with our heart. We are to embrace it emotionally as well as intellectually.

When are we to talk of God's Word? Outside, inside, standing, sitting, lying... all the time, anywhere. It should be everpresent as a tattoo, and posted around our house.

Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

When are we to study, and meditate on it? Day and night.

Why? so that we are careful to do what it tells us to do.

And the results? Prosperity and success. Few of us, when we are having trouble in life, realize that it could be so much better if we would just spend daily time with God in His Word.

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

We are to enjoy the Word, to delight in it.

And again, we see the challenge to meditate on it day and night.

Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

Everything in the Bible is pure, perfect, the same as when you have silver with the dross skimmed off of the top.

Psalms 19:7-8 The law of the LORD is (I.e. blameless) perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

What is the Bible? perfect, share, right, pure.

How does it profit? it lists your spirits, it makes you wise, it gives you joy, and it gives you a more accurate view of the world around you.

Psalms 19:10-11 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.

What is the value of the Word? if I were to give you $100 every time you had a quiet time, you would be very motivated to make sure you have them every day. Getting into God's Word is so something less tangible, but more valuable.

What are the results of being in the Word? Great reward.

Psalms 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.
Psalms 119:11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

We see the challenge to keep God's Word in our hearts, not just our minds.

THe reward? Purity, and avoiding sin.

Psalms 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.

God supernaturally opens our eyes to understand His work better.

Psalms 119:24 Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.

May we get to the point where His Word is a true delight to us.

Wouldn't it be great if every time we had a decision to make, we have a counselor standing next to us, helping us choose? This is what God's Word gives to us. His Word is our counselor.

Psalms 119:74 May those who fear You see me and be glad, Because I wait for Your word.

We should rejoice when we see others getting into the Word, also.

when we prepare for quiet time, we should be anxiously awaiting what God is going to be telling us.

Psalms 119:92 If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction.

As we spend more time in God's Word, God is supernaturally working to protect us, save us, keep us healthy.

Psalms 119:97-100 O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine.
I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts.

May we love God's law in the same way. And again we are challenged to meditate on it all day.

It makes us wiser than our enemies, than our teachers, than the aged. They can teach us certain things, but we have a unique insight into how the world works around us that without God's Word, they cannot provide to us.

Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

God's Word helps us see things that we normally would not have seen. And, it helps define the direction we are to take.

Psalms 119:131 I opened my mouth wide and panted, For I longed for Your commandments.

If only we could have this type of desire for God's Word.

Psalms 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.

we should wake up, longing for the opportunity to spend time with God, and to hear His words.

Psalms 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

There is a picture of those who seek the truth calling to the top of the mountain to speak with the guru. The funny thing is, that grew doesn't have the truth, unless it comes from God's Word. We have God's Word - we have the truth.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word will never pass away.

Psalms 119:165 Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble.

Here is a promise from God, as certain as an apple thrown into the air will fall back to the earth. When you love God's law, God's Word, you have great peace. The world looks long and hard for ways to find peace, and here we have the answer - love God's law.

Also, when we love God's law, we have great help in avoiding sin. The more we know and love God's law, the less likely we are to fall.

Proverbs 13:13 The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

If we fear God's Word, if we respected, we WILL be rewarded.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

You can test God's Word over and over again, and what you'll find is that it stands the test of time. It will never fail.

His Word will actually protect us from harm.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word, histories, will remain forever, unchanged.

Isaiah 55:10-11 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Picture how God has the rain coming to earth with a purpose, to nurse the vegetation. In the same way, God's Word was given to us was the purpose. Nothing will stop that purpose from being accomplished.

Jeremiah 8:9 "The wise men are put to shame, They are dismayed and caught; Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, And what kind of wisdom do they have?

When a person rejects the Word of God, whatever wisdom they have is diminished. The Word is what makes us wise.

Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

God's Word is more than just words on a sheet of paper - it has great power. It is like fire, like a hammer, and its effects.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, `MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD."'

This is what gives us health, what gives us life, what sustains us - God's Word.

Mark 7:13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."

We need to be careful that we don't and checked our own tainted or warped views into the teachings of God. We need to make sure that we present God's Word as purely as we can as God has given it to us. We also need to make sure that our understanding, our teachings, is fully based on God's Word, and not just something that we have seen or heard from others.

Mark 13:31 ~"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

At the end of time, everything physical will be gone. For God's Word is eternal, unchanging, forever.

Luke 8:11-15 "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
~"Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.
~"Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
~"The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
~"But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

What was different about the good soil? It was received with the right attitude, and it was studied, memorized, meditated on. It was held close, so as it was received, it was not lost. Those who grab the Word in this way, and hold onto it, will bear fruit.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We have the New Testament as a result of Jesus' life and teachings. The words from Jesus are words from God.

John 6:63 ~"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

From God's Word we are given me instructions for a new life, a new spirit. Through His Word, we learn what salvation is and how to embrace it.

John 20:30-31 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

There are many things that could be written additionally about Jesus life, but the words that were placed in the Bible, these are the ones that God wanted us to hear. They are there for a purpose - that we may believe in have life.

Acts 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

As we are confronted with the things of the world that challenge our beliefs, we need to search the Bible to determine what is truth. If it conflicts with the Bible, it cannot be truth.

We need to eagerly be searching the Bible to get a better view of truth.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

How do we build our faith? Expose ourselves to more of the Scriptures.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

more results from getting into the Bible - a real hope for the future.

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

I once had a friend, who didn't believe, and he told me that he read the Bible, but he wasn't impressed.? Why? It appeared foolishness to him. God opens the eyes of believers, but those who don't believe just can't understand the truths in the Bible.

Through learning God's Word, we actually have God's power working in our lives.

Ephesians 6:17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

In God's armor, it describes God's Word as both getting us salvation, and the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Philippians 2:16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

God's Word gives us life, and we are to hold onto it as tightly as we can. The only way to do that is to spend time learning and studying it. This is what we are to do, and what we are to teach others to do.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

God's Word is to become rich within us. It is to live within us, grow within us, become part of us.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

Even though the Word came from men's pens, it was actually from the heart of God.

His Word, to those of us who believe, is actually working within us to do all these things that God promised to us as we absorb God's Word.

2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

We need to learn the Bible as well as we can so that we really understand what God was saying when he gave us those words. It is truth, and we need to be careful not to distort the truth. How? By working hard, being diligent, in our efforts to learn His Word. We must understand that getting into His Word is not always easy, and we need to work to consistently be learning and meditating on it.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

See Matthew 5:22-24. If you are in a conflict with another person, it's like a tug-of-war. What happens when you let go if you're in the room? No more tension. Let go if you're into the rope. You can't control what takes place on their into the rope, but she can control your end. Let go of the rope.

This is an example of how Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.

Like an athlete who trains so they can react instinctively in every situation, we'd be training, equipping herself for every good work.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

We need to make sure that we are paying attention to everything God's Word teaches us, not just the things that we want to hear.

Hebrews 2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.

We can easily drift away from what God wants us to do you not paying attention. That's why we need to regularly be studying His Word.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Notice the power of God's Word - it is living and active.

His Word explains human nature better than any psychological study can.

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Most Christians actually spent very little time study God's Word. As a result, they never get to the state where they can eat solid food. Again, like the athlete, who need to be training our senses. The more we are in God's Word, the more we are able to detect what is right and wrong.

James 1:22-25 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

In our study God's Word, we need to be carefully examining what God wants and our life. And once God reveals to us what they need to be doing, or changing, we must not ignore it, we must not forget. Just do it.

1 Peter 1:23-25 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.

Once again we see that God's Word is eternal and applicable forever.

1 Peter 2:2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

Picture a baby, thirsty, longing for its milk. This should be an example of our desire God's Word.

2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

His Word is precious, His Word is precious.

That is set before we study God's Word, and incorporated into everything we do, we are actually becoming more like God. We are becoming partakers of God's nature.

2 Peter 1:20-21 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

We can trust that the Bible is God's Word, not distorted or tainted by me. The Bible is God's Word.

Revelation 22:7 "And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."

Wouldn't it be great to be able to make the statement that your life is blessed, that you have a blessed life? God gives us a formula to be blessed - study the book and do what it says.

Revelation 22:18-19 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

God's Word is complete, and sufficient. We must be careful not to add to, or detract from, the principles that God gives us in His Word.

We see this long list of the value of getting into God's Word. We need to not just be reading it, but studying it, memorizing it, meditating on it, absorbing it. It will make us wiser than our enemies, than our teachers, than the aged. It will give us wisdom, peace, counseling, encouragement, and success in our life. Yes, most of us cannot find time each day to open up the pages. May this give you an extra spark to be in God's Word - your life will be transformed