So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing which I sent it. —Isaiah 55:11

The Word Has Power

Jesus constantly quoted the Old Testament and made it clear that it was the inspired Word of God. We who follow Christ must have just as high a view of Scripture as Jesus did. The Word of God has the power to change lives. (See 1 Corinthians 2:4-5.)

God has promised to bless His Word. Time after time in my ministry I have quoted a Bible verse in a sermon—sometimes without planning to do so in advance—and afterward someone had told me it was that verse which the Holy Spirit used to bring conviction or faith: “Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29).

One moonlit night in the mountains of California I went out alone with my Bible. I laid it on the stump of a tree and prayed, “O Lord, I don’t understand everything in this Book, but I accept it by faith as the Word of the living God.” Since that moment I’ve never doubted that the Bible is the Word of God. God has confirmed this to me, as I have witnessed the power of the Word of God at work in the lives of people.

Our call and power come from the infallible Word of God—the Bible. It is the very Scripture in which Jesus is revealed. Him we believe; Him we trust; Him we proclaim as Savior; Him we confess before others as our Lord. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (see Hebrews 13:8).

That is the foundation of the truth we declare. That is why we rejoice!

Prayer for the Day:
I rejoice today, Lord, that You reveal Yourself to us through the Bible. I am grateful that Your Word has the power to change the lives of others as it has changed mine.

from Where the Savior Leads by Billy Graham

Read the Bible in a Year

We hope that you will join us in 2016 as we read through the Bible. This calendar features a reading plan that will take you through every book of the Bible in the order they are estimated to have been written. If you read each day’s suggested passage, you’ll finish by year’s end.

January 1 — Genesis 1-3
January 2 — Genesis 4-7
January 3 — Genesis 8-11
January 4 — Genesis 12-15
January 5 — Genesis 16-18
January 6 — Genesis 19-21
January 7 — Genesis 22-24
January 8 — Genesis 25-26
January 9 — Genesis 27-29
January 10 — Genesis 30-31
January 11 — Genesis 32-34
January 12 — Genesis 35-37
January 13 — Genesis 38-40
January 14 — Genesis 41-42
January 15 — Genesis 43-45
January 16 — Genesis 46-47
January 17 — Genesis 48-50
January 18 — Exodus 1-3
January 19 — Exodus 4-6
January 20 — Exodus 7-9
January 21 — Exodus 10-12
January 22 — Exodus 13-15
January 23 — Exodus 16-18
January 24 — Exodus 19-21
January 25 — Exodus 22-24
January 26 — Exodus 25-27
January 27 — Exodus 28-29
January 28 — Exodus 30-32
January 29 — Exodus 33-35
January 30 — Exodus 36-38
January 31 — Exodus 39-40