2 Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right."
The Queen’s Christmas Day broadcasts give us the clearest possible insight into her own personal faith. She wrote the scripts herself and it gave her a wonderful opportunity to reveal what her faith meant to her. In 2016 she asked: “To what great inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?” A well-thumbed Bible was said to lie beside her bed, and she clearly valued the inspiration of Scripture throughout her life.
As we face the constant challenges of life nothing is more important than that we stay close to the Bible. When Paul wrote to his young colleague Timothy, he encouraged him to stick close to the Scriptures. It’s important to remember that, at the time that he was writing, the New Testament wasn’t written and so he was referring to the Old Testament. We find ourselves in a far more privileged position than Timothy. Paul was continually concerned about the threat from false teachers and, as he drew towards the end of his life, he was desperately concerned that Timothy should be strong and secure in his faith. He knew that living close to the Scriptures was the only way in which this could be achieved.
Dwight L Moody, the famous Victorian evangelist, said: “I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible. If a person neglects the Bible there is not much for the Holy Spirit to work with. We must have the word.” God’s desire is to work powerfully in all of our lives, but often we limit what he is able to do because of our poor knowledge of the Bible. I believe that we need to be continually listening to the Bible and reflecting on its truth for our lives. We are all different, and will do this in a wide variety of ways, but the Bible is so powerful and effective that we dare not neglect it. 
Prayer: Lord God our Father, we thank you for the gift of the Bible. Help us to listen to it with increasing care so that we may always walk in your ways and allow your light to shine on our path. Amen

Released on 17 Sep 2022