God’s Transforming Word

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm Amy Boucher-Pye and I called our reading today, God's Transforming Word. When Kristen wanted to buy a special book for Sha Wu, her Chinese husband, the only one she could find in Chinese was a Bible.

Although neither of them was a believer in Christ, she hoped he would appreciate the gift anyway. At first sight of the Bible, he was angry, but eventually he picked it up. As he read, he became persuaded by the truth in its pages.

Upset at this unforeseen development, Kristen started to read the scriptures in order to refute Sha Wu. To her surprise, she also came to faith in Jesus through being convinced by what she read. The Apostle Paul knew the transforming nature of scripture. Writing from prison in Rome, he urged Timothy, whom he mentored, to continue in what you have learned because from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. In the original language, the Greek for continue has the sense of abide in what the Bible reveals.

Knowing that Timothy would face opposition and persecution, Paul wanted him to be equipped for the challenges. He believed his protégé would find strength and wisdom in the Bible as he spent time pondering its truth. God, through his Spirit, brings scripture alive to us.

As we dwell in it, he changes us to be more like him, even as he did with Sha Wu and Kristen. Our passage from the Bible today comes from 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 10 through 17. You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings. What kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra? The persecutions I endured.

Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Let's pray. Author of All That Lives, thank you for inspiring the Bible to be such a life-giving and life-transforming book. May we submit to you as we read the scriptures, and may you change us to be more like you. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you for listening. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.