Editor’s Note: Joel Renner is the CEO of RENNER Ministries and the National Director of the U.S. ministry office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Alongside his father, he has actively participated in nearly every facet of the daily operations of the ministry since his youth. Joel resides in Moscow, Russia, with his wife and two sons.

Why You Need To Read Your Bible

by Joel Renner

There is no other resource on the planet that is more valuable than the Bible. Reading your Bible is important for many reasons, but today I want to share with you just two of those reasons.

First, what you feed on is what you will gravitate toward.

We live in a fallen world where we need to continually feed our mind and spirit the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 says that God’s Word is “a light unto our path.” And in this world today, we need a brightly lit path like never before. We need to feed (read, study, and meditate) on the Word of God so we can know the voice of the Lord and learn to think righteously and not as the world thinks.

If you look at or hear the news on your TV or other devices, you will usually get only negative information. And if you feed on bad news, you will start to see your future as grim. But what does the Word of God say about your life? The Bible says God has a plan for your life and it’s a good plan. You are not an accident; you were born for a reason. God has a great plan for our lives, and we know this because the Bible tells us so!

So I encourage you to take time every day to read your Bible. Remember: If your Bible is falling apart (from use), it’s less likely that your life will be falling apart.

The second reason to read your Bible is to lead your family and friends as an example.

Today it seems like normal, age-old standards are changing, and the firm ground we were standing on is turning to shifting sand. Christian morals and beliefs are being questioned and challenged by those with a more progressive mindset. Children are being taught controversial ideas in school; conflicts are happening around the world; citizens of affected countries are seeking refuge in other countries; countless people are championing the idea of socialism, and the list goes on and on. We all have our thoughts and opinions about this shift in society, but what does the Bible say?

We need to know what the Bible says about important issues so we can lead our own lives “in godliness, and honesty” (see 1 Timothy 2:2) and help other people not become swayed by these shaky new ideas. Knowing what the Bible says can only happen by spending time in the Bible.

Even in our own family when we talk about many current world events, we’re able to use a level head concerning those events because we always go back to what the Bible says. Do you know why we do that? Because the Bible is the bedrock of our faith — so we need to know what the Bible says not only about this life, but about the life to come.

It’s so important to read your Bible every day. You can read one chapter a day, one page a day, or even one verse a day. You can read it over time from beginning to end, in chronological order, or by topic. It doesn’t really matter how you read the Bible — it just matters that you read it!

If you’re unsure how to get started, we have a Bible reading plan you can download for free! Just click this link — then enjoy your time in the Word of God!

God bless,

Joel Renner