Seeking First His Kingdom

01/06/22 – 01/13/22

Our Spiritual Operations Manual

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  01/12/22

How often do you read instruction manuals for new appliances, toys, or gadgets? Most of us are guilty of either not following the directions closely or tossing out the booklet completely. But there is one instruction manual we cannot afford to ignore—the Bible. It is our spiritual operations manual. And when we ignore it, the consequences can be eternal.

Scanning through the Scriptures for the main points won’t stretch us. Randomly flipping through the pages won’t develop our spiritual maturity. We can’t skim the surface and expect to find the pearls. We need to dive deep under the surface to find the treasure. To truly grow spiritually, we need to devote time, effort, and focused attention to learning from God’s Word.

Before we begin reading God’s Word, we need to prepare our hearts. Our first step is to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in learning, to give us discernment, and to help us to recognize our own distorted viewpoints. We should come to the Bible seeking the Truth—not our own hidden desires.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the times I’ve merely skimmed Your Word for my own agenda. I pray that You would help me to devote time, effort, and attention to truly studying Your Word. Guide me, give me discernment, and show me areas where I need to grow. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).