Words are powerful. There is a classic phrase that has been around for generations: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words cannot hurt me.
Although some may disagree, it is fair to assume that, in most instances, this phrase holds little to no truth. The words that we speak, hear, and read have an immense impact on how we feel, who we are, and how we move about the world. Words can bring us joy, pain, hope, inspiration, and even transform our self-perception. The words that we absorb and where we choose to absorb them impact our thoughts and impact our actions. Words, thoughts, and actions are all deeply connected and embedded into our everyday functioning.
Even the books that we decide to read have an impact on the ways that we think and behave. There is no book that we benefit more from reading than the word of God. Altogether the Bible has approximately 773,746 words, full of hope and light that the breath of God created. Wrapped up in 2 testaments, 66 books, and 1,189 chapters, God’s character is mysteriously sewn throughout Scripture so complexly that people every day are still studying to understand it. Unsurprisingly the Bible is easily the most-read book in the world and is estimated to have sold over 40 million copies in the last 60 years alone.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, “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.”
Scripture is full of instances in which God speaks in and through words recorded by regular people. In and through the scripture, God creates life and continually invites us along His journey. The Bible records instances every day of God using regular people to do extraordinary things. Scripture invites us to join God and reveal the truth about who we are, revealing blind spots we may not see and transforming us into the loving and graceful people we were each created to be. God equipped us with His word and demonstrated His love for each one of us. Patterns depicted throughout Scripture reveal truths about who He is and His selfless heart for each of his children. As we continue reading the Bible, we begin to understand just how much God desires to know us intimately. The more we read, the more we begin to trust in his plan for our lives. Simply put, the Bible is good for you.