Depending on various factors, you can live 40-70 days without food and 3-5 days without water. If your body needs proper nourishment, how much more does your soul need God’s Word? In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” I’d like to draw out a few things in this powerful verse:
Life is more than matters of biology.
Matthew 4:4 says, “Man shall not live by bread alone”. True life is more than breathing and consciousness. True life is knowing God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Praying in John 17:3, Jesus uttered, “And this is eternal life that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you’ve sent.” You can be alive - breathing, talking, moving, thinking, feeling - without having true, divine life. Here’s the point: True life is knowing God, and you need God’s Word to know God. Faith comes by hearing the word about Christ (Romans 10:17; John 1:1-3).
You need every Word that comes from God’s mouth.
Famous verses like John 3:16 and Philippians 4:13 are great, but they aren’t enough to “live” on. For instance, carbs are great, but you need plenty of protein and healthy fat as well. The Bible contains no throw-away sections, passages, or words. We confess that every word of the Bible is breathed out by God, not just some of them. We confess that every word of God is necessary, vital, true, authoritative, and transformative. Thomas Jefferson chose the portions of the Bible that he liked and compiled them to make his own version of the Bible that is now known as “The Jefferson Bible”. That’s crazy. We don’t do that. We cling to every word that comes from God’s mouth. Have you read every word? Do you believe you need every word of God?
Every word leads to the Word, Jesus Christ.
In John 1:1-3 Jesus is called “the Word”. He is the eternal radiance and revelation of the Father’s glory, that is, the Word. In Luke 24:26-27, Jesus tells two grieving disciples on the road to Emmaus, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Did you catch that? He says the writings of Moses, and all the prophets and all the Scriptures are about Him - Christ, the Word. Every word ultimately leads us to the Word, Jesus Christ. When we see Him, we see God’s glory. The glory of Jesus shines out of every passage into our hearts to give us the light of life. As someone once said, “From every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ.”
How should we respond?
Cherish and read God’s Word, every bit of it.
We should treat the Bible like an all-you-can-eat meal, like a never-ending feast on the Son of God. Jesus told us to eat His flesh and drink His blood to have life. That’s what we do when we read the Bible and meditate on the person and work of Christ by faith. Feast on God’s Word in worship gatherings. Feast on God’s Word in community. Feast on God’s Word as a family around the dinner table. Feast on God’s Word as you drive to and fro. Feast on every Word of God through a Bible reading plan in 2025.
I encourage you to read every Word of God this year with us.
You can do this through a daily Bible reading plan. It requires commitment and self-discipline, but it’s really not that hard to do. Think of the benefits, the transformation, the joy, the Christ you will experience! If you open His Word daily and ask the Lord to meet you there, He will.
Thankfully there are plenty of Bible reading resources and translations. We preach from the English Standard Version (ESV) translation at The Door, but there are other solid translations to choose from. The important part is to read the Bible. Below are a few good tools and Bible reading plans to choose from.
Some Recommended Reading Plans:
• Beginning to End Plan
• M’Cheyne Plan
• Chronological Plan
• Old Testament / New Testament Plan
• 5-Day (per week) Plan
• 6 Month Plan
• 90-Day Plan
Here are some links to a few sites that provide reading plan options, information, schedules, charts, and other helpful resources:
• Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/
• Blue Letter Bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/dailyreading/
• YouVersion: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/.
The YouVersion Bible App has a ton of Bible reading plans directly on your phone.
• Dwell: https://dwellapp.io/ (paid app)
There are others that you can search for online as well. The important thing is to pick a plan and stick to it. As we approach a new year, I hope you take to heart the truths of Matthew 4:4 and commit to reading through the Bible in 2025.
In Christ,
Chad Kettler
Lewisville Campus Pastor
The Door Church
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