the B-I-B-L-E.

yes, that's the book for me.

i stand alone on the Word of God.

the B-I-B-L-E.

my grandma gracie taught me that song in sunday school many years ago. i was humming this song, and it got me thinking about how much of a blessing it is to have the Word of God. God gave us this book full of wisdom, instructions, promises, and tips. yet most bibles sit on the nightstand and collect dust.

having a quiet time with the Lord is a tremendous privilege you’ve been given. it's a necessity in growing your relationship with Christ and transforming yourself into His image. we live in a country where we have the freedom to read the bible and proclaim how awesome our God is. yet we give every excuse in the book about how busy we are, how this and that need to be taken care of, how we need more hours in the day. truth is, we spend our time on the things we desire deep down. we make time for the things we want to do.

whether you spend 10 minutes or 10 hours studying God's word, it's better than no time at all. where you spend your time is where you shape your character. the people you watch on tv, the music you listen to, the website you visit, the books and articles you read -- those things shape your character. and spending time in the word shapes your character. would you rather have the character of that reality star who made a sex tape and profits from her body or would you rather have the character of esther, mary, or Christ?

i am reading through the bible using youversion's "the bible in a year" reading plan. they have a lot of different plans and devotionals you can use to help you study the bible. i also suggest any bible study by beth moore. i've done her esther bible study and am now working through her daniel bible study.

the bible i use is the NLT study bible. (tyndale) i can promise you won't be disappointed with this. 

"all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. it corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." -2 timothy 3:16-17 (NLT).