4 Reasons to Pursue the Truth in the Bible this Year
As we begin this new year, I’d like to invite you to join us in holding to truth in love. I hope you’ll pursue the truth with us and make this a daily practice!
It’s our purpose not only to present certain truths found in the Bible, but also to encourage you, our readers, to embrace pursuing the truth and holding to truth in love as a part of your daily life.
Pursuing the truth, like holding to truth, is an ongoing process. It’s a present, active, participle. It’s like the difference between saying “I’m a student” and “I’m studying.” You may be a student but if you don’t study you’ll fail your classes. So I want you to join me in embracing the process…pursuing the truth every day.
But why pursue the truth?
Why should you be motivated to diligently pursue the truth in God’s word? Why should you make the decision to actively embrace the process of pursuing the truth in the Bible in this new year? This post will give you four reasons.
Why you should give yourself to pursue the truth in a daily way this year
First, pursue the truth because it is God’s desire for you.
First Timothy 2:3-4 tells us,
“Our Savior God desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.”
We need to put God first. We need to honor His desire. We need to elevate our consideration from our own personal interests to the heart’s desire of God.
The Lord Jesus is the truth, the divine reality in this universe, and He wants us to come to the full knowledge of this truth. He wants us to be people who subjectively know Him and His hearts desire with full assurance.
Second, pursue the truth because it is the church’s function and testimony.
First Timothy 3:15 says,
“But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.”
God’s calling and salvation makes us a part of His church. God intends that the church would function to testify to the divine truth, to uphold the divine reality in this universe.
The Bible calls the church, not only the house of the living God, but also the pillar and base of the truth. Note 5 on this verse in the Recovery Version says,
“The truth here refers to the real things revealed in the New Testament concerning Christ and the church according to God’s New Testament economy. The church is the supporting pillar and holding base of all these realities. A local church should be such a building that holds, bears, and testifies the truth, the reality, of Christ and the church.”
The church is us. It includes every believer in Christ, not just some particularly gifted persons. This means that every member of Christ’s Body should be one that holds, bears and testifies the divine truth, the reality of Christ and the church.
Third, pursue the truth to grow up into Christ in all things.
Ephesians 4:15 says,
“But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ.”
We should know that we need to grow up in Christ if we would be a part of His built up Body and prepared bride. Only by growing up in Christ can we become the mature ones, the ready ones who are prepared for the Lord’s soon appearing.
We need to redeem our time to grow in Christ by pursuing the truth! So we should hold in love to these true things—Christ and His Body—that we may grow up into Christ.
Fourth, pursue the truth to become one who is equipped to serve the Lord.
Second Timothy 3:16-17 says,
“All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 That the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.”
“Every good work” may include preaching the gospel (Eph. 1:13), teaching the divine truths (2 Tim. 2:2), speaking for the church’s building up in various kinds of meetings (1 Cor. 14:24-26).
If we are to be those who are useful to the Lord we need to be fully equipped with the God-breathed word, having a rich constitution of the divine truth both to nourish ourselves and to supply others.
Second Timothy 2:2 says,
“And the things which you have heard from me through many witnesses, these commit to faithful men, who will be competent to teach others also.”
This is not mainly speaking from a podium, but more practically across your kitchen table. Every believer should be equipped to speak the truth in the Bible with those they know–family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and classmates.
But can you present the significance of God’s salvation and even His eternal purpose to your family, friends or neighbors?
Aquila and Priscilla could. They were simply a working couple, tent-makers by trade, yet in Acts 18:26 “they could expound the way of God more accurately.”
How about us?
Are you encouraged with this noble calling. Do you see why you need to pursue the truth diligently in this new year? Then you may ask,
How should I pursue the truth?
This will need to be covered more fully in another post. But don’t wait.
First, you can start right now by bringing this post to the Lord in prayer and asking Him to lead you as to what steps you should take. You might begin by praying,
“Lord Jesus, I love You. I give You this year to pursue You as the truth in the Bible. Honor my desire, and lead me step by step into a deeper appreciation for all the real things revealed in Your word. Meet me every day as I come to You in your word.”
Second, you should consider your time and decide how much time you can set aside each day. You might want to begin with fifteen to thirty minutes a day. Schedule a set time or times.
Third, pick a book of the Bible, preferably of the New Testament, to go through chapter by chapter.
Fourth, make feeding on God’s word your first priority. Pray-read a few verses each morning to be spiritually nourished.
Fifth, later in the day make time to read a chapter or part of a chapter of the Bible. I’ve found the Recovery Version with footnotes to be an incredible resource in digging into the deep mine of God’s word.
If you’ve been helped by anything in this post, please take a moment to confirm with a short comment.
Resources and Further Reading:
If you’d like to receive a free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version, you can order one from Bibles for America (in the USA). You can also read it freely online at: online.recoveryversion.org.
Here is a hymn that strengthens the point of this post: Break Thou the Bread of Life, Dear Lord to me.
About Tom Smith
Hi. My name is Tom Smith. I'm the writer behind Holding to Truth in Love, and I love the Lord Jesus and His life-giving Word. Please feel free to send me an e-mail through the contact page if you have any questions. I hope you'd take a moment to subscribe to the Holding to Truth blog. Then you'll be sure not to miss a post. Thanks!
Amen, I appreciated all four reasons to pursue the truth. I was especially impressed with the ability of the truth to make us “complete, fully equipped for every good work”. As ones who have been saved by our Lord Jesus, it’s altogether normal for us to have a desire to please Him and be useful. However in trying to do something for God we might find ourselves altogether unready and incomplete. How important it is to be equipped! The more important and honorable a work is, the more there is a need for a preparation and training. To do a work for the Lord is the highest job in the universe. Spending time in the truth in the Bible will prepare and equip us. May we dive in and remain in the truth this year!
How true! The higher the work, the more training that is needed–for example a doctor or an architect must continually be learning. How much more carrying out the building work of God requires a thorough and continual equipping. May we never be self-contented but humble ourselves before the Lord and invite Him to enlighten us and perfect us through His word of truth. Thank you for your confirming comment.
Amen!
Stay with the pillar and base of the truth, truthing it, holding to truth in love, and come to the full knowledge of the truth!
Amen. I was especially enlightened to see “that all may…come to the full knowledge of the truth” is the heart’s desire of God for every one of us–believers and unbelievers alike. Sometimes we consider 1 Tim. 2:4 as a gospel verse for someone else. But this is our Savior God’s desire for us right now. May we pursue the full knowledge of such a divine reality and then do our best to bring those around us–to share in such a full knowledge of the truth concerning Christ and His Body, the church.
Amen Brother Tom, I’m glad you bring this point back to light in this comment.That ALL MAY know and come to the full knowledge of the truth. How God loves all of us
Lord, we give ourselves to pursue You as the truth this year!
“Amen! Lord, give us the same spirit as the apostle Paul, never to be contented with what we’ve gotten, but to go higher to apprehend more of Christ and the church through Your enlightening word of truth. We give ourselves to pursue you this year.”
This was very practical fellowship and I appreciate it very much. It has encouraged me to pursue the Lord in a more sanctified and structured way. Praise the Lord for His patience, mercy, and grace. Hallelujah for the building!
I appreciate your word about getting into the truth in a sanctified and structured way. This means that we come to God’s word whether we feel like it or not. Honestly, much of the time we “don’t feel like it.” But having a “sanctified time” that you build us as a habit is very helpful. Then you feel that something is wrong if you don’t keep that scheduled time. For me I like to time myself for 30 minutes, especially when y time is tight or I don’t feel like. I practice to keep the time and record it. Second, you mentioned–“structured.” To me this is also a help. In athletics or some other form of training, we might speak positively of our “routine” for how we work out.
In coming to the Lord’s word, I also believe that it helps to have some form of structure.
1. I try to pray first.
2. Then read the Bible verses I’m about to study. I’ve found The Holy Bible Recovery Version with the outlines and footnotes to be an indispensable tool to effective BIble study. I like to keep my Bible open to the passage I’m getting into so that I can follow the verses.
3. I also practice to pray-read a few key verses before I start to study. This provides spiritual nourishment.
4. Along with the Recovery Version study Bible, I use the companion study, Life-study of the Bible by Witness Lee. It leads you through each chapter pointing out the crucial items of truth as well as precious experiences of Christ and how to apply it to your own experience.
5. I like to use Evernote to keep notes on my study. (Their basic plan is free.) I find it helpful to summarize what I’ve received from my study and if I have time to even make an outline from what I have studied.
6. I find it very enriching to find another believer or a group that also share a hunger to know the word and speak what you’ve received from your study. Doing this once or twice a week can really help you to digest what you’ve enjoyed from your study.
7. Finally, I try not to go too fast. Remember the story of the Tortoise and Hare. It’s the tortoise that wins the race. So take the a slow steady way that you can sustain for many years and you’ll receive much benefit.
Thanks for your confirming comment.
Lord Jesus we look to You once more, honour our desire to have You dwelling in us richly in all wisdom through Your word.
Amen. We need such a prayerful response to the Lord’s constraining us to enter more deeply into the truth in His word. May the Lord make Col. 3:16 the prayer of all those who read this post. “Lord, do as You have spoken. Cause Your word to dwell in me richly this year in all wisdom. Give me some with whom I can speak the things revealed in Your word, teaching and admonishing one another…”
Amen. This reminds me of one of the messages in the ITERO (Message 7 – The church in Philadelphia). Brother Minoru shared 4 points on the matter of keeping the truth: 1. Read the word. Read the Bible, care for it because it is a Person. 2. Pray over the word: eat, masticate, enjoy and assimilate the word. 3. Study the word, take the word as the Person. 4. Speak the word.
We should handle the word in His presence. When we read the word, we should come to Christ that we may receive life (John 5:40). May we gain the Lord more this new year through His word.
Jennifer, yes, if we would be as the blessed church in Philadelphia, we need to be those who diligently keep the Lord’s word. To keep His word, we need to start by reading the Bible each day, not only in letter, but by contacting Christ the Living Word, in God’s written word. Praying with the verses we read, enables us to extract the spirit and life in the word and make them “words spoken to us” (John 6:63). Then by studying the Word, we become equipped and constituted with the word so that we are able to serve others with the reality in the word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Finally, we need both inflow and outflow, speaking to others the riches of Christ in the word we have received (2 Tim. 4:2). Thank you for your confirming comment.
Amen Lord may this year be a year of pursuing the Word of God, in a more deeper and affectionate way.,so that we may be equipped by the Lord.we go ourselves for this constitution by Your word Lord.
Amen. May the the Lord stir in each of us to make this year one of pursuing Him in His living word to be equipped and constituted as His faithful stewards cutting straight the word of the truth (2 Tim. 3:16; 2:15).
Every believer should be equipped with the truth to be able to speak the truth. Not from a podium, but more practically across his/her kitchen table. That’s the most preveiling way how the truth can spread, any place, any time, in season and out of season, among those they know–family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and classmates.
Amen brother, thank you for this reminder….
Amen. May we all be simple saints like Priscilla and Aquila who are able to expound to others the way of the Lord more accurately in our daily life, work, and family (Acts 18:26). Thank you for your confirming comment.
Lord, many time, we need someone in the Body of Christ, to bring us an encouraging word, a word to daily embrace pursuing and holding to the truth in love, to move us forward. Thank You Lord Jesus! Lord, You are the way, the reality (truth) and the life, and Your heart’s desire is that all men come to the full and experiential knowledge of the truth, to be living and functioning members of Your Body the church, and that we be able to speak You as the truth to others, starting with our household. Lord, thank You for mercies new each morning. Keep us Lord, daily growing in Your grace and in Your word. Meet us Lord each day, to feed us with more of Yourself, as the bread of life, the living bread, that satisfies all of our hunger for the truth, that we may live and be living because of You. O Lord Jesus! Make us strong in spirit! hallelujah! Thank You Lord Jesus! Amen.
How precious that the Lord’s charge to the church in Philadelphia and to us is the “keep the word.” It is not that we are especially strong. Rather we use our little strength to keep the word by reading it, praying it (including singing, musing and psalming it), studying it and speaking it. The more we practice in this way, the more the word is digested into our being, the more it nourishes us to make us the living, functioning members of the Body of Christ to fulfill God’s purpose.
Am richly benefitted by your article and also blessed by the Word. Thanks. Anthony Menrzes, Dramapur, Goa 403725, India
Anthony, I’m glad you enjoyed this post, “4 Reasons to Pursue the Truth in the Bible this Year.” It is a great blessing in our Christian life when we make “holding to truth in love” a daily priority. If we fell short in the ending year, we can thank Him for His mercy that we have a new beginning before us. When we see that it is God’s will for us not only to be saved but to “come to the full knowledge of the truth,” we can set aside a certain time each day to come to the Lord in His Word. I highly recommend a book by book read through the New Testament. Ask the Lord where He would have you to start. Pick a book and then practice come to the Word first with prayer. To help with your understanding, I recommend the Recovery Version with footnotes for serious study. For richer enjoyment, I’d also recommend, the Life-study of the Bible, or the podcasts that discuss them. Let me know how it goes and if you find my comments helpful.
Thank You Lord Jesus! … His heart’s desire is that all men come to the saving knowledge of the truth! This is not only for initial salvation, which is marvelous in itself, but also for the working out of our salvation. “For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) … O Lord Jesus! I am open to You, in pursuing the truth and holding to truth in love as a part of my daily life. That in my pursuing and holding after You, my whole family may do the same. Lord, I give myself to loving You Lord, Who first loved me so, by pursuing and holding to truth in love. Lord, Your word is truth! … Praise You Lord Jesus! Amen.