Monthly Study
July 2023

The Gift of God's Word

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.—John 8:32

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119. I used to wonder why it was so long! Isn’t it just saying the same thing over and over again? Now I realize that 176 verses hardly seem long enough! I want to love the Word of God with the kind of passion and devotion of the psalmist. This month we will learn about the precious gift of God’s Word. I pray that through this study you will:

  • Understand why God’s Word is inspired, infallible, and perfect
  • Submit more wisely and joyfully to its authority
  • Delight in how the Bible blesses and transforms us

Your devotional author,
Bradley Baurain

Volume 36Edition 7
Managing Editor: Jamie Janosz, Senior Editor: Elena Mafter, Contributing Editor: John Koessler, Writer: Bradley Baurain, Art Director: Lynn Gabalec, Graphic Designer: Rachel Hutcheson, Marketing & Production: Paul B. Currie

About the Author

Brad Baurain

Bradley Baurain is Associate Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute.

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Devotional Calendar

Podcasts

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God’s Word Is Eternal
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Almost everything we see in the world around us will eventually wear out and die. The grass fades. Flowers wilt. Stars burn out. Pens run out of ink. Cars break down. Technology becomes outdated. This is the way it is in a fallen world: everything must decay and die.
July 1, 2023
Christ the Living Word
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If you’re like me, you have trouble sticking to one-year Bible reading plans. I tend to get bogged down in mid-Leviticus or somewhere among the evil kings in the historical books. So, it is comforting to realize that the Word of God is not only a book but also a Person!
July 2, 2023
God’s Word Is Inspired
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Do you believe the Bible is the literal Word of God? According to a recent Gallup poll, most people don’t! In fact, only 20 percent hold this belief, a number just half of what it was in 1980. Even among self-identified evangelicals, only 40 percent believe the Bible is God’s Word. A growing number feel the Bible is merely “a collection of ‘fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.’”
July 3, 2023
God’s Word Is Perfect
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The Library of Congress recently digitized the Giant Bible of Mainz (Germany). Its pages measure 22.6 inches by 15.9 inches. This is an entirely handwritten Bible, completed in two volumes by a single scribe over a fifteen-month period in 1452–1453. If you go to the web page LOC.gov, you can view this historical treasure for yourself! Be aware, though, that you’ll only be able to read it if you know Latin.
July 4, 2023
God’s Word Is Supremely Valuable
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I used to collect baseball cards, but I never owned any as valuable as the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. One in mint condition sold last August for $12.6 million. At the time of its original purchase, this card would have come in a pack that cost only a nickel. Today it is the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia ever sold at auction.
July 5, 2023
God’s Word Is Trustworthy
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Some people say the Bible is filled with errors and should not be taken literally. Why should we trust the Bible? Is this merely a human-authored book or the actual Word of God?
July 6, 2023
God’s Word Cannot Be Defeated
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When a Mississippi church burned to the ground last August, firefighters were able to rescue a Bible that had sat on the pulpit every day for 178 years. One elder told a local TV station: “We are a Bible-believing church...the idea that essentially nothing in this church survived but the word of God—that’s not lost on us.”
July 7, 2023
All Scripture Points to Christ
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When I was in high school, my parents presented me with a Thompson Chain Reference Bible that I used as my main Bible for many years. By studying its extensive cross-references, I came to see the intricate interconnectedness of all Scripture. The Bible contains 66 books by many human authors, but it’s also one Book with one divine Author, built around one Story: redemption in Jesus Christ.
July 8, 2023
The Prophets and the Gospel
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How does the Old Testament connect to the New Testament? In his famous sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter referred to prophecies by Joel and David (Acts 2). The Old Testament prophet Joel predicted the coming Day of the Lord, and Peter proclaimed that it had now arrived in the person of Christ. David believed God’s promise that one of his descendants would sit on his throne eternally. This too was fulfilled by Christ.
July 9, 2023
Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ
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How can we talk about Jesus in the Old Testament? Which parts apply to Him? And how should we interpret some of the strange language and figures of speech? A very helpful reference is The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, edited by Moody professor Michael Rydelnik and Edwin Blum. This book analyzes every OT passage that is considered Messianic!
July 10, 2023
God’s Word Is Both Testaments
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Many people say they like and respect the Bible, but they don’t actually read it. More than half of respondents in a 2017 LifeWay survey said they had read little or none of it—at most, a few passages or stories. The good news is that 87 percent of Americans do have one or more Bibles in their homes.
July 11, 2023
God’s Word Seen in Us
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What is more important: what we say or what we do? As the saying goes, “Our lives are the only sermon some people will ever hear.” And we’ve all felt at times like the person who commented, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one.”
July 12, 2023
A Double-Edged Sword
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The modern hymn “O Church Arise,” calls to us: “O church, arise, and put your armor on; / Hear the call of Christ our captain. / For now the weak can say that they are strong / In the strength that God has given.“ It continues, “And with the sword that makes the wounded whole, / We will fight with faith and valor.”
July 13, 2023
The Armor of God
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In 2016, the American Bible Society celebrated its bicentennial—200 years of distributing Bibles around the world. Throughout its history, the organization has been committed to give away Bibles without notes or commentary, in the belief that anyone can read the Bible for themselves.
July 14, 2023
God’s Word Teaches Sound Doctrine
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A research study by Arizona Christian University found that only 37 percent of American pastors hold to a biblical worldview. Many do not hold biblical beliefs on issues such as salvation and human sexuality. For example, “at least a third of senior pastors in the United States believe one can earn a place in Heaven by simply being a good person.” A similar number see reincarnation as a real possibility.
July 15, 2023
An Idolatrous Nation
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Did you know that reading books can help you live longer? A study done at Yale University found that those who read books “lived an average of almost two years longer than those who did not read at all.” They concluded: “People who report as little as a half hour a day of book reading had a significant survival advantage over those who did not read.”
July 16, 2023
Bring the Exiles Home
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According to the United Nations, there are 103 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, whether inside or outside their home nations. A total of 32.5 million are classified as refugees, fleeing war or persecution. Of these, 72 percent come from the five countries of Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and South Sudan.
July 17, 2023
God’s Word Consecrates
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When we move into a new house, my family and I pray through it room-by-room. We dedicate each room to the Lord, ask that we would be conscious of His presence, and invite Him to guard and provide for us. We want to remember that this is ultimately God’s house, not ours.
July 18, 2023
God’s Word Blesses
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I have been involved with the ministry of Today in the Word as an editor or writer almost continuously since 1993. That’s 30 years! These have been years of blessing, challenge, and transformation, as God’s Word has made and remade who I am. Even after all this time, I remain excited for each new study!
July 19, 2023
A Call to Salvation
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Doreen Virtue was a best-selling author, who spent 20 years teaching New Age methods. But it was an encounter with God’s Word that transformed her life. “Reading the entire Bible changed everything,” Doreen said. “When I got to Deuteronomy 18:10–12, I encountered a list of sinful activities that included several I was practicing. I was broken, deeply shamed, and humbled. I dropped to my knees in shame and sorrow. ‘I’m so sorry, God!’ I kept wailing in repentance. ‘I didn’t know!’ On that very day I gave my life to Jesus as Lord and Savior.”
July 20, 2023
Study God’s Word
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A recent survey reported that 26 million Americans mostly or completely stopped reading the Bible during COVID. “Currently, only 10 percent of Americans report daily Bible reading.” Don’t let these grim statistics discourage you! Instead, resolve today to make it a priority to read and study God’s Word.
July 21, 2023
The Spirit Illuminates
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Whenever I can, I visit the world-famous Newberry Library in Chicago, a research library known for its collection of rare manuscripts. I’ll never forget a 2017 exhibition in which I viewed a copy of the very first Bible published in the Americas. It was not in English or any European language, but in a language spoken by Native American tribes. Called the Algonquian Bible, it was translated by Native American converts led by Puritan missionary pastor John Eliot.
July 22, 2023
At the Center of Life
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On a wall in our family room hangs a plaque with 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” As my wife and I prepared to return to the U.S. from Vietnam, where we served for many years, a good friend of ours, a Vietnamese pastor and church planter, gave us this plaque as a farewell present. It holds a special place of honor in our home.
July 23, 2023
Follow and Love God’s Word
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Arthur Rorheim has helped millions of children memorize Scripture. Arthur was better known by his nickname, “Mr. Awana.” He co-founded Awana in 1950, and led the Bible-teaching organization for decades. “Awana” is an acronym meaning “Approved workmen are not ashamed,” a reference to 2 Timothy 2:15. The organization now operates in 100 countries and 30 languages!
July 24, 2023
God’s Word Warns Us
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When my family and I drive around the Great Lakes of the Midwestern U.S., we keep an eye for the picturesque lighthouses along the shores. These historic structures are not just for beauty, of course; they warn boats away from dangerous parts of the coastline.
July 25, 2023
How Not to Respond
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Have you ever seen a Peanuts television special? While Charlie Brown, Sally, Linus, Lucy, and the other kids speak clearly, the adult voices are limited to a trombone-like “wa-wa- wa.” Every word of the parents and teachers sounds like nonsense.
July 26, 2023
God’s Word Dwells in Us
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In most sports, a rule book is necessary to control and shape the game. Team members, from the coach to the player on the sideline, are expected not only to be familiar with the book but also to abide by these rules. When a player violates rules, a penalty hurts the entire team.
July 27, 2023
Obey and Meditate on God’s Word
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Jesus told a parable about a man who built his house on a foundation of rock. A storm came, but the house stood firm. Another man built his house on a foundation of sand. When a storm came, the house collapsed. The first house is a picture of a wise man who “hears these words of mine and puts them into practice.” The second is a picture of a foolish man who hears the words but fails to put them into practice (Matt. 7:24–27).
July 28, 2023
God’s Word Is Our Delight
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In Cultivating a Love for God’s Word, Michael Kelley wrote: “Our hearts follow our investments. We desire that men, women, and children not just read the Bible, but also that they love the Bible. The problem is that you can’t manufacture love even in your own heart, much less in the hearts of the people of your church. That’s why this truth is so valuable because even though you can’t manufacture love, you can control your focus and priority. And our hearts will follow our investments.”
July 29, 2023
The First and Final Word
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Books and movies often try to visualize the end of the world. Nuclear weapons are launched and destroy the planet. An epidemic wipes out life on Earth. Robots and artificial intelligence take over. People become virtual reality addicts. Zombies prowl. Space aliens conquer humanity. As fascinating as these scenarios are, there’s little hope to be found there.
July 30, 2023
God’s Word Is Complete
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As a child in Sunday School and Good News Club, I sang: “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!” Often it was my mother leading the song. She had a passion for teaching the Bible to the next generation.
July 31, 2023