This was the question I remember asking when I was a teenager.

For years I considered the Bible as the third rail to my Christian walk – I knew Scripture was an important part, but it was a mystery to me at the time. To be honest:

1. I was ready to ACCEPT ADVICE from others without testing it

2. I was comfortable PRAYING about every situation asking for God’s help

3. Yet I shied away from APPLYING God’s Word to my daily life

One night I remember seeing the Bible sitting on the nightstand beside my bed and thinking to myself “this book is not relevant to my life” — even as a professing Christian!  Even if I would have thought it was relevant, I certainly didn't know where to start reading.

Seeking an answer to my question,
 I asked God to show me the relevance of His Word and 
show me His wisdom revealed through it.

I believe this is a prayer God is more than eager to answer.  Forty-five years later, I can say the Lord answered my prayer beyond expectation!  What surprises me, even to this day, is HOW He so creatively answered my prayer and HOW He prompted me to dig into His word and learn what I needed to know. One of the ways was to create this Scriptural Journal.

Without a doubt, it's taken effort and daily commitment on my part to find direction from His Word.  The results, however, are priceless as I am assured of His involvement in the lives of believers, including the unique life He created for me!

I’ve come to realize that “following Christ” without consuming His Word would be like flying a plane without reading the manual and practicing its operation… 

Oh, I suppose there are some who might successfully ignore the instructions and get the plane off the ground and keep it flying — but it wouldn't take long before encountering an unexpected situation and most likely crash and burn.  Not to say that we are guaranteed a smooth flight even if we have the manual by our side. Pilots can make mistakes even after reading instructions and putting in hundreds of flight hours, but at least they can refresh their memory with a manual that explains how the plane was intended to operate and what to do when things go wrong. 

The same can be said of the believer living the Christian life.  I’ve learned that God’s Word is important for every follower of Christ so they have a plumbline of truth, making it possible to know:

• What is expected of them as part of God’s creation

• Where they have gone wrong, and

• How to get back on the correct path

Scripture is that lifeline written by our Creator for every one of His followers.