WRITTEN BY: Wendy Cutchins

Just as you need air to breathe and food to eat, you need the Word of God to sustain you. In 2 Timothy, we are assured that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” so as you study the scriptures, God gives you all the information you need to follow His plan for your life. It is our instruction manual, our road map, our survival guide, so pick up your Bible!

All over the world, children who are dealing with life and death situations are sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This can be a scary experience for those little ones, but one of the special programs there is the mailroom.

For many of the children, this is a bright moment in a dark time. In all the chaos and pain that comes with fighting for their lives, they visit the mailroom each day to receive letters and cards that people send. 

Letters of encouragement to keep going even when times get tough. Letters of hope that stress not to give up. Letters of rejoicing in the victories, big or small. Letters of love, so the children know they haven’t been forgotten by the ones who love them. I love that St. Jude has this program because I believe it has a significant impact on those dealing with more than many of us will deal with in our entire lifetimes.

You have a mailroom, too! The Bible is your mailroom. It is filled with letters of encouragement to let you know that you’re not alone when dealing with tough times. It contains letters of hope encouraging you not to give up. It includes powerful letters with messages of the strength and wisdom you can gain from a strong relationship with God.

Most importantly, it contains letters of endless love, grace, and mercy. It’s designed to lead you through the tough times and rejoice with you in the victories, big and small. Without it, we as Christians would be missing a significant tool in the mission of accomplishing God’s will for our lives, so pick up your Bible!

Just like those precious kids at St. Jude in need of life-saving treatments, we are all in need of life-saving assistance from our Heavenly Father. Immersing ourselves in His Word is essential to our survival and how we thrive through all that we experience. In Ephesians 6:17, it says for us to “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.” In Hebrews 4:12, Paul tells us that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.”

If you were going into battle, would you want to go in empty-handed? No! Of course not! You would want protection and a way to fight back. Salvation saves us from eternal death, and the sword of the spirit is our defense, so pick up your Bible! 

This is as much a call to action for me as it is for you. Reading and studying your Bible should be a regular habit. Pray that God reveals Himself and His plan for your life as you pick up your Bible and spend time with Him. We are as close to Him as we want to be. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8