Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:1–4).
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter four, the scene presented is a tremendous one. We see the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe, allowing Himself to be subjected to being tempted by a created being.
The Devil seeks to get Jesus to sin, and obviously is entirely unsuccessful. The Lord Jesus responds to each of the Devil’s temptations by quoting scripture from the Old Testament.
In his first approach, the Devil said “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3).
And Christ wisely and powerfully responds by quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy 8:3:
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
What does that really mean?
Many people hearing a statement like this might respond “Well I need to eat food every day. Food is a necessity of life.” Yet those same people might also say “Reading God’s Word every day - is a good thing to do, yet I don’t need to read and consume it every day.”
The Scripture Christ quoted is not only true, but it's more true than most of us know.
The food that we eat nourishes our physical body.
The Word of God nourishes our mind, body, and spirit. The Word of God ministers to our entire being.
When we read and meditate on the Word of God, it pours grace into every area of our lives. The Word of God is pregnant with the ability to bless us.
Great are the blessings and benefits of daily being a student of the Word of God.
A goal of reading no less than three chapters a day in God’s Word is a fruitful goal to pursue.
Not only are these insights true, but it is actually the Word of God that sustains every human being moment by moment - every moment of our lives.
The Word of God tells us in Isaiah 46:4,
Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you. (Berean Standard Bible)
The Word of God tells us in John 6:63,
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
The wise habit of reading God’s Word every day is one of the most fruitful and beneficial habits in all of life.
If you don’t already have this habit at work in your life, today is a great day to get started.
And parents, the habit of having each of your children read no less than three chapters in the Word of God out loud to you daily is a very wise goal for you and your family.
Few commitments will bless and strengthen your children’s walk with the Lord more.
Parents, why not begin today?
So, is it really that important to read the Word of God every day?
Well, a wise follow-up question is, is it really that important to eat every day?
Yes, it is. Because,
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:1–4).
