Personalize God’s Word to Change Your Life
BY RICK WARREN — OCTOBER 23, 2016
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT, second edition).
God’s Word will never change your life until you let it become personal. It’s not about your neighbor, your friend, your spouse, or the stranger down the street. God’s Word must be applied to your life. The Bible won’t become dynamic until it becomes specific.
How do you make God’s Word personal? Try the personalize-it method of Bible meditation. Anybody can do it. You don’t need any special tools or advanced theological training.
You simply put your name in the place of pronouns or nouns in Scripture. For example, if I were personalizing John 3:16, I’d write something like this: “For God so loved Rick, he gave his one and only Son so that Rick would not perish but have everlasting life.”
Or, for Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in Rick Warren will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Put your name in the text, and you’ll strengthen your faith and encourage yourself.
You can also re-write the verse as if God is talking directly to you. For example, Philippians 1:6 would be: “I, who began a good work in you, Rick, will carry it on to completion.”
Do this, and many passages of Scripture will literally bring tears to your eyes. You’ll start to read the Bible as God’s love letter to you. It’ll be God’s gift to you! Reading your Bible isn’t just about getting to know the content of the Word. It’s about getting to know the author of the Word — personally!
Talk It Over
- Have you ever thought about the Bible as a love letter to you?
- What does it look like when you believe that God wrote the Bible just for you? What does it look like when you treat the Bible and your quiet time with God as a personal conversation and lesson for life?
- How will you personalize what you’re reading today?
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