The following is an excerpt from Alive: Growing in Your Relationship with Jesus.

This day of study is written by Missie Branch.

In the morning before I get ready for work, I get up, put on my robe and slippers, pour a cup of coffee, sit in my favorite chair, and I talk to the Lord. I have tried many different morning routines, but this is the one that I enjoy the most. The opportunity to talk with the God who I’ve walked with for more than thirty years is still as awe inspiring to me today as it was when I first believed.

As I talk to the Lord, I try to spend part of this time reciting back to Him what He has said to us in His Word. The Bible is called God’s Word because it literally contains the words of God for the people of God. In it we are given access to the Father’s plan for a lost humanity, the Son’s mission to rescue and restore us, and the Spirit’s protection over us.

Very close to the middle of the Bible you’ll find a psalm that’s whole purpose is to celebrate the beautiful gift that is the Word of God—Psalm 119. At that point in history, the psalmist would have had only the earliest books of the Bible in view, which were known as the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). But as readers today, we can delight in God’s full written Word.

In Psalm 119, we’re given a glimpse into the heart of a regular person whose spiritual life has been transformed by spending time learning from God in His Word. These verses teach that each of us are given access to salvation, good judgment, discernment, wisdom beyond our years, instruction, understanding, insight, and God’s faithful love. Spending time in God’s Word prevents following evil and has answers for being offended.

As a light or a lamp, we can look to God’s Word for daily guidance and direction on how to live in a manner that glorifies God and accomplishes His will for us. What a generous gift. But to enjoy this gift fully, there is a cost. The price is time and commitment. The author of this psalm makes it clear that all this gain, all this connection, is the byproduct of an investment in God’s Word. The author is meditating on it, studying it, delighting in it, obeying it, and loving it. There is an active pursuit of God’s Word resulting in a vibrant spiritual life. And when we are transformed spiritually, our daily lives will be impacted. Attitudes, actions, work, relationships, and emotions are made new.

Hearing God’s Word is the simplest way to take it all in. This can be done through both listening to sermons and reading it out loud. In addition to hearing it, Christians need to spend time reading and learning the Bible. Taking the first steps can be confusing at first. Where do you start? What do you need to know? One easy way is to start at the beginning. The Bible is one big story about God, beginning in the book of Genesis and ending in the book of Revelation. God is inviting you into His story, and He will meet you there in the pages of this book.

In Alive: Growing in Your Relationship with Jesus, you’ll spend five weeks walking through the basic, fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith. You’ll gain understanding of the change that has taken place in your heart and life as a new believer and learn what it means to walk out your faith as an individual and as part of the body of Christ—the community known as the Church. Understand the meaning and importance of historic Christian practices like baptism, prayer, worship, the Lord's Supper, tithing, missions, and more. And hear and respond to the calling and encouragement to take the long view of the Christian life, being challenged to endure and leave a legacy of faith behind.