When Jesus walked the Earth, he gave his followers more than 100 life-changing promises. He also gave more than 100 teachings for living in line with God’s priorities—commands that lift up rather than weigh down. What if you had been there to hear him speak?

Bible Gateway interviewed Steven K. Scott about his book, Jesus Speaks: 365 Days of Guidance and Encouragement, Straight from the Words of Christ (Waterbrook Press, 2016).

Why do you believe Christians need to immerse themselves in the words of Christ?

Steven K. Scott: Jesus made at least 21 miraculous promises about his words, that he didn’t make about the rest of Scripture. And he made those promises exclusively to his followers who will “abide” in his words by hearing and “doing” them! In Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus tells us that if we will hear his sayings and do them, we will be like a house built on the rock that will withstand the storms of life. He then says in verses 26-27, that those who hear his words and don’t do them will be like the man who built his house on the sand.

In John 14:21-24, Jesus tells all of us that we love him and the Father the way they want to be loved when we obey Jesus’ commands. He also says, those who don’t love him don’t obey his commands. Jesus tells us that his words are “Spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). Unlike other words that merely inform, his words actually infuse his Spirit and his life into our spirit and life. Jesus’ words provide the path to experience continuous intimacy with him and the Father. In John 15, Jesus tells us that his words are the key to having our prayers answered, bearing fruit, glorifying God, remaining in his love, having his joy in us, and having our joy overflow. Finally, he tells us that we are to “make disciples” by “teaching them to obey everything I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). In all, the Gospels record nearly 2,000 life-giving statements of Christ.

What does Jesus say will happen if we abide in his words and obey them?

Steven K. Scott: In John 8:31-32, Jesus tells brand new believers, “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The fact that he said this to believers who were only “minutes old” in their belief in Christ, means it’s a universal truth. It applies to any believer, regardless of age or gender. Whether they’ve been a believer for 20 minutes or 20 years, they can become Jesus’ disciple by “abiding” in his words.

Describe your book, its format, and how it helps people abide in Christ’s words.

Steven K. Scott: Jesus Speaks provides 365 teachings on the teachings of Christ. Each day starts with a red-lettered statement. The entry then springboards off of that statement and reflects or paraphrases Christ’s other statements on that day’s topic. The entry then ends with a second red-lettered statement that reinforces that day’s message. So there’s over 700 red-lettered statements in the book. Each entry is about a 3-minute read and provides a very easy gateway into the practice of abiding in Jesus’ words.

What do you say to people who may think casting your devotional content in the first person of Jesus to be presumptuous?

Steven K. Scott: I understand their concern. Jesus said, “What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!” (Matthew 10:27 NLT). Each night as I wrote the entries, I would start with a red-lettered statement. Then the Holy Spirit would perform the ministry Jesus said he would when he said that the Holy Spirit will “bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26 NLT). He would flood my mind with Jesus’ words, and then a little “sermonette” based entirely on the words of Christ would quickly come into my mind, and that’s what I would type. At the bottom of each page I give a reference to that day’s topic in The Greatest Words Ever Spoken, so readers could then see everything Jesus said on that topic. When they do, they’ll realize my paraphrasing did not misrepresent the teachings of Christ on that days’ topic. In fact, they’ll be amazed at how much Jesus said about the subject that was touched upon in the devotional.

How can we learn about God the Father through the words of Jesus?

Steven K. Scott: Jesus said, “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). So if a believer doesn’t know what Jesus said about the Father, any concept he has about the Father will be incomplete. Jesus made over 100 statements about the Father and over 100 assertions about his relationship with the Father. Most believers I’ve met know very little about what Jesus said about the Father and his relationship with the Father. In Jesus Speaks, believers will not only discover the heart and mind of Christ, they’ll come to see the Father from Jesus’ point of view. In his review of the book, Charles Stanley wrote, “I’m certain that readers will grow in their intimate relationships with the Father as they focus on Jesus’ words daily…” That’s one of my greatest hopes for the reader: to begin to know the Father through Jesus’ words.

How did meditating on the words of Jesus affect the late Gary Smalley?

Steven K. Scott: I gave Gary the manuscript last May, and the first week he texted me and then called me and said, “This book is changing my life!!!” He would not only read the three-minute devotional each day, but would then spend up to an hour-and-a-half reading everything Jesus said on that day’s topic in The Greatest Words Ever Spoken. He said he was coming to know the Father and Jesus more intimately than he had ever known them. He said it changed everything!

What do you hope will happen with people who read this devotional?

Steven K. Scott: My hope for all of the readers is that they will experience what Gary Smalley and I have experienced:

• they will come to know the Father and Jesus more intimately, and that they will discover the joy of knowing the heart, mind, and will of the Lord Jesus Christ
• they will begin to live according to his teachings, and experience the joyful and miraculous life that he has called them to live
• they will store up treasures in heaven and influence countless others to know and follow Christ.

What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?

Steven K. Scott: I am SO grateful for Bible Gateway. I use it daily as an instant “go to” for every Scripture that I look up. I use it for every book I write! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Bio: Steven K. Scott is The New York Times bestselling author of numerous books including Jesus Speaks: 365 Days of Guidance and Encouragement, Straight from the Words of Christ, The Greatest Words Ever Spoken: Everything Jesus Said About You and Everything Else, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness, The Jesus Mission: Christ Completed 27 Missions While on Earth; Take Up the Four He Assigned to You, and Unfinished: The Four Callings from Jesus That Empower and Complete Your Purpose on Earth. Using the laws of success he learned from the book of Proverbs, Scott and his partners have built more than a dozen highly successful US and international companies. He’s active in the executive leadership of Knowing Him International, a non-profit ministry. Connect with him at JesusWords.com.