Bible Gateway Blog

By Christopher Reese

A new year brings a fresh start, new opportunities, and different possibilities. You may have made New Year’s resolutions to improve your health, finances, or relationships. Having a desire to deepen your relationship with God is a worthy goal whether we make it in January or anytime of the year. Here are four ways to grow spiritually in 2022 and beyond. And since the Bible plays such a key role in our spiritual growth, all four of the following points relate to it.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, What Does the Bible Say About Trusting God? by Christopher Reese]

#1 – Read Scripture

The printed Word is God’s communication to humankind and, for Christians, is the bedrock for everything we believe about God and everything we do in relation to God. The Bible describes the true nature of reality and establishes the blueprint for how God desires us to live.

The apostle Peter highlights Scripture’s importance for spiritual growth when he writes, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Just as infants receive nourishment from milk that leads to their physical growth, so we receive sustenance from Scripture, leading to our spiritual growth. It then makes sense that we need a regular intake of spiritual milk from the Bible.

The apostle Paul reminded the young pastor Timothy that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible equips us to live the Christlike life God wants us to live.

Continue reading →

By Christopher Reese

Perhaps the most foundational element of any relationship is trust. No kinship can function properly without it. When trust is lacking, personal unions break down and we retreat into suspicion and defensiveness. Our society would falter if businesses and individuals didn’t extend basic trust to one another. A lack of trust in those who can help us can lead to ruin. I may die if I’m having a heart attack but refuse to call 9-1-1 because I distrust medical personnel.

This is one reason trust plays such a key role in the life of faith. If we fail to trust God, we lose our connection with the Source of ultimate truth, and hinder our relationship with the One who created us and loves us with infinite love.

Scripture has much to say about trusting God and having faith in God. These two terms have essentially the same meaning—to trust God is the same as having faith in God—so we’ll use them interchangeably as we explore what the Bible says about this vital issue.

Continue reading →