I want to spend just a few minutes with you simply to invest into your life what we believe to be four tools that make for a strong, healthy Christian life. This is by no means rigid legalism, but rather what I believe to be simple wisdom in taking good measure to water new roots.

What these tools basically breakdown into are:

1. The Word of God

2. Prayer

3. Fellowship

4. Sharing

These things are what you might refer to as the "4 food groups" of the soul. Each one essential if we are to have a balanced and healthy Christian life.

1. THE WORD OF GOD:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." John 6:48 He said, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63 and again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." John 8:51

So we need to take in the Word of God even as we do physical food, and as we need physical food to survive physically, so we need spiritual food to survive spiritually. If you don’t eat physically, or only eat "sometimes", you will grow radically malnourished, weak, anemic and eventually die.

If you don’t eat spiritually you will grow spiritually malnourished, weak, anemic, and eventually die. Again, our spiritual food is the Word of God. (John 6, Mathew 4:4)

I recommend beginning with the Gospel of John. It is written specifically about not only the Love of God, but so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ and the by believing, you might have life in His name. (John 20:31)

Try to read at least one chapter per day. Read more if you like (Proverbs make a great daily devotional, like a calendar. You can read one chapter for each day of the month, Proverbs Chapter 1 on the first, Chapter two on the second, etc.). Try not to skip around. It is not one book, but 66 books with 40 different authors. Read each letter as a personal letter from that author to you even as you would a personal letter today. If you start a chapter, try to finish it so that you can keep the context and not get lost in your reading. It is a good idea before you read to simply utter a little prayer asking God to teach you and to give you understanding. (Which leads me to #2).