Dr. Smiley Blanton was a busy New York City psychiatrist who kept a Bible on his desk. Somewhat surprised to see this, a client asked, "Do you, a psychiatrist, read the Bible?"

"I not only read it, I study it," said Dr. Blanton, a devout Christian. Then he added, "If people would absorb its message, a lot of psychiatrists would go out of business."

To clarify his point, Dr. Blanton said that if clients who are plagued by guilt would read the parable of the prodigal son and his forgiving father (Luke 15:11-32), they could find the key to healing.

Do we look for healing in God's powerful Word? We may read the Bible, but do we really believe it, study it, and put its teachings into practice? The saving truth of Scripture is God's potent medicine for delivering us from the disease of sin.

The prophet Jeremiah, despite difficulties and hardships, found joy in the words of the Lord (Jeremiah 15:16). And the psalmist loved the commandments of God (Psalm 119:48) and said to Him, "I will delight myself in Your commandments . . . . I will meditate on Your statutes" (vv.47-48).

Like medicine, God's Word must be taken as directed. Are you internalizing its truth?  — Vernon C. Grounds