The Most Profitable Investment

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (AMP)

¹⁶ Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),

¹⁷ So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

As a culture, we pride ourselves in doing things that are profitable. We invest in our retirement. We exercise. We change the oil in our cars every 3000 miles. We buy organic products. We forego upsizing the combo meal. You get the idea...and when we don't do those things, we talk about how we should be doing them in order to get the most value or best results in the long run. Likewise, we need to understand that to get the most out of our spiritual journey, we need to invest in the study of God's Word. Why? As Paul said to the young pastor, Timothy, Scripture is "God-breathed." In other words, it comes straight from God. It isn't interspersed with the thoughts of man. The words written were inspired by the Holy Spirit. We need to be cautious and not make a habit of reading the best selling Christian authors' works in place of spending time in the Scriptures. There are many wonderful books to enhance our journey, but the books included in the Bible are the only books 100% divinely inspired.
Paul went on to list the ways in which God's Word is profitable:
~for instruction - How many times have you put a toy together on Christmas Eve only to end up with parts and pieces left over because you failed to read the instructions manual? It's the same with our spiritual lives...there's no need to have things falling apart when we could have done it right the first time by reading and heeding the instructions our Lord provided for us.
~for reproof and conviction of sin - I know...it isn't fun to be told when we've done something wrong, but it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance.
~ for correction of error and discipline in obedience - One of the beautiful things about God's reproof and conviction is that He has told us not just the things we shouldn't do, but also how we should behave instead. Obedience to the Lord results in blessing!
~ for training in righteousness - When we let the Lord develop us through His Word, we become spiritually fit and we begin to look more and more like Jesus in thought, purpose, and action.
Becoming spiritually fit requires an investment just like going to the gym, but the benefits outweigh the effort in big ways.  You will become complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work!