Scripture has a whole host of Bible based life lessons for the modern Christian, always revealing that the word of God is living and active. Even though these lessons were written thousands of years ago, they are still relevant to today’s readers. Here are a few of the particularly prevalent lessons from the Bible.

Do Not Fear

Although variance in Bible translation makes it hard to count exactly how many times God’s Word says the message “do not fear”, we do know that the Bible addresses fear over five hundred times. This makes it one of the most common messages in the entirety of scripture. In fact, most of the times that God or one of His messengers appears in scripture, we see the message “do not fear” or “do not be afraid”. Many Biblical scholars believe this may be why the message is repeated so much. It is as if God wants us to associate His very presence with the absence of fear: whenever He is among His people, fear need not exist.

God is Compassionate and Gracious

One of the most referenced passages in the entire Bible is Exodus 34:6-7, which describes God’s character as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”. This message or a version of it is repeated throughout Old Testament history, Psalms, prophetic books and more — appearing a total of nearly 30 times. Although many people seem to believe that the Old Testament God is full of wrath and vengeance, this passage flies in the face of that assumption, instead illustrating that God is actually slow to get angry and though just, He often does not give people the “justice” they might seem to deserve.

Rejoice in the Lord

God often commands His people to rejoice. Surprising as it may sound, this really means that God commands His followers to be joyful and happy. In the Old Testament, God regularly mandated feasts, festivals and celebrations. Although serving God may seem like a chore at times, we should remember that He also wants His children to celebrate. Even in the everyday, we have a lot to rejoice in. We can live this out by celebrating gifts like our life and breath, His astounding creation and the beautiful family of believers we are part of through the church.

The Bible always has relevant lessons for Christians in every walk of life. If we just take the time to immerse ourselves in His word, we will soon discover the themes He has woven through His word and the marvelous everyday lessons He has for us to dwell on.