And no I’m not talking about that “studying” you do 12 hrs before you midterm, about to go into a caffeine-induced shock AND coma because of all the red bulls you drank… I’m talking about the bible.
We all know, (I hope), that famous scripture that says “Study to shew thyself approved”, but what does that mean? Why do I need to STUDY my bible? How do I study? But it’s too boring etc. etc. etc.
There are too many outright BENEFITS to study the scripture than I can count. The fact of the matter is is that the bible is the living word of God (Heb. 4:12). And when you have the Holy Spirit, (which is confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord and being baptized in his name), it LITERALLY becomes spirit and life unto you.
It is “health to all the flesh” (Prov. 4:22). It’s able to “build you up and give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified” (Acts 20:32)… but why?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, and “The scripture is able to make thee wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). So by these two scriptures it is clearly correlation salvation and wisdom together. Hmmmmmmmm…
Daniel was a great man of God, even as a child. Since a child he was chosen because of his understanding and wisdom, and as he got older it didn’t depart, it only grew deeper… to the point he was the master of all counsels in the kingdom of Babylon. But what’s the big deal? He was smart, so what? Here it is.
His wisdom allowed him to know God in such a deep way, his entire life was filled with miracles, signs, wonders, and power.
He said “by the books I found out Jeremiah’s time was 70 years”… by STUDYING he was able to get revelations that lead him to see the great visions and prophecies we benefit from today. So great, he was instructed to not speak on them… for the angel assured him that the later generations would find it out later, and surely we did.
So studying is crucial because it makes you wise enough to CHOOSE CHRIST, wise enough to DISCERN SPIRITS, and is able to build you up and give you an inheritance, (called Heaven), among them that are sanctified.
“But I don’t like to study…” (Tsk Tsk)
SOLUTION: Start off with prayer. Ask God to open your eyes to HIS word and YOUR spirit, that you begin to hunger and thirst after God as a deer panteth after water in a dry place!
I do a chapter a day. I make sure to EXEGETE, (look it up), the scripture to get the message the author is trying to convey through the text. After reading commentaries, I’ve been blessed to study the scriptures thematically, identifying clear cut message pop out of the text and reappear in the scriptures.
Studying is not easy all the time, for “there is much weariness in the flesh due to study” (Ecc. 12:12), but the cheesy 80’s posters were right…
Knowledge is POWER… therefore studying is important.
Jesus, Leland, and Reason 