Falling In Love With God’s Word #11
Read Psalm 119:33-35
When I was a very young Christian, I made a goal of reading the Bible cover to cover in the summer of 1993. I dove in and began reading large portions of scripture. I was inspired at my progress, then I ran into a very busy few weeks. I couldn’t read as much as I wanted, putting my goal in jeopardy! As the days went on, I started to feel guilty. What began as an invigorating process turned into a failure, or so I felt.
There have also been times when I would read a very small portion of scripture, and really “get it.” I would feel victorious until I heard of someone in the church who was gulping down truckloads of scripture each day. Was I lame? Should I be doing more? I felt great, but can true disciples really only read a verse at a time! Ironically, what sometimes feels like a victory can feel inferior if I am comparing myself to others in the fellowship. Similarly, what sometimes feels like a failure can be very pleasing to God! Either way, this whole way of thinking is a trap!
I appreciate what the author says here. He asks for “understanding.” No matter the precept, once he achieves that, his heart will be more devoted to God’s path, and the things he’s learning will be more readily accessible in a practical way. In our Bible study, quantity is not the goal, quality is. Quality is about really making sure you understand what you are studying, quantity can vary depending on who is reading it, how fast they read, how smart they are, personality, education, blah blah blah. Understanding is the real goal – it means to “grasp an idea, and fully comprehend it.” That is what I want. When that happens, my heart is different, I feel like I’ve grown, and God’s principles are inside of my heart, not just in my head. That is where real change happens anyway!
Here are a few things I recommend to aid in your Bible study, in order to fully understand the things you are reading:
1. A willing and eager heart – pray each day that God will keep your heart soft toward the Bible. A hard heart finds God’s word burdensome.
2. Stay open about your sin – nothing kills the God’s message like a heart loaded down with shame. Adam & Eve wanted to hide from God when they sinned. We sometimes hide from God by hiding our Bibles in the shelf! Be open often.
3. Have strong relationships! Work hard at this. Invest in the church. Bible students with deep friendships are inspiring. Bible scholars with no friends are downright annoying.
4. Have a good study Bible, with notes in the margins (NIV may be the easiest)
5. Have access to a good commentary. Make sure they are not scholarly commentaries (unless you want that). Just a simple, practical one will do.
6. Have access to a concordance – either online or in book form
7. Keep a prayer journal, write down thoughts, questions, prayers.
8. Remember the goal is understanding, NOT time spent or quantity read!
Hope this helps!