Sunday, June 21, 2009

Discipline part 3-Studying God's Word


I have pasted below an AWESOME answer to the question: why is it so important for us to read and understand the Bible? When we discipline ourselves to read God's Word we are blessed. Why then do we as Christians have to make it a priority? Why isn't it naturally a priority like sleep, or eating, or hanging out with friends, watching t.v, being on the internet... etc.?! Why don't we crave time in the Word like we crave these things? Because we are worldly. Because we are more in tune with our flesh then our spirit. Because we are not disciplined! If we would be in the Word as much as we are into other non-essential things we would grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All the things we want in other words. The fruits of the spirit (Gal. 5:22) as opposed to the fruits of our wretched flesh. Enjoy this great answer to the the question: "why should I discipline myself to make reading the Word a priority?"


"Understanding the Bible is important because the Bible is God’s Word. When we open the Bible, we read God’s message to us. What could be more important than understanding what the Creator of the universe has to say? We seek understanding of the Bible for the same reason a man seeks to understand a love letter from his sweetheart. God loves us and desires to restore our relationship with Him (Matthew 23:37). God communicates His love to us in the Bible (John 3:16; 1 John 3:1; 4:10). We seek understanding of the Bible for the same reason a soldier seeks to understand a dispatch from his commander. Obeying God’s commands brings honor to Him and guides us in the way of life (Psalm 119). Those commands are found in the Bible (John 14:15). We seek understanding of the Bible for the same reason a mechanic seeks to understand a repair manual. Things go wrong in this world, and the Bible not only diagnoses the problem (sin) but also points out the solution (faith in Christ). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We seek understanding of the Bible for the same reason a driver seeks to understand traffic signals. The Bible gives us guidance through life, showing us the road of safety and wisdom (Psalm 119:11, 105). We seek understanding of the Bible for the same reason someone in the path of a storm seeks to understand the weather report. The Bible predicts what the end times will be like, sounding a clear warning of impending judgment (Matthew 24-25) and how to avoid it (Romans 8:1). We seek understanding of the Bible for the same reason an avid reader seeks to understand his favorite author’s books. The Bible reveals to us the person and glory of God, as expressed in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18). The more we read and understand the Bible, the more intimately we know the Author. As Philip was traveling to Gaza, the Holy Spirit led him to a man who was reading a portion of Isaiah. Philip approached the man, saw what he was reading, and asked this very important question: “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30). Philip knew that understanding was the starting point for faith. Without understanding the Bible, we cannot apply it, obey it, or believe it."

No comments:

Post a Comment