Study Daily

The most important task a Christian can do on a daily basis is to study the Bible. God revealed His word that you might know Him and understand His commandments. “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:12). Therefore, our eternal destiny will be determined through understanding and obeying the scriptures. As Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven,” (Matthew 7:2 1).

The sad reality is that few understand the Bible, because they do not spend quality time reading and thinking about the scriptures to know what God is saying to us. The reason lies with our attitude.

Some fail to understand the scriptures because they do not want to understand. Jesus said, “This is why I speak to them in parables: `Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ‘ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: `You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s hearts has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:13-15).

In applying Isaiah’s prophesy, Jesus told his disciples that the people had preconceived ideas about the Christ, and He did not fit into them. Therefore, they rejected Him. Why? It was not because they could not understand God’s words. Neither was it because teachers failed to teach it properly. They failed to understand the scriptures, because they had the wrong attitude.

How should our attitudes be toward the daily reading of scriptures? Peter provides the answer: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” (1 Peter 2:2). Milk to a baby is life; it’s nourishment. A baby cries when he’s hungry and does not get it immediately. This paints the perfect illustration of our attitude and craving for the word. Paul exhorts Timothy to give attention “to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” And little further on he wrote, “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see you progress. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (I Timothy 4:13, 15-16). Paul tells Timothy to be diligent, because it is important for spiritual growth.

Kevin Goddu