“Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:45
The Bible is addictive. Once you get into a routine of reading it on a daily basis your spirit is very aware when you miss a day or two of it. You start to crave its spiritual nourishment, just as food gives physical nourishment (see Job 23:12). As Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has said, “The more we eat spiritual food, the more hungry we become and the more we want to eat.”
One of the most important benefits of studying God’s Word is growing closer to Him and growing more like Christ. If you want to get to know someone, you spend time listening to them. This is just as true of our relationship with God as it is with our earthly relationships. As we spend more time with God and get to know Him better, an amazing thing happens: we become more like Him. Knowing God and imitating Christ go hand in hand. Take a look at these Scriptures:
- Jeremiah 24:7 a
- John 8:31‐32
- 1 Peter 2:21‐22
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
Another important benefit that Scripture study brings us is direction. Whether we are facing trials or simply making a major decision, God’s Word can illuminate our thinking and shine a light on our path. God promises when we follow His plan we will also have His peace (Ps. 119:165), but when we ignore His plan, both Scripture and experience teach us that there is no peace to be found. Take a look at these Scriptures:
- Joshua 1:8
- Psalm 19:8
- Psalm 119:50, 105
- Isaiah 58:11
Our Response
“If we want to know the glory of God, if we want to experience the beauty of God,
and if we want to be used by the hand of God, then we must live in the Word of God.”
~David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
Ultimately we should respond to God’s Word with a passion, seeing it for the great treasure that it is (Ps. 119:72, 162). Studying God’s Word transforms our perspective and behavior, leading us on the road to spiritual maturity, resulting in sinning less and obeying more (Ps. 119:33‐34).
In her book Small Changes for a Better Life, Elizabeth George gives this unfortunate statistic: “Only about five percent of all Christians read through the Bible even once in their lives.” Don’t be part of the majority that doesn’t make studying the Bible a priority! God wants us to have an eagerness to study His Word so that we can benefit from the wealth of spiritual blessings it contains.
Check out these verses for more encouragement. They are a great warm‐up for your daily Bible study!
- 1 Peter 2:2‐3 – Crave the Word
- Acts 17:10‐11 – Study the Scriptures daily, with great eagerness
- Jeremiah 15:16, 29:13 – Take delight in God’s Word, with all of your heart
- Matthew 7:7‐8 – Seek and you will find
- Psalm 119:11, 133 – Study His Word in order to not sin
- Luke 24:45 – Pray that Christ will give you understanding of what you read in His Word
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