Why are we not studying the Bible?
“Aunty, what is the difference between reading and studying the Bible?” my niece asks as she is flying through the door into the house. Relieved to take a break from whipping up an apple cake, I gathered my thoughts and responded, “well, this may not be the best analogy, but think of it this way,” I said as I washed my hands to settle in on the couch with her.
“Last Easter, during our family quarterly get together, I developed a treasure hunting map as one of the activities. I gave everyone an outline of clues and treasure to find. Some persons skimmed over the clues and missed finding the treasure, whereas, others focused in on the information given and found the treasure.” My niece, excitedly exclaimed, “Oh yeah, I remember, that was a great game where you tied in scripture to treasures all around us. We loved that game.”
Smiling, I finished by saying, “When you study the Bible, you are digging into the Word to seek the treasures that are in there. This means that you are spending time to either focus on a specific bible character, topic, or book within the Bible. The more that you do that, is the more treasure you will find and hold dear to your heart. This may be a practice you do once a week or several times in a month. Reading the Bible on the other hand is a daily practice of reading and being in the Word to remain connected with God and His teachings. They are both important disciplines in every Christian’s life.”
Burning
The Bible promises us that when we study the bible (Psalm 19:7-8):
“The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.”
Our souls will be refreshed, we will become wiser, our hearts will be filled with joy and our eyes will open up to truth.
That interaction with my niece stayed with me for a long time. So much so, I feel a burning to develop a guide on this. I would love and appreciate your feedback and assistance. I have developed a very quick survey below for you to participate in the development of this guide and the ultimate glory of the Kingdom.