In The Word

Deuteronomy 11:18; Psalm 40:8; Psalm 119:9-11; Proverbs 4:20-21; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 2:2-3

I was reminded this morning of a lesson from a book titled Living By The Book by Howard Hendricks. This book was my first study at Fruitland Baptist Bible College and was truly one of my favorites. In turn, I have taught at least 3 discipleship courses at our local church using that book. 

The lesson I was reminded of this morning was on why we need to study the Bible in the first place. Dr. Hendricks makes a great point recalling a story about a man he ran across at a Bible teaching conference that had driven his family 1,200 miles across the country to be at that conference. Hendricks asked him why he came so far and the man's answer; "because I wanted to get under the Word of God."

As Hendricks points out, that sounds pretty good on the surface, but when it gets down to it we need to be not only "under" the Word of God, hearing great teaching and preaching from those that God has called to do such, but "in it" for ourselves. Again as Hendricks puts it, sitting under great teaching "ought to be a stimulus - not a substitute - for getting into it for ourselves." 

There are plenty of scriptures, Old Testament and New, that teach us to study and remember the Word of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6 is one that comes to mind. Verses 6–9 say “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Sounds to me like God is pretty serious about us keeping His Word in our hearts and on our minds.

Our gracious and merciful heavenly father has provided for us His very Word. He longs for us to learn from it through those He has called to teach and preach. But more than that, He longs for us to dig into it for ourselves, asking Him to reveal to us what He would have us learn. Will you make plans to study His Word each and every day? He will guide you if you ask Him.

Joshua 1:8 (NASB) “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.