Many of us have a dream from God. How do these dreams become a reality?
God could just drop them out of the sky, but He usually give dreams to those who have been faithful to invest in knowing Him and His Word
Many of us have been told since we were young to “read your Bibles, pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow.” Studying the Bible becomes a discipline that is often motivated by guilt. Why should we study our Bibles?
There are many passages of Scripture that tell us the benefit of knowing and studying the Word of God.
Psalm 119:7-8:
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;”.
Psalm 119 gives us countless more benefits for studying the Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
One of our best Biblical examples of the power of God’s word is Ezra.
He was a priest who became a leader of the people. As a priest, he would have studied the Scriptures. He made the investment into knowing God, that when his time came to lead the people he had invested what was necessary to draw on and teach the people.
Ezra 7:10 sums up his philosophy “ For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”
Notice the three actions words in Ezra’s philosophy. Study. Do. Teach.
Let’s model our lives after Ezra. Invest the time it takes to know God’s Word, do what it says, and pass it on to others. As we do, God will give us our dreams!
Many days, as you read Scripture, there is not an overwhelming emotion that comes. It does not always “feel good” to learn and study truth.
In our emotionally driven society, this can be cause to abandon the pursuit of truth. God’s wisdom is something that takes root slowly over time. Then in the future, the Holy Spirit will draw on that foundation at the appropriate moment.
Those are the moments that make us say, “Wow!”. The input of wisdom is a discipline that does not always “feel good”, but will benefit us in the future.
Application:
- List all the reasons you do not like to study the Word. Be honest. If its boring or hard to understand, say that.
- Now read Psalm 119 and make a list of all the benefits that the psalm gives for knowing and studying God’s Word.
- Decide which list carries more weight and make a plan to invest time in knowing God through His Word.
What motivates you to study the Word. How do you keep it fresh?
This post is one in a series of devotionals which were published in La Biblia Del Discipulo (The Discipleship Bible), which is a Spanish language Bible. For more information on the Bible, please visit : http://www.bibliadeldiscipulo.com.
The E-Version is also available for IPads or mobile devices. Copyright 2011.