November 3
Bible Study - Delight or Drudgery?
His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. - Psalm 1:2
How do you feel about Bible study? Be honest. Is it a delight? Or is it drudgery?
Unfortunately, many of us look at out time in God's Word as mere drudgery. Perhaps it's the way we read the Bible. Many of us read God's Word in a hunt-and-peck method. We read a little here and a little there with no genuine concern for context or what a book of the Bible is teaching. We read the Bible sporadically; then we can't understand why we are not able to benefit from what the Scriptures teach.
Psalm 1 tells us that the wise person of God meditates in the Scriptures day and night. What does it mean to meditate? By meditation the Bible is not speaking of a so-called transcendental meditation, where a person disengages their mind to the point of receiving impressions from elsewhere. The meditation that the Bible advocates deliberately engages the conscious mind with the truths of God's Word. Meditation involves studying the Bible with our minds and truly thinking about what we are reading.
You should ask yourself a series of questions when you study the Bible. Next time you attempt to meditate on God's Word, ask yourself these four questions:
1. Is there any sin here for me to avoid?
2. Is there any promise for me to claim?
3. Is there any victory to gain?
4. Is there any blessing to enjoy?
When we read with these questions in mind, we demand a real sense of anticipation. We're no longer just reading the Bible like it is an assignment in a classroom. Instead, we recognize that this is the Word of God; and we are to value God's words more than gold. There are great rewards for the person who meditates on the Scriptures day and night.
Copyright (c) 2004 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.