Don’t just read about it!

 

I want to preface this post by saying that this is not a devotional-bashing post. I am not trying to discourage you from picking up a devotional book. Let’s be honest, most of what I write would fit nicely in a daily devotional, and some day, I may compile it into one.

What I want to say is that while devotionals have their place, (and yes, I do have an app on my phone that has daily readings from Pastors, writers and speakers from years gone by that I occasionally look at and glean knowledge and understanding from), while they do have their place, they should NEVER replace the Bible itself. They should NEVER act as a replacement for time spent in God’s Word.

Unfortunately, all too often, this is what happens when we begin to rely on a daily devotional. Why is that? Because, honestly, studying the Bible is hard! Devotionals are often easy to read and digest. They’re short and to the point and we are often drawn to them because of time constraints, or should I bluntly say, poor time management.

But what often happens when we feed on a diet of only devotional booklets, is that we lose our taste for the heavier passages of Scripture. We lose our taste for simply reading through the pages of our Bibles, asking God to speak to us.

Devotionals have a human author, that most likely has done the hard work for us. They have spent the time in study, and they have taken the time to write down what they’ve learned in an understandable way.

And, yes, this is what I do. I study the Word of God, spending hours digging into passages and seeking to learn more of God and his character, and I pray that God will give me insight and direction so that I can clearly expound the Word in order to encourage my readers and provoke them to deeper study.

But what I desire more than anything is that you, my readers, will be driven to spending more time in the Word, if only to prove me wrong on some subject or verse. I want more than anything to know that something I have written has sparked an interest that grows into a small flame that turns into an all-consuming fire in your heart and soul leading you to dig into the Word and find the answers for yourself.

It is so much more important for you to know, understand and interpret the Word of God itself, than it is for you to understand my feeble attempts at trying to explain it. My words are unimportant in comparison to God’s Words.

I am just a weak vessel attempting to be used of God in some albeit small but hopefully significant way to further his kingdom. I want to be used by him. I want his light to shine through me and I want to be a beacon of hope that directs all the attention to Christ and his eternal plan.

What I want to get across in this post is how to shift from depending on devotionals for your Chrisitan walk to studying the Bible for yourself.

I want to impress upon you the need for more intentional, disciplined, consistent study that leads you closer to the Lord and molds you into the Christian that he wants you to be.

Now, before you begin to make excuses about how you haven’t been to seminary or Bible workshops, I want to remind you that it is every believer’s job to become a theologian, and it is totally within your reach!

Don’t freak out when you hear the word theology. Theology is just the study of the nature of God and his truth. It is not something you have to associate with sitting in a darkened room, surrounded by dusty volumes and scattered papers, ink-stained fingers and crumpled, discarded notes.

Theology is for every believer! The study of theology is simply digging into God’s Word to discover what he has revealed about himself. And to study theology is to get to know God better and better in order that we can glorify him through our love and obedience.

In order for us to love God properly, we have to know him. And knowing him leads to loving him which leads to obeying him. If we have poor theology, then we will have an inaccurate view of God which will impact how we live our lives.

So, all Christians should be consumed with good, Biblical theology, an intense and personal study of God, in order to love and obey and serve him.

Becoming a theologian simply means becoming a student of the heart of God. It means coming to know him and his story so well that it becomes a part of us and that we gain a better understanding of his character, and we let it inspire and direct our approach to life.

So, back to my original topic. Devotionals and how we shift from relying on them to letting them be a supplement to in depth study of the Word of God.

What I want you to know first up is that you have to expect the study of the Bible to be hard at first.

No one, and I mean no one, not even the most gifted Pastors or speakers you know, understand the Bible without study. If they speak well and have amazing content in their sermons, they have either spent hours in study or they’ve stolen someone else’s notes!

Can I let you in on a little secret? They are no more special than you are! I know. Shocking, right?

No. They don’t have a special advantage. What they have is hours of study and the fact that they took the time to spend it in God’s Word and in prayer.

And you can do it too. You can come to know God in a deeper way by spending time in his Word regularly and listening for his voice and obeying his leading.

Not everyone is called to be a Pastor, a speaker, a teacher etc but we are all called to be students of God’s Word. We are all called to be intentional about learning all we can about God’s character through the pages of Scripture.

When you first put down that devotional book and pick up your Bible, it’s going to be hard. It takes time and discipline. You’re stepping out in faith. You are putting faith in God’s promise that if you seek after him, he will reveal himself to you.

Okay, so let’s get practical. There is so much I could say on this subject of studying God’s Word, and in a recent Women’s conference we spent a couple of days delving into all sorts of practical ways and resources and tips to help in this area. I am not going to even attempt to get into the nitty gritty of all this as I am trying to keep it short.

One of the best things to do is to pick a passage to study daily. If you choose what to study before actually sitting down to do it, you will already be one step ahead.

Either choose a simple Bible reading plan, like one chapter a day, or concentrate on just one book of the Bible to study through.

Or maybe you want to do a more topical study. Choose a topic such as fear, or peace or wisdom or motherhood etc. Use other resources to find the passages in the Bible that help you dig all you can into this topic.

Whatever you do, set up a plan of action. Without a plan you will fail before you begin.

Secondly, learn to ask questions. Questions are good and often when we read a devotional the questions are already answered for us, and we don’t have to think too hard.

The Bible is full of personal stories, hand picked just for us to learn from, and these stories come to life as we begin to ask questions.

As you read through a text, ask questions like:

·        Who wrote it?

·        Why did they write it?

·        Who were they talking to?

·        What time in history was it written?

·        What was going on at the time it was written?

·        What does this passage reveal about God and his character?

The most important thing to remember is that the Bible is a book about God. And so, in everything we read in Scripture we need to look for God.

As you ask questions, not only will it keep you more focused (especially if you take notes), but it will help you to go deeper mentally and spiritually. You will begin to notice more in the text.

Thirdly, don’t be afraid to go slow. Studying the Word of God is a slow process. We will never fathom the depths of all that we find in the Bible, but we can have a good go at trying.

You have to slow down and take in all you read and don’t be in a rush. Ask those hard questions, take notes, and struggle a little. It’s okay if you don’t understand it at first.

Currently, I’m reading through a New Testament in a Year Bible reading plan and I’m in the book of Hebrews at present, and you know what? I barely understand any of it!

But I am not letting that discourage me from reading it. I know that God will help me understand at my own pace and teach me in his time.

As we walk by faith it will involve struggling with some things we don’t understand. And that’s okay.

I’ll give a little plug for the importance of community and Christian fellowship here. Make sure you surround yourself with Christians from all walks of life and from different age groups and different spiritual maturity levels. You need to have others that you can discuss spiritual things with and those hard passages. Ask questions of other believers and help each other to interpret the Scripture correctly.

There is a well-known passage of Scripture that I want to mention at this point.

Matthew 7:7-8 KJV - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Did you know that this passage is literally translated as “Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking”?

We don’t just ask once. We don’t just seek once. We don’t just knock once.

Perseverance is pivotal in our Christan walk. We often like to give up when the going gets tough. But that won’t get us any closer to understanding God and his truth and character.

We have to be continually in the Word, and we have to be continually asking the hard questions and seeking Christ.

Following Christ is not easy at times and studying the Word is hard. It takes discipline. It takes time. It’s a slow process. But it is worthwhile.

Paul exhorted Timothy to study and to rightly divide the Word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) The word study in the Greek is not how we define it, it literally means diligence, striving and making effort. But the thought carries that we need to be in the Word and a student of the Word.

You won’t grow if you don’t feed yourself. Don’t rely on others to feed you. Get into the Word of God for yourself. Read the Bible daily. Don’t just read about the Bible, make sure you actually read the Bible itself!

Start today. Open the Word of God, pray and ask God to show you something and reveal himself to you through his Word.

Make the shift from easily accessible devotionals and use them only as a supplement. Get into the Word of God, reading it, meditating on it, learning from it, allowing it to change you. There is no greater book than the Bible and we, as believers need to spend our lives pouring over its pages and gleaning all we can from it.

Don’t be content to just read about the Bible. Open it up and actually read it!

 

Psalm 119:16, 24, 27, 97

 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. ... Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors. ... Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. ...  O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.