Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reveals God’s clear charge to submit to his Word in order to know Him ourselves and make Him known to others. In fact, we’re in spiritual battle on three fronts: the war against the sinful nature within us to seek to lure us away from truth the world’s system around us who entices us to pursue activities that avoid sacrifice and focus on self and indulgence and even Christian culture, which is losing the ability to interact personally, meaningfully, and accurately with the truth – who are at risk of demonstrating a form of godliness and denying its power.Ĥ. Whenever we centre our efforts to engage in God-honouring activity we will encounter spiritual attack. Not connecting with God is simply not an option.ģ. It is here where we can’t allow our feelings to trump reason and we must ask ourselves if it’s worth the effort and what the alternative is. Having said that, Bible study can also be dry-cultural context can be confusing, and a lack of vibrancy to some of the text can be tiring to plod through. When we consider that God creates new life in us through its reading, how can new life be boring?! In fact, many times of Bible study can be rich and experiential, speaking directly to our current life circumstances and drawing us into a felt relationship. Long-term, it affects our minds and souls and transforms us to be people who are resilient in crisis, can model Christ to others, and discern error in secular and Christian cultures.Ģ. It’s a fair statement: studying the Bible can be confusing, difficult, and dry, but it is when we’re trapped in the fist of our excuses that we must look to the long-term goal over the short-term experience. Studying the Bible is hard and too time-consuming. 7 Excuses We Make Not to Study the Bibleġ. Scripture is beneficial not only for the discipleship of believers but for bringing us to Jesus at salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). In doing so, we’ll deepen our relationships, keep one another accountable and encouraged, and reflect the nature of God, who characterizes community himself being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Ħ. Consider grabbing some friends to plunge into God’s Word together as a community. It’s easier to study when we’re not alone. While many struggles we face are more an indication of issues outside our own making or control, it may also be true that some of our struggles are because we are not prioritizing the pursuit of Jesus’ words in our lives to influence our thinking and behaviour.ĥ. God’s ultimate will for our lives is that we display his character no matter who we are or what we’re going through. In fact, our brokenness is what compels us to go deeper into it, and back to it, again and again.Ĥ. No matter the magnitude of the mess we carry, the Word is alive and powerful to speak to those needs. Scripture informs our brokenness and our joys, thoroughly equipping our minds and informing our everyday actions. 2 Timothy 3:17 is a bold verse claiming that the Word is sufficient to speak to every human need, even the darkest ones-pain, insecurity, confusion, shame, stress, disability, betrayal, more. I am not alive, the Bible is, and when I read it, it makes me come alive.ģ. God’s Word promises to accomplish what it sets out to change within us (Isaiah 55:11). You see, Jesus’ words are his actions-just like Christ created life at the beginning of time, his words to us now are living and active to create new life in us (Hebrews 4).
When we open God’s Word, its truth will be imparted to us in some way, and when we close it, we are left WITH his Word to shape us further. Paul often begins his letters with some form of “grace TO you” statement and concludes with some form us “grace be WITH you” phrase. When we refuse to open God’s Word, it is not just a rejection of a material book, it is a rejection of a relationship with God himself.Ģ. Scripture is the breath of God carrying the weight of who he is with its message, which means the more we interact with it, the more we personally engage with the Spirit himself. Our goal in studying is to come closer and closer to the meaning God intends us to receive, and ultimately closer to him. In the Word, we find our ultimate meaning in a Person, not a concept. So why does Bible study feel so difficult? To overcome this perception, we need to refresh ourselves on some key reasons why digging deeply into God’s Word is so essential, combat excuses, and see that Bible study is a doable, worthy, and awesome pursuit. When we look at the life transformation this book has had on a global scale, our attention should peak. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book, has been translated into over 200 languages, and is the foundational text of Western civilization.