As followers of Christ, we want to hear His Word with understanding. We don’t want to fall into a famine of hearing by failing to read the Scriptures daily. And beyond reading, we are also called to study God’s Word diligently. Today’s excerpt from The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart is found on pages 78 and 79:

“If we want to learn the Scriptures so that the living Word dwells in and lives through us richly, and so that we can help others live this way, we’ll need to commit to a course of study. Daily reading of the Word, coupled with regular meditation, will lay and reinforce a solid foundation for studying the Scriptures. We should not presume to embark on this course until those other two disciplines are firmly in place in our lives.

“The study of Scripture requires more time and some new disciplines. God gives us the time we need to study His Word. Our duty is to devote enough of our time each week so that we can pursue discovering the will of God in His Word through more careful study.

“We may approach the study of God’s Word from a variety of perspectives. We may want to trace some primary Biblical theme as it develops throughout the Scriptures – like, for example, the covenant and promises of God. Or we may want to pursue a better understanding of a book of the Bible, or perhaps a section (such as the Ten Commandments, the Psalms of Ascent, or the Sermon on the Mount), or even a single passage of the Scriptures. We might do a character study and compare what we can learn from the saints and scoundrels of Scripture. Or we may focus our study on a particular genre of the Word, such as poetry, prophecy, or historical narrative. Studying the Bible for how it can help us think through contemporary issues or concerns is yet another approach.

“What all these types of study have in common is that they engage us with the Word of God at two levels simultaneously. The first is the level of our focus – a theme, book, doctrine, issue, character, and so forth. And the second is the larger, overarching narrative of Scripture and how the focus of our study fits into the grand scheme of the whole. We must not lose sight of the unfolding covenant or the advancing Kingdom of God, no matter the subject or focus of our study, but always seek to grow deeper into the promises and Kingdom of God, which are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.”

For reflection or discussion
1. What is your current approach to studying the Word of God? Is it helping you grow in the Lord?

2. What role does meditation play in your study of the Word? How often do you meditate on Scripture?

What a privilege to be given the Word of God and to have the opportunity to study it carefully and well! And what an even greater privilege to have the Holy Spirit to show us how and help us learn. We need to make sure we’re making the most of our time in God’s Word, and that time should include both reading and studying. Share today’s podcast with a friend, then get together to discuss how you approach the study of God’s Word. Your copy of The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart is waiting for you in a free PDF download at The Ailbe Bookstore.

T. M. Moore

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