How Often Do You Study the Bible?

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Just because one becomes a Christian does not instantly make them strong, it does not mean their fleshly desires are 100% nailed to the cross but instead it begins a daily struggle.  Now let us remember the good soil hearer or the one who is now truly repentant they became a true convert.  Remember the degrees of fruit differ from believer to believer because not all Christians are that strong.  It is less fruit and more fruit but never no fruit because the Christian is bound to bear fruit as a result of God's grace.  Now it is time to tackle on a problem many Christians face today is the inconsistency of studying the Bible.  Sometimes, it becomes a real problem when Christians have to be lovingly chastised before they start doing good rather than do good before the chastising comes.

I remembered this quote by Pastor Ray Comfort saying, "Do you do that? Do you read your Bible every day, without fail? I have, for nearly 40 years...and there’s been a simple key that has helped me to do that. Discipline. I open my Bible daily, no matter how I feel. I do it because I love God.  I do it because I need to feed on the Word of God. I do it because I want to prosper when it comes to reaching the unsaved."  I always thought of that quote and there are times I fail to meet it and even if Christians blossom in good works, there are periods when they are bearing less or none.  It does become a problem so God steps in to intervene which makes Christians bear fruit as a result of God's grace.

It is very important to remember what God said to Joshua in Joshua 1:7-9 saying, "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.  This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

Even before God spoke to Joshua in Joshua 1:7-9, one can read Deuteronomy 6:8-9 and 11:18-20 that the Scriptures must be taken very seriously.  In the New Testament, the phrases, "It is written." and "Have ye not read?" always pointed back to the Old Testament Scriptures.  I have no reason to take what God says lightly about His Word because He means business.  It has been called as a guidance.  Psalms and Proverbs take extra caution in following the Word of God.  The instructions concerning Scripture was to really think about it day and night.  The moment any Christian gets distracted then it leads to backsliding like how Lot entered Sodom, Samson made foolish decisions, David committed adultery with Bathsheba and Solomon later expressed so much godly sorrow in Ecclesiastes for his foolish actions.

If the grace of God changes a sinner from their lives of sin to living a godly life (Titus 2:11-14) then certainly discipline to read the Bible daily is no exemption.  I could only tell myself that when I fail to do it, I must repent and pray for God's grace that I will not fail to read it daily and to apply it.  This also means Christians must also group together as a community to study God's Word.  Group studies can help the learning process.  If it can work with studying for an exam then certainly it can help in one's Christian maturity to have a group study.


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