Mathew 4:4 - "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
When Jesus quoted this verse from the Old Testament, he made it very clear on the necessity of the word of God in our lives. Learning and living the Bible is God's will in our lives. Some of us, if not most of us try rationalizing our lack of Bible study by saying "I'm too busy or studying the Bible is to hard". My brothers and sisters, don't let excuses stop you from studying the Bible! If these excuses sound familiar, it's time to push excuses aside and begin to realize the purpose of the Bible in our lives. I met a girl a couple of years ago who asked me if I knew what the word Bible meant and of course I said, "SURE I DO!". Then she said, no, it actually stands for something; do you know what it stands for? Then I said, well then no I don't know, what does it stand for? What she said was the most astonishing, and most truthful thing I had every heard come from someone's mouth. She said, "The word Bible or B.I.B.L.E stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth". Now, isn't that amazing? I'm not sure who came up with that acronym, or where she heard it from but it's the absolute truth!
Everyday Bible study allows us to learn those basic instructions God has given us so that we may live healthy, happy, peaceful lives full of hope, faith, and love. I'm currently reading a book called "How to study the Bible" by: Robert M. West and in this book the author gives 10 top reasons why we need personal Bible study. Here they are:
1. To settle the issue of our own salvation: This is our primary issue, and it needs to be settled in everyone's life. (2 Timothy 3:15) says: " From childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. God uses His word as a means to save sinners. As we think about our conversion, we may identify with Bible verses God used in our lives to save us. However, many Christians could experience doubt about their conversion, and through the learning of those portions of scripture, we can be reassured about our own salvation. The more knowledge we have of the Scriptures the more confident we'll be in our walk in Christ.
2. To grow spiritually: We should desire God's words like a baby desires nourishment for growth (1 Peter 2:2) . Peter also instructed the early church to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). The Bible refers to itself as food for the soul, so we need to have a deep down desire, an intense hunger for God's word so we can grow in understanding and spiritual strength. Like our bodies which need food for survival, as well does our soul which needs spiritual food from the Bible. In Ephesians 4:14, Paul also expressed his concerns as Peter did for the growth of believers. He said that if we grew into mature men with a stature measured by Christ's fullness, that then we would no longer be like little children, being tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of doctrine or teachings done by cunning and deceitful people. If we don't study the Word of God and neglect to develop our understanding of truth, we can be easily influenced by false and erroneous teachings. Studying the Bible will help us grow spiritually and protect us from bad spiritual influence.
3.To receive personal blessings and encouragement: Paul wrote, "For whatever was written in earlier times were written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4 ASV). As believers, we sometimes go through times of discouragement. When we study the bible we come across hundreds of promises God has given us in order to give us hope in midst of our struggles. Our God is a God of patience and comfort and he wants to encourage us. The bible was written for our education, so the more we learn, the more we can be encouraged.
4. To receive personal guidance: We all come to a point in our walk in Christ where we ask this question, "So, what should I do now?" Psalms 119:105 says, "Your word is lamp to my feet and a light to my path". The psalmist knew that with the learning of God's word he would have a clear direction in life because its effect was like having a lamp for life that lit the way before him so he could see where he was going. As we seek God's guidance, he leads us with His Spirit (Romans 8:14), which always agrees with God's word. His Spirit's leading never contradicts what God has written and if our personal decisions contradict what was written in the Bible, then we can be 100% positive that we aren't being led by God.
5. To defend ourselves against the devil: Even if you have been a Christian for a short while, you know that the Christian life involves spiritual warfare. That's why Paul instructs us to "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the tactics of the Devil" (Ephesians 6:11). My brothers and sisters, we are in constant battle against Satan and he uses many different methods to keep us from doing God's will. His evil strategies are so conniving that we don't even know when it's him attacking us. Our only defense against his assaults is putting on the full spiritual armor of God: Christian character and lifestyle empowered by God's Holy Spirit. A vital part of His armor is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (verse 17). When the Devil stood before Jesus to temp Him (Mathew 4:1-10), Jesus quoted straight from the book of Deuteronomy to take down everything the Devil had to throw. Three times Satan tried to tempt Jesus and every time Jesus answered with "It is written" and then quoted from the Scriptures. Bible study will allow us to remember those specific verses we need to apply to our daily lives so we can overcome the Devil's evil schemes.
6. To effectively teach God's truth to the next generation: (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) gives instruction about loving God, His Word and loving our children by teaching them God's word. "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (verses 6-7). As you see, God's will for us is to have a happy, loving and peaceful Christian home, not by simply teaching but by teaching our children diligently about God's Word. Parents are the primary teachers of their children, and they can only do this effectively if they first learn God's Word themselves.
7. To be able to counsel others: God wants to use us to provide knowledge about His Word to others. "Let The Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another" (Colossians 3:16). In time, God wants to use you to help others who may be newer to the faith. As you can see, the scripture intsructs to "Let the word.... dwell in you", or literally be at home in you. It should take up residence in us and influence every part of our lives. Not only that, but it continues on in saying that the word should "dwell in you richly in all wisdom", pointing out that we're to have a full understanding of the Bible. Then we can be a good friend and provide wise counsel.
8. To be ready to speak to unbelievers about Christ: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you for a reason for hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). Our concerns as Christians shouldn't be winning arguments but winning people. We should be able to answer questions when we're asked and give an explanation about our faith. Some people who won't listen to a sermon may want to find out about Christ in a more private conversation, we we need to be ready.
9. To verify that the teaching of others is the truth of God: One group of early Christians, the Bereans, stood out from the rest. "They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). My brothers and sisters, just as the Bereans, who were so devoted and committed to studying the scriptures to make sure that what was being taught to them was indeed completely true, we also need to do. It's a huge mistake for us to accept the message of Christian teachers just because they're humorous, dynamic, on television or radio, or have written books. We need to validate through our own study, that what they're teaching is according to what God teaches us through His holy Scriptures.
And last but not least!!!!
10. To present ourselves approved to God: (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB) says "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth". Learning God's truth involves the work of studying. We should be like divers who work to locate pearls in the bottom of the ocean, or miners who labor to find gold in the deep bowls of the earth. Christians are workers who study the Bible to Discover God's truth.We live our lives before God as servants. We regularly present ourselves to Him in order to be examined, and we hope to have a sense of His approval and eventually hear from Him "Well done, good and faithful servant.
Being said this, we should know that divine approval will come from diligently studying God's Word so that not only can we accurately share it with others, but so that we can also grow as strong, faithful, and devoted children of the faith, whom have a clear direction in life, and are able to defend ourselves with the divine words of truth; proclaiming salvation and encouraging others with all love and humility in Jesus' name. Amen!
