I do strongly believe as Christians, we should be reading daily, reflecting and studying the Word of God. The Bible for us is God’s main source of communication. So, if you are not reading the scriptures daily, then you cannot truly hear from God. Reading the bible does not benefit God. It’s for us to grow our love for Him. The Word of God is our compass in this life.
Let’s get that totally out of the way!
Here is where the concern arises, how much do we really need to “know” the Bible?
I ask this question because for a while, I struggled with my calling as a speaker because I felt that I was not ready for such a responsibility. Why? Because I couldn’t quote scriptures and every speech I gave, I thought it had to be filled with bible verses. But thank God for His grace, right.
James 1:22-25: “Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves. If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. However, the person who continues to study God’s perfect laws that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don’t merely listen and forget; they actually do what God’s laws say.”
It’s quite important to listen and quote God’s Word, but it’s much more important to obey it and do what it says. There are many people who know bible verses, even many atheists. But the question is, do they love God or know God because they have a lot of knowledge of the Scripture?
John 14:15 – “If you love me, obey my commandments.”
You see we’ve gotten so caught up with filling ourselves with knowledge and information and many times it ‘puffs us up’ (pride kicks in). But honestly, there are many books in the Bible I have read that I don’t have a clue what it’s really saying, so I wouldn’t even know how to apply it to my life. For the ones I do know, I’m still learning to apply the lessons and allow God to transform me daily.
My bible school teacher, Pastor Peter Malcolm says “You are responsible for what you know”. In essence, he’s always reminding us that whatever lesson we learnt from the Word, we should apply it to our lives because God is going to hold us accountable for it.
The true effectiveness of Bible study is its effect on our behavior and attitude.
So, how much do you really need to know the Bible?
Enough to actually live it out in your daily life.
My challenge to you:
- If you can quote scriptures then ask yourself, is it being reflected in how you speak, treat others and behave?
- If you don’t know the Word, then ask yourself how can you truly learn to be more like Christ by spending time studying His Word so it can transform your life?
I love you and God loves you more!
LifeCoach Crystal