GETTING THE UTMOST FROM YOUR BIBLE
Many have remarked to me over the years, “Pastor Mark, how did you get this wisdom? How is it that you possess such insight and understand the Bible so well? You speak with such power and deep conviction!”
I would like to help you understand the unique ingredients to get the utmost out of your Bible so that instead of simply being bored by it or with eyes glazed over, reading it once more only to say, I had my devotions, you will actually begin to grasp, understand and greatly benefit from the most amazing book ever given to mankind.
Millions of people throughout history and around the world today, make the grave error of treating the Bible as a textbook, like any other book, thinking they can just read it, study it, and come to understand it. They could not be more mistaken. The Bible is God’s divine revelation, God’s very words to us, and unless one treats it as such, comes to it with deep reverence for its Author, with the right heart as prescribed by God, you will gain nothing at all. In fact, your academic study of it will make you arrogant and self-deluded, convinced you have divine knowledge. You become, instead, an educated pretender!
These words of Jesus are essential for each of us to understand – Don’t give pearls to swine! What is Jesus trying to say? Pigs don’t care about jewels! Jewels are wasted on pigs! God will not reveal his deep, incredible truths to people who do not want them, who do not value them greatly. Who simply listen only to trample the truth under their feet in their relentless pursuit of other things.
So please listen very carefully, these are the absolute, essential ingredients to getting the utmost out of your Bible.
1. Nothing is more important or vital than the attitude of your heart towards God and His Word, NOTHING!
Isaiah 66:2b NIV
“But to this one, I will look {have regard for}, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at my word.”
This verse has profound implications. God shows special regard to, will reveal himself to, and bless the person who is truly humble of heart towards God, whose heart and conscience are easily touched, who is sensitive to Him, possessing a deep, profound respect for what God has to say in his word. The secrets of the Lord are for those who fear Him, and he will make them know his covenant!
When was the last time your own heart was moved to tears by something you read in the Bible? When was the last time you grasped your deep need for God’s word, or felt in your heart, the attitude of Job when he stated, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food”? Do you in fact treasure God’s word above other things?
2. How badly do you want to know and understand? How desperately do you pray and cry out?
This is absolutely essential for you to find out about yourself my friends. You see, desire is everything. How badly do you want it?
Proverbs 2:1-6 NLT
My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly.
Are you like Indiana Jones searching for lost treasure? Do you possess and exhibit that tenacity, determination, and earnest endeavor to know and understand God’s word? Do you even consider it a valuable treasure to have and possess? Is it worth as much to you as money, winning the lottery, or gaining riches from a family inheritance?
God is not wasting words here or descriptors. This is real tangible stuff we are talking about. God measures our desire, he is looking for the kind of desire described above in order to then give you his knowledge and wisdom, for only that person would value it or consider it worthwhile to have. Only that person would be faithful with such a treasure!
3. Read – meditate – repeat, every day, for the rest of your life!
This has been the enduring, simple yet profound habit of my life since I was 19 years old. I read my Bible daily, meditate on his truths daily, and repeat this habit over and over again, asking God to open the eyes of my heart and reveal great things to me. “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know!”
Psalm 119:97-100 NLT
Oh, how I love your law! I think about it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for your commands are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your decrees. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have KEPT your commandments.
4. Do what you read, and obey what God shows you in his Word!
James 1:22 promises that if we look at the word of God, and read it, but walk away and do not do it, we become self-deceived and deluded. We think and believe we are something we are not when we do not do and obey what the Bible we read just showed us. You see, even in Ps. 119:100, the verse I quote above, the Psalmist was wiser than his elders because he KEPT the commandments, he actually did them, and as James 1:25 promises, he was blessed in what He did!
Over my almost 50 years of observing Christians, I have seen this repeated over and over again. People in groups, gathering for Bible study, eager to share their opinions on any given passage of scripture, eager to talk about the Bible, yet so many with such powerless lives, and lack of genuine, deep understanding and wisdom of God and God’s word. Thousands have gone off to Bible School and Seminary, to earn a degree approved by men, but so few Christians have studied to show themselves approved unto God!! The study that God approves, is the one I have shared with you in the article today. Pursue it, go after it, use it, and you will be stunned and amazed at what God will reveal to you.
One final thought. Let me make this very clear! I think it is wonderful when Christians gather together and share Scripture with one another, encourage each other and share what God has been teaching them from his Word. I highly recommend it! And yes, God also uses spiritually gifted men of God who have studied the Bible by putting into practice the very things in this article, to equip us, teach us, exhort us and help us understand many things from the Word of God.
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
