OWN IT!

You can't own it until you experience it!

Owning Bible Study

This one is easy for me. I love studying the Bible. I believe it is the most amazing book on the market in any age and in any language, by far. Diving into the depths of God’s word is a self-evidencing experience. The deeper you go, the more you know that God wrote it. However, there is “Bible study” and then there is “Bible study.” The kind of Bible study I am suggesting we must own is interactive Bible study. It is not unidirectional; it is omnidirectional. It is surround-sound. It hits you from many angles at the same time. It is dynamic and life-changing. It often leaves you breathless. Being able to dive deeper and deeper into the Word of God one must learn to hold their breath longer. The longer you stay  down in it, the more you can see and understand. The Bible itself says it is living and active. It is like a double-edged sword. (Heb.4:12) It is unlike any document you will read. It was breathed out and in breathes into us spiritual breath of life. You are closer to the breath of God in Bible study than at any other moment of your life except for the breath He breathed into your nostrils to give your life.

Bible study is intellectual, but not exclusively. It is spiritual or it is a mere academic exercise? I am thankful I learned to say all the books of the Bible when I was young, and even learn to spell them all, even Deuteronomy. (Got it right the first time without spell check.) I am thankful for all the flannel-graph Bible stories stored up in my heart. I am thankful for classes on exegesis and hermeneutics, Greek and Hebrew word studies, and Biblical cultural studies. These are preparations for the experience of Bible study. They are like the contents of my backpack which will assist me on my hike into the wild to see what I can discover. Bible study is like a trek into the mountains or a submarine ride to the depths of Challenger Deep. It is certainly not boring. If it is boring to you, then I am sure you have never captured the true spirit of exploring God’s word. You have never experienced it; therefore, you do not own it.  YOU DON’T OWN IT UNTIL YOU EXPERIENCE IT.