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All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
(II Timothy 3:16-17)
Prior to our coming to know Christ we have no interest in Scripture. Whether or not we might have considered the Bible a good book or worthwhile is irrelevant. The truth is that we do not spent time reading it. We are not seeking to encounter God in its pages. We may simply be ignoring it and allowing it to collect dust on a book shelf, if we even have a Bible. We are biblically illiterate and indifferent. We see no real or practical value in the Bible as evidenced by our not reading it. Not only do we not do what it says, but we don't even bother to listen. Sadly, there are people professing to be Christians who remain biblically illiterate.
Then somewhere along the way we began to pick up the Scriptures and read. The reason we picked them up is different for each of us, but what matters is that we picked it up. Perhaps we tried to start from the beginning in Genesis. It got our attention for a while, but if we made it through the later chapters of Exodus, we may have bailed out when we got into Leviticus. Try as we might to understand Scripture, it did not make sense to us and may have even left us a bit overwhelmed. Still, for the person who grows in Christ, entering Scripture is the first step. As we stick with reading and seeking to understand the Bible, perhaps with various stops and restarts along the way, we find ourselves wanting to understand what we are reading. Parts don't make sense to us. Still, we are drawn into the word. Perhaps we press on to read through the whole Bible and finish. Honestly, we are not quite sure what we read. Nevertheless, a stirring is taking place. We are intrigued by what we find in various parts of the Bible, though we don't see how it all fits together. There is within us a growing desire to spend time in the Bible. It may not even make sense to us at this point. But God is drawing us to Himself through His word. If we respond, we will continue on the trek towards Christian maturity.
We may wade in gradually or dive into the deep end, but if we are to grow in Christ and spend time with him, then we will spend time in Scripture. Plugging into a Bible teaching church will aid in our growth, but it cannot be our sole source of nourishment. We might get into a small group study or class in which we explore a book of the Bible or some topic that makes references back to the Bible. Such groups can be helpful in our growth, but they are no substitute for reading the Bible itself. Some of us may pick up books about the Bible to read more about the Bible. Again, reading about the Bible can help us make connections and gain understanding, but spending time in the Bible is necessary to grow. We can learn lots of things about Jesus through other sources, but to spend time with him we have to go and sit with him. Our growth in the word takes place as we begin developing the disciplines connected with being in Scripture. As we read, study, and memorize the Scripture, we start to understand it little by little. Each time we return to a chapter, book, or the whole Bible, we make more connections and see the bigger picture. We are becoming familiar with Scripture. We are being challenged by what we read. Sometimes we are greatly encouraged. Other times we feel greatly confused. We read and read, or perhaps listen to it being read. Every time we do, we are spending time with Christ, perhaps without our even realizing it. The deeper we dig, the greater the depth we discover. We are getting to know some parts better than others and some of the accounts resonate more than others. We are reading the written word of God.
As we read, or perhaps listen to the word being read to us, we encounter things that confuse us. Sometimes it is terms we don't understand. Other times it may be people or places that are mentioned. We start having questions about what we are reading so we start looking for some answers. Perhaps it is as simple as looking up a word in the dictionary or a place on a map we have in the back of our Bible. If we are in a group or have a one-on-one discipleship relationship with someone, we are likely to ask that person questions. If we don't have such resources we might talk with a friend at church or if we feel bold enough to approach the pastor, we might just ask the pastor some questions. What we may not recognize is that we are hungering to know and understand God's word. He is drawing us to Himself through what we are reading. We are seeking to understand. Perhaps we are starting to form opinions on things, but in general, we are spending some of our time getting background information outside the Bible itself. We are studying the word of God through the aid of supporting resources.
As we grow, we begin to realize that what we read in the pages of Scripture is meant to be lived out in our lives. Some passages seem to speak to us personally. Whether on our own or through the encouragement of another, we start to memorize bits and pieces of the Bible. We are not trying to memorize passages in order to impress people. Rather, we want the word hidden in our heart so that we might live it out. We may not know it yet, but we want to do what God has said. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we are not only listening to the word, but we are taking steps to do what it says. We do this because we see that the truths that we encounter are worth remembering. They appear to be worth putting them into practice.
We are regularly spending time with Jesus and growing as we do. We are learning the word of God through reading, study, and memorization. That is all well and good and has us moving in the direction of maturity, but the reality is that we are doing all this mainly for ourselves. Our time in the Scriptures is not expressing our love or worship of God. Rather, we are focused on how we might be a better person. We spend time in the Bible so that we can understand what is said at church, in our small group, when talking with others, or simply as we are reading the Bible itself. Our goal is to understand the Bible. Our goal is still focused around ourselves. But unbeknownst to us, has a different aim for us. God's ultimate goal for us is that we know Him. Thankfully, we are getting to know God. As we have been spending time in the Scripture, we have been encountering Jesus. We are learning to being led by the Holy Spirit, even though we may not yet recognize it. And slowly we are starting to shift away from focusing on ourselves and beginning to shift our attention more and more towards God.
Eventually, Scripture will become a part of who we are. In maturity, the Bible directs our lives because we understand that God speaks to us through His word. Scripture has become is an integral part of our daily life. We read and study. Verses that we have memorizes come to mind to guide and direct us. Those verses are rooted deep in our heart for the Lord to us when we have an opportunity to offer words of encouragement and comfort to someone, or to speak the truth in love to another. Our view of ourselves, the church, the world, and life itself is shaped and informed by Scripture. We continue to read, study, and memorize God's word. Just when we think there is nothing new there for us to discover, something stands out to us that seems new and fresh. We have no idea how we had not seen it before. As we read and study, we recognize that we are encountering God's heart for His creation and for us. What's more, we have shifted from spending time in the Bible because of how we can benefit, to spending time in the Word because in doing so we are drawing near to God. Our desire is that our lives reflect Christ. That we glorify God in all that we think, say, and do. We love the word of God. We love to meditate on it day and night. It shapes the way we speak to people and also the content of what we say. We don't need to go around quoting chapter and verse to people. But as we talk, everything we say is infused with God's word. We know that the world needs the life that God word reveals. We know that is what God wants for His creation. We know that He is patient, not wanting any to perish, but that all would come to repentance. When we hear Scripture being referenced, we know whether what is being said is truth or error. We notice when a sermon, book, or song refers to something from the Bible and in our minds we can fill in the details. We know the accounts and the contexts for we have been in the text and the text has gotten into us. We have been shaped by what we read and what we read shapes how we live for Christ. We don't have anything to prove to anyone. We spend time with Christ. We point others to Christ by how we live and what we say. When given the opportunity, we proclaim Christ. Being in the word is no longer a discipline we have to force ourselves to engage in, it is a part of who we are.
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