I've read my Bible frequently my entire life. Over the last two years, I made it my goal to read something from the Word every day.
Six months ago, I quit reading my Bible.
What was I getting out of simple reading? I was getting a good feeling, maybe a little bit of a heart check, but then I moved on. The next day, I could tell you what I read, but it was with minimal discernment. I couldn't tell you scripture, or reference verses, but I could tell what book to read that would make you feel good about Jesus.
Six months ago, I began studying the Bible.
My morning reading continued, but this time, I added a highlighter, a journal and a pen. Oh, and I upgraded from my mobile Message Bible, to a real NKJV paper Bible. I didn't think it would make a difference, honestly, but I knew I wanted something more. I wanted more than a good feeling, I wanted more than clicking the highlighter button on my mobile app, while trying not to notice the text notification that came in right after my Facebook notification. I was desperately craving the Lord, and I wasn't sure how to find Him, but I knew I had to try.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
So, I found a notebook, dug out my "real" Bible and sat down at the kitchen table with an assortment of highlighters and pens and a large coffee. The coffee was gone long before I was. That morning I met the Lord in a new way - one that I didn't know even existed. When I was just reading my Bible, I learned a lot about myself. When I began studying my Bible, I learned a lot about God. It was no longer about what verse I liked that I could copy and paste into Facebook to show how Christian I am (you've never done that? Don't lie.), or reading to make myself feel better, or any other reason. Even when I had been reading my Bible to get to know the Lord better, I would learn about Him in miniscule amounts. I knew in my Spirit, there had to be a better way to get to know Him.
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4
Once I started studying scripture, everything changed. I have a knowledge of scripture that I've NEVER had before. Not just verses, but context, translations, definition. Discernment was taken to an entirely new level. Verses that I have literally been reading for years came to life with meaning and depth. My faith in the Lord grew quickly, my love for Him, passionately. I have an understanding of the scripture in a way that is so obviously supernaturally given that it's no wonder I couldn't grasp it with monotonous reading. I still have a lot to learn, and in many ways I feel that I know less about scripture than I thought I knew 6 months ago! There's always more depth to the Lord, more depth to His Word, and I want to always seek that depth. I wasn't actively seeking Him when I was curled up in bed reading whatever random chapter I felt led to, even though I thought I was. The Lord began revealing Himself to me once I began actually seeking Him.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:31 & 32
I don't want you to misunderstand - reading your Bible is essential. But, I read my Bible for years, not understanding that studying it was an entirely different thing. That where simple reading would fall short, studying keeps going. I wasn't aware that studying the Bible would make a difference, so I didn't do it. When we study the Bible, we're seeking the Lord - we are making ourselves available for Him to move through us and reveal Himself to us. By having out a journal and a pen, we're preparing ourselves to hear something from Him so incredible that we want it recorded. My journal and my highlighter are elements of my faith - they say "Lord, I believe you're going to reveal yourself incredibly to me today, so I want to be prepared to take notes on what You have to say". The Lord calls us to seek Him with our entire hearts. The "effort" it takes to sit at a table, to seek Him and be still in His presence is minimal compared to the hopelessness I felt when I was disconnected from God.
I charge you to connect with the Lord today. Grab a journal, grab your "real" Bible and devote some time to the Lord. Silence your cell phone, spend some time in prayer, then dig in. If you have a question about a word, stop and look it up. Want to know more about a verse? Pray for discernment, and do some research on it. The Lord wants to reveal Himself to us, but first we have to seek Him.
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:23
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10