LEARNING DAILY

 

Ephesians 5:27, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

 

Paul is clear that the Lord will “cleanse His church and sanctify her with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26).  I am always amazed at the amount of information available regarding the Bible.  When I write this blog, I often look to see what insight I can gain from others on the verse(s) I am dealing with; this includes commentaries, and articles others have written.  There is so much available to anyone who is trying to gain understanding of God’s Word.  The point must be made to be aware of what you read because there is a lot of weird stuff out there as well.

 

It is not enough to know God’s Word.  It is not enough to be able to quote verse after verse of Scripture.  It is not even enough to understand everything Jesus said from an intellectual perspective.  You can read chapter after chapter every day without it changing you.  It begins to change you when you become obedient, when you begin to live out what the Bible talks about.  That all begins with having a “hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness”.  When that happens, “you shall be filled”.  No one can expect to be changed by God’s Word if he/she is not willing to follow it.

 

James wrote this in his letter, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  The Bible has got to be more than a book carried to church – or for the modern generation what they read on a device; it must be thought of as a way to the heart of God and the way to live on the narrow way that He has said we must live on to get to His kingdom and eternal life.  Just listening to a sermon or listening to the Word of God has no lasting value in itself – all true Believers must intend to try to live what it says! (DJSB). 

 

The Bible must not only be read or heard it must be lived!  That includes some pretty difficult choices because now I need to decide between my will and God’s will.  Anyone who has walked for a while with the Lord knows this is an every day choice, usually many times per day. How many times do we fail and choose something of the world instead of God’s way?  Those choices go back to what was written yesterday about what we put on the foundation of Christ.  It will be burned and what is left will be the basis for rewards in heaven.

 

I remember many days in the classroom when I just sensed that students in my Bible class were just hearers of the Word.  Maybe it was my teaching, or they had heard it all before.  I just felt bad that they seemed content with information and did not want to interact with God’s Word in a way that produced an obedient life.  I hold on to the promise that God’s word does not return void. 

 

I do not want my goal to read the Word of God too casually.  I just do not think it was meant to be read that way.  A careful reading and examination of God’s Word and the desire to be obedient to it produces “a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”  That is the Church the Lord Jesus Christ is coming for and I want to do everything I can to make sure I am a part of it.  By the way, I want to do all I can to make sure you are a part of it as well!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.