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Bible Study and Its Relevance in My Life

When I first think of "Bible study", I usually have a sudden pang of guilt. I am reminded once again of something that I often don't do nearly enough of. I don't think I am alone as an American Christian. What I seek to do here is look at some of the obstacles that get in the way of in depth Bible study, as well as look at why Bible study is so important.

I believe that one of, if not the biggest obstacle to Bible study in my life, (and likely most other American Christians) is time. It is so easy to be too busy. For myself, I get up in the morning and am lucky that I was able to squeeze in a chapter of reading and looking at the Bible study notes that go along with the chapter in my Bible. Sometimes I come across passages where I think, “I really should look further in depth to see the historical relevance of this passage”, or some other such thing. I know that if I look at it right away I will definitely not have enough time and will inevitably be late for work. I tell myself that I will do it in the evening when I have some free time. But that evening when I get home, if I have some free time, I likely won't remember about it again until the next morning. It seems that it is very easy to get caught in the trap of filling up our days with activities, meetings, and even ministry, that sometimes we miss out on more important things, like spending deep meaningful time getting to know our creator!

That goes into another big obstacle, for at least me, to Bible study. Motivation seems to often be lacking. It is so easy just to ask someone else what they think or read a book on a subject rather than spending the time it takes to find out the answers for myself. It is easy to get sucked into this culture's ideas of faster and easier is better.

I think that most American Christians to at least some degree would agree that Bible study is at least a good thing if not an integral part of our relationship with God. I am reminded that a relationship with God is similar to a relationship with others in that the more time we spend getting to know that person and listening to what they have to say, the better that we get to know them. The Bible is God’s communication to us. If we don’t take the time to truly get to know what he is saying to us through His Word, we will be lacking in our knowledge of who He really is. I think that Bible study is also important because due to factors such as cultural and time differences it is often hard to understand the relevance of a passage with out further study.

I am reminded that my purpose here on earth is not to just fill my days with “stuff”. I haven’t found anywhere in the Bible where God supports us being so busy that we don’t have time for our family, friends, and especially Him. So I am brought back to the thought, “why am I here”. It is to bring honor and glory to Him, to encourage others to draw near to him, and to have a relationship with God. What better way to daily prepare myself for these things than to spend time in pray, the word, and studying the word!

Submitted by Jamie Duclos