A Passion for Bible Study
Being a pastor can be quite frustrating at times. Numerous people need your ear and counsel, programs need to be developed and implemented, meetings need to be prepared and led, to say nothing of a seemingly unending stream of organisational and managerial tasks that get taken care of on the side. Then comes the shocker—I’ve only got an hour left to prepare for Bible study!? It’s Saturday and I don’t even know off the top of my head what text I am going to preach on tomorrow?! Don’t get me wrong: I understand full well how important counselling, organisation and programming is, but what was the passion that God put in my heart that made me want to go into the ministry? And for that matter, what was I trained to do at Bible college?
I may not be at the top of the class as far as discipline and time management go, but the strains of daily ministerial life seem to create many a paradox. Bible study is one of the most important tasks I have, thus it should receive an appropriate percentage of my time. Yes, there is software which helps make Bible study far more efficient (LDLS-“Like Dat Lovely Software”) and I have benefited greatly from it, but shouldn’t the time saved be available for more in depth study? But what do I do? All too often the little things get in the way (“Wow, more stuff on pre-pub! Gotta check that out!”) and rob valuable time from the true task of Bible study. O.k., I need to get my act together—and oh the rewards when I do!
How could anyone resist the passion of delving into God’s word and discovering the gems just waiting to be found there! The seemingly academic exercise of looking at tense-voice-mood of a verb or trying to get a grasp on how Paul used yet another participle becomes a hunt for the diamond in the depths of a rich mine. Discovering the multiple meanings of a word and thus the play on words the author obviously intended is panning for gold in waters rich with nuggets waiting to be found. Becoming familiar with the cultural setting of the biblical texts transforms Bible study to time travel and introduces the anxious student to fascinating new worlds. The study of the text can soon become a passion which thrills the heart and enlightens the soul. Academic Bible study honestly searching for the heart of God can open the mind and soul of the student for “the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33 NIV)
It is difficult to prioritize time, but few things in life are so rewarding as intensive Bible study. Not only does it enrich the life of the student, but it equips him to be able to share from the treasure chest of God to inspire others to hunger for the Word of Life.