Saturday, December 15, 2007

Why I Want To Study God's Word . . .

I was going to post some cool things I learned in my Bible study the other day, but instead, I decided just to think about why I want to study God's Word. A friend was sharing an insight on her blog site about a verse she had always misunderstood because she hadn't really studied it for herself, in context. And that's when it hit me - I want to study the Bible so that I know what God says for myself. How else can I defend or explain what I believe? How else can I train my children? How else can I provide wise counsel to my husband or to my friends? I have always known it's important to study the Word. I've often seen it like a letter from a friend who lives far away (and doesn't always have the best phone connection - only, in God's case, it's not because He doesn't talk but because I don't always do a great job of listening) - you read the letter to get to know the friend better, to spend time with the friend, to feel like you're close even when you're far away. But recently, I've been struck by more than just the relational importance of reading my Bible. I must read the Word if I expect to become the woman God wants me to be, and do the things God wants me to do. It amazes me, when I study the Word, how there are so many things I thought I understood but didn't really. And it amazes me further that I can go back to those same passages and learn an even deeper truth every time I look at it. I don't think there's ever going to be a time while I'm here on earth when I'll know God perfectly. But I do think it's my responsibility as a Christian wife, mother, and woman, to know God as best I can while I'm here. So that's why I'm going to study the Word. And hopefully grow in the process!

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