DAY 16: THE WHY QUESTION II— WHY WE STUDY THE BIBLE

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY
(A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM)

TOPIC: THE WHY QUESTION II: WHY WE STUDY THE BIBLE
DATE: 16 SEPTEMBER, 2019
BIBLE READING: 2 TIMOTHY 3:15-17
MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: MATTHEW 4:4 (THE MESSAGE)
Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”

Do you know why we study the Bible? They say, ‘a word a day, keeps the devil away.’ That could be true if there’s a right application of the Word. The devil is never intimidated by your studying of the Word. He even tempted Jesus by the Word.
First, let’s understand this: The Bible is not the Word of God; the Bible contains the Word of God. The Word of God is Christ Himself.
Revelation 19:13
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
We see Christ from Genesis 1:1 (As we have discussed in THE CREATION STORY), even unto Revelation 22:21.
We may not see clearly, Christ earthly ministry in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is just a shadow (a reflected image; a faint representation) of Christ (the reality).
Colossians 2:16, 17
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
The Scripture in the Greek is graphe, which refers to the holy writings (of the Old Testament). And Christ said that the scriptures; the graphe (the holy writings of the Old Testament), testify of Him (Jn. 5:39).
Back to our question, ‘why do we study the Bible?’ Just like prayer, we study the Bible for fellowshipping. God primarily speaks to us through and by the Word of God (as we have seen that the Bible contains the very Word of God— Christ).
Hebrews 1:1, 2
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.
Another reason why we study the Bible is for prayer. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says, ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as is it in heaven.’ How can we know the will of God? We know the will of God through the studying of the Word of God.
Praying through scriptures, means affirming the promises of God upon your life; which involves the personalisation of some or all the portions of the scriptures that addresses God’s faithfulness and promises in prayer.
Studying the Bible helps you in charging up your spirit man [edification], giving you counsels and guidance [exhortation] and also brings you comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). From our Bible reading, we can see that the scripture is useful for teaching and showing us what is wrong in our lives [doctrine— edification], it is useful for correcting faults [reproof and correction—comfort], and teaching the right way to live [instruction—exhortation].
And this helps in building up our faith in Him (Rom. 10:17), and causes us to grow up spiritually (1 Pet. 2:2). It also helps in guiding us in the right path (Ps. 119:105), and leading us not into temptation (Matt. 6:13).
As we have established that the Bible contains the very Word of God, who is Christ Himself, so studying the Bible helps us in getting to know about our Saviour the more. Apostle Paul, who had a very vast knowledge about Jesus, and had written two-third of the New Testament still said, ‘That I may know him…’ (Phil. 3:10). Apostle Joshua Selman said in one of his messages, ‘The Knowledge of God is infinite, but the Ways of God are finite.’ So studying the Bible helps in revealing God to you more and more.

ACTION POINT: AS MY EYES OF UNDERSTANDING ARE BEING ENLIGHTENED NOW, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT MY STUDYING OF THE BIBLE BECOMES VERY INTERESTING AND ACTIVE.
PRAYER POINT: SWEET HOLY SPIRIT, REVEAL ME MORE OF YOURELF TO ME EVEN AS I GET BACK TO THE STUDYING OF THE WORD AGAIN.
PERSONAL READING: PSALM 119:129-136