Bible study isn't a great way to attract masses of people. Be it right, wrong, or indifferent, the subject of Bible study is never as attractive as things like worship, mission trips, or any other number of church activities. I would dare to say that Bible study is the "going to the dentist" of the church: we all acknowledge it's good for us, but many people still avoid it like the plague.
This is really unfortunate because the Bible is chock-full of so much life-altering truth. When we look at the Bible as a "Jesus textbook", we sometimes forget that it contains deeply profound things about our own identity or sense of purpose. In many ways, it helps us understand more about ourselves than we can find anywhere else in life, especially if we have dedicated our lives to Christ's purpose.
In Deuteronomy, we see an interesting admonishment to study the scriptures...
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
This scripture has actually driven some modern-day Jews to conduct their prayers using leather arm-wraps and small boxes containing scripture which are worn on the forehead. These accessories are called tefillin and are intended to be the physical manifestation of what we read here. It may sound odd or foreign to us, but it helps drive home the fact that scripture is something intended to be "bound" to our physical conduct.
Even if you don't pray with tefillin (why would you?!), you can still understand and appreciate the lesson taught to God's people in Deuteronomy. While we often treat Bible study like an unwanted chore of Christian life, we miss the opportunity to experience the peace and security which comes from knowing our God.
If your walk with Christ has been strained or you feel like you've been in a rut, maybe consider going to the dentist... errr.... doing some Bible study. If you don't know what to do, might I suggest heading over the Ephesians or Philippians and giving them a read. Whether you begin reading your Bible cover-to-cover or just focus on a few select sections relevant to your everyday life, I'm confident you will find a peace in the Word that you simply can't find anywhere else.
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