Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?
Mark  12:24  NKJV


In view of the importance of Bible study, what steps should one take to get the most benefit from his time with the Word?  What can a person do to arouse in his own heart an interest in God's Book?


Step 1 - Attitude:  Before opening the Scriptures, ask yourself the question,  "For what purpose am i studying the Bible?  Am I trying to keep a perfect daily record?  Am I trying to prove some point?  Or am I seeking to know God's will for me?"


One must respect and reverence the Author of the Bible.  You should look for an expression of God's will, not your own.  The Bible is not a mere source book; rather, it is the Book of authority for your life.  Unless you submit to the authority of the Word, the truth will never be made plain to you.  As Joseph Malegue once said,  "All the obscurities of Scripture and all its flashes of light will fall together, dragging each other, on one slope or the other, according to which side your heart is."


Step 2 - Prayer:  "Never should the Bible be studied without prayer.  Before opening its pages we should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it will be given." - Steps to Christ.  p 91.  The sincere seeker for truth will never approach the Scriptures in his own strength, and when you propose to prsent Scripture truth to others you should be even more solicitous for God's help.


Step 3 - Reading:  Be sure to read the verses preceding and following any particular passage.  You are not at liberty to pick out a text here or there and use it to establish a "truth" unless you know the context of the passage.  Only thus can you be certain you are interpreting it properly.  Too often an otherwise sincere person discovers and propagates a teaching that is really false doctrine....because he failed to understand the setting of a text.


In order to get a complete picture of what the Lord has to say, compare one passage of Scripture with another on the same subject.  Short of that, you may easily get a lopsided view.  A good concordance can give you invaluable help in scriptural comparison.

taken from: First Things First
                      November 17
                 by: Bob Spangler