Psalms 19:7-11 The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever.
The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to Your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
Psalms 119:72 Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.
Psalms 119:162 I rejoice in Your word like one who discovers a great treasure.
The word's "Bible study" don't sound like very much fun to most people, mention the word "Bible" and they think of a big boring book, mention the word "study" and most of us think of doing something difficult like a final exam. Both of those words sound a lot like the word "work."
Work is what it will probably be for you if you are just beginning to develop the spiritual discipline of reading the Bible. If you view work as something that should be avoided then you will probably never dig in and discover the treasure in the Bible. Just because it takes some work doesn't mean that the Bible should sit on the shelf.
Most of us spend a lot of time working at something so that we will be successful. It could be a career or a hobby that motivates us to labor towards a goal. Those who desire to find the treasures in God's word must dig for them.
This is a long term commitment to digging, it is similar to a miner digging for treasure hidden in the earth, if you dig for a short time then you may not get any jewels. It may take a while to get a payday and you may begin to think that the hard work isn't worth it.
Over and over again God's word proves that it is valuable, useful and beneficial. Here is a short list I found of some of the benefits that we can receive from Bible study:
✔ Revives the soul ✔ Makes us wise and gives us insight ✔ Brings joy to the heart ✔ Show us the glory of God
With benefits like that we shouldn't mind picking up the shovel and getting busy.
WHAT EXCITES YOU?
Matthew 13:44 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. The person that bought the field knew that he had found something that was valuable enough that he should get rid of everything else that he owned so that he could buy the land and obtain the rights to the treasure that was hidden from everybody else.
In this parable Jesus tells us about the excitement that a man had when he found a hidden treasure. In his excitement he immediately made some quick decisions to help him acquire what was really important to him. The new found treasure was worth more to him that the old stuff that he used to think was valuable. Will you give up something valuable for the greater treasure that God promises for us in His word?
We pursue what we perceive as being valuable. The problem is that we tend to value the things that the world tells us to value and ignore the things that really matter. We need to have a different perspective and we need to upgrade the value of this investment and throw away the world's garbage. (Matthew 6:19-21, Philippians 3:8)
