This morning, I preached on getting “Back to Basics” in our Bible study and approaching God’s Word with the motivation of growing closer to Jesus. Many people neglect Bible study, or when they actually study the Bible, they’re tempted to do it with the wrong motives.
Don’t believe me? Check out this quote from a book I’ve been reading: “A recent study revealed that 72 percent of pastors surveyed stated they only studied the Bible when preparing for sermons and lessons. We find excuses for why we couldn’t spend time with God today, or we deceive ourselves into thinking we did spend time with him. We count our sermon prep as our devotional time, or we consider our meetings where we’ve prayed with people as our prayer time. The result is that the Bible becomes a tool we use instead of a treasure we behold. Ministry eventually turns into a seductive mistress that distracts us from the intimacy of the personal connection God wants to have with us.” (Robby Gallaty, Movement-Ready Church)
The truth is, it can affect all of us! We need to pursue God and study His Word in order to experience Him and be changed so we can live for Him. I want to encourage you to spend time in God’s Word, but while you do, spend time WITH GOD! I shared and walked through this Bible Study Guide with our church today. I pray it’s helpful to you as you study Scripture!
