Do you sometimes struggle to remember any of the principles learned in the last Bible study you completed? Do you sometimes feel like you study and study God's Word but you see little change in your attitudes, actions or words?
Like many of you, I'm a good Bible study girl. I've participated in more group studies than I can count and even taught most of them. But not only do I make studying the Bible with a group of women a habit; I love unearthing the treasures of God's Word. I just really dig it!
But when I study His Word, or even hear it preached or taught, I don't want for it just to tickle my ears. I realize God's Word is truth and sustenance for daily living. I also know it is powerful, able to change my actions, attitudes and words. It can change my life, if I let it.
The Bible tells us in Luke 8:15 that in order for scripture really to take root and bear fruit in our lives, there are conditions which must be met.
But the seed in the good soil,
these are the ones who have
heard the word in an
honest and good heart,
and hold it fast,
and bear fruit with perseverance.
Luke 8:15
I began memorizing Luke 8:15 when I determined that I didn't want to "waste my time" with the Bible, but I wanted it to "do something" in my life. According to the words Jesus spoke in this passage, the truth of God's Word is more likely to transform me from the inside out when I:
- receive it with an honest and good heart - ready to learn, willing to change, submissive to its authority, honest with myself and my God
- hold it fast - or press it in by mulling it over, thinking on it, memorizing it, taking time with it
- and bear fruit with perseverance - apply it over and over again, doggedly determined to obey it with consistency and holy accuracy, even when I don't feel like it.
The next time you read or hear or study a portion of God's Word you might want to remember the precepts taught in Luke 8:15. Check your heart and make sure you're receiving it well. Take the time and effort to hold it fast and press it in. And, finally, commit to persevering with it until you see the promised fruit.
Which do you find hardest to do? Receive the Word with an honest and good heart, hold it fast or persevere with it?
Labels: meditation, My Daily Bread
