Inspired to Study

Four Reasons to Inspire You to Study Your Bible

Why We Need to Study the Bible – Part 1

We have all heard someone at some time or another say this. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” When we are younger, we take these words at face value. However, as we age, the words become less true. What you don’t know can hurt you. This phrase put another way says if we remain ignorant and uninformed, it won’t hurt us in the area of our ignorance and lack of information. The truth is there is only one thing that can truly destroy a person and that is a lack of knowledge. [1] 

When I was a young consultant, I had very little understanding of how the stock market worked. I heard my co-workers talking about how their shares in the company had gone sky-high. Because I didn’t keep up with it, I had no idea what that really meant. So, I decided to look, and the stock had gone from $19 to $42 over a relatively short period. This information made me look at the number of shares I owned since I’d been purchasing them for two years. I had opted in for the maximum employee contribution. What I saw surprised me. If I had not heard this information or remained ignorant of what was happening, I would have missed this small window. It was this window that gave me the ability to pay a substantial amount of my debts off. Not knowing can hurt you and in fact, it can also cause you to miss out on better opportunities.

There is one book on earth that no one can afford to be ignorant about and that’s the Bible. It has every answer you will ever need for life on earth and life after your time on earth. Unfortunately, most people (51% and greater), miss out and what they don’t know that’s contained in this book is hurting them each day and, in every way imaginable. To that point, I would like to offer these four reasons to inspire you to begin studying your Bible.

  1. Study to get answers.
    I am a person who never claims to have all the answers, but I at least have an answer, one answer. I study my Bible so that I can address everything I will ever face. The Bible has an endless supply of information that is designed to help you navigate life. The problem is, when you don’t study it, you default to living a life of ignorance and lacking information. In turn, you live a life of defeat when the answers to how to have a victorious life are housed in its pages.
  2. Study because it is too much to read.
    We study the Bible because it is too much to read. Reading it like a novel or self-help book doesn’t do it justice. The Bible can be read like a book, but it doesn’t work that way. The default mechanism for most people is to try to read this book. It is too much, and it is not that straight forward. It requires study to get from it what it has to offer. When you don’t know this, what will happen is no different than owning stock that has doubled in value, but you don’t know it and have no clue as to what it means.
  3. Study makes you a student.
    You must admit as a student in school, college, or training, you learn a lot quickly whether you want to or not. In order to learn from the Bible, one must become a student. The word the Bible uses for students is disciples. You must be a student who is in class to learn what it can teach you. As a student of the Bible, there is more available than just a simple King James Bible. Find what works best for you as a student. Some students like loose-leaf paper, while others like to use spiral notebooks. People like me like leather journals and expensive organizers. The point I’m making is to get whatever tool you need to make being a student of the Bible easy and exciting for you.
  4. Every page has something to offer.
    When a person is a novice when it comes to Bible study, he or she tries to read too much of it. Begin simply with one verse at a time. Every page of the Bible has something to offer, but if you are trying to get through the reading as if you are going to be tested on it, then you are not going to get from it all that you can. In fact, rushing it might be the number one reason a person is unable to enjoy it. Recently Pamela and I were studying a chapter of the Bible on marriage. We decided to start at the beginning of the chapter and the first two words were more than enough for us. It read, “imitate God.” [2] By the way, we were studying marriage, and the first words were “imitate God.” In marriage, “imitate God.” In work, “imitate God.” In your life, “imitate God.” As I mentioned, every page has something to offer, if and when you study it.

Let me leave you with this. Next level people are intentional. You must be an intentional student of not only the Bible, but life, work, health, finances, etc. In fact, growth for you and me should be intentional. Therefore, when it comes to the Bible, we are intentional about: using it to get answers, taking our time with it, being a student of it, and gaining as much as we can from each page. If we are going to take Bible study to the next level, these four keys will certainly put us on the path.

Question: What would it take for you to become a better student of the Bible?

Highlights from the Bible (Leviticus)

Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Now, we are getting serious. When the average person reads the Bible, Leviticus is the point at which we quit reading. There are very many people who cannot get beyond Exodus and finish Leviticus. Let this not be you. Let’s find a way to keep going. Allow me to give you a few highlights from this book to motivate you. 

Here are a few things you can find in Leviticus:

  • Offerings to God (Grain, Peace, Sin, Guilt, Ordinations)
    In the time of Leviticus, there were several offerings or sacrifices that had to be made to God. Think of it as a way to identify what God wants from us and wants to get to us.
  • Dietary Restrictions
    If you wish to live with better dietary habits, Leviticus defines it for us.
  • Rules and protocols for priests.
  • Medical procedures (such as childbirth, diseases, sanitizing – clothing, homes, place, physicals care, etc.)
  • Sexual conduct
  • Personal conduct
  • Punishments, penalties, and sentences for wrongdoing.

Uncommon Truth to Pique Your Interest (Only Six Days Given to “Ordinary” Work)

“You have six days each week for your ordinary work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest,
an official day for holy assembly.
It is the LORD’s Sabbath day,
and it must be observed wherever you live.
– Leviticus 23:3 NLT [3] 

There are six days given to what the Bible calls “ordinary” work. The seventh day, however, is not designed for “ordinary” work. This means that day seven is unlike the other six and is unique.

What is “Ordinary” Work?
So, one question becomes significant, what’s “ordinary” work then? The Bible defines the activities that should occur on the seventh day as “complete” rest or activities that provide one with rest. That gives us an indication that “ordinary” work is something other than rest. It is work that does not yield one with rest. 

The problem our society faces is that ordinary people have a habit of doing “ordinary” work seven days a week. To be uncommon is to give one day over to doing something that is uncommon. It means that an uncommon person will figure out a way to get their non-rest producing work done within the six “ordinary” workdays. 

What is “Complete Rest?”
How about resting and giving your day to some uncommon activities, no “ordinary” activities? It’s interesting that the Bible uses the phrase “stop from ordinary work” [4] and says do something differently. If you want to be different you must do something different. This means take a break from your ordinary, normal activities, so that you can spend some time getting acquainted with God. That doesn’t mean going to church, which can be included. Perhaps a person doesn’t have a relationship with God because “ordinary work” gets in the way of this. This seventh day for “complete rest” is His day. It is for Him and He made it for you.   

Resources | Summary of Leviticus

If you would like to hear a summary of the book of Leviticus, please see the videos we discovered at The Bible Project. 

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[1] Hosea 4:6 NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed February 29, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/111/HOS.4.6.NIV
[2] Ephesians 5:1 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed February 29, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/EPH.5.1.NLT
[3] Leviticus 23:3 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed February 29, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/LEV.23.3.NLT
[4] Leviticus 23:3 NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed February 29, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/114/LEV.23.3.NKJV

All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights. 

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