The word of God
Luke 24:45 NIV
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
First, let me explain there’s a difference between reading and studying the Bible. The goal of studying the Bible is to dig in deep, examine context, mine for deeper revelation, identify what the Lord is specifically saying to you, and find distinct personal application. It should go without saying just how important this is as we seek to understand and apply God’s will to our lives and grow more and more like Jesus. We’ll learn more about studying the Bible in the coming days.
The goal behind reading the Bible is to consume big chunks of the Bible, a few chapters at a time—for practicality, let’s say three chapters per day—in order to consume the entirety of the Bible a few times in your life. Why? Because when we do this, we are allowing the entirety of God’s work of redemption to pass before our eyes, enter into our minds, and permeate our hearts.
Consider Luke 24:27 (NIV), which tells us, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” In addition to that, Jesus claimed, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56 NIV). He said Moses “wrote about me” (John 5:46 NIV) and that “everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44–45 NIV).
Did you see that? Jesus showed His disciples—and in turn us—how the entirety of the Bible points to Him and speaks of Him. He showed them the fingerprints of His gospel in the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets. He pointed out all the moments of foreshadowing and the many times He appeared to His people before the incarnation and performed miracles. Jesus opened the hearts and minds of His disciples so they could truly understand His Word and in turn understand who He was, His work, and their purpose; and He did it through the consumption and revelation of all of Scripture.
When we consume the fullness of God’s Word, allowing His entire love letter to pass through our hearts, minds, and eyes, then we’ll experience a new level of appreciation, gratitude, devotion, and a deeper, richer love for Him. And do you want to know a secret? Reading the entire Bible is very, very doable!
