But as for me, I am poor and needy;There is a point in Bible study that too many people miss. The point of Bible study is not to know more, or to memorize verses. It is not to look for doctrinal points so that you may convict the gainsayers. The point of Bible study is to gain contact with God on a personal level.
please hurry to my aid, O God.
You are my helper and my savior;
O Lord, do not delay. (Psalm 70:5)
When we read the Bible, if things do not touch us on a personal level, the reading is worthless. Knowledge in general is worthless, too, if all we have is knowledge. The things we know about God, the things we learn about his history in our world – all these things are worthless if they do not touch us personally.
Our relationship with God is not an intellectual relationship. For one thing, it would be impossible to have an intellectual relationship with a Being that is eternal and omnipotent. It would be like my cat discussing theology with me. We are on totally different wavelengths and have totally different intellects.
That is not to say we are stupid, but it is to say that we do not understand God nor will we ever be able to do so. Any understanding of God that we gain through our reading is that which touches us personally. We can only know God through our hearts and through our souls anyway.
And furthermore, we can only know God if he is in our hearts helping us understand. That is why, again as I have said before, Hollywood cannot understand Christians and cannot make a decent Christian movie: they do not have the mind of Christ.
You cannot know God by reading about him any more than you can know about anyone by just reading about them. The only to know that person is to become acquainted with him. All other knowledge is purely superficial, academic in nature.
So when you read, ask God to open your heart and ask him to help you understand. Reading is good. But reading with the goal of understanding is the only good goal. There is no way to understand God just by reading. He is entirely too great.
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