"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1, 2) As a gospel preacher, there are many subjects about which I love to teach. Not one is more important than the need for Christians to develop and cultivate a good knowledge of God's word. No matter how good a preacher is in the pulpit, he cannot instill in his hearers the desire to study God's book. This must come from within each individual. Let's consider some of the ways that might help to increase our desire for a deeper and richer knowledge of God's word.
Read the Bible daily. "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2) Consider reading the Bible completely--from Genesis through Revelation--in a year? For many years, I have employed a program wherein I follow a daily-reading schedule to read through the entire Bible--both Old and New Testaments--in a year's time frame. This has increased my knowledge, expanded my understanding of Bible details, and given me a deeper appreciation for this masterpiece of Divine literature. You can purchase a Daily Reading Bible or obtain a daily reading schedule from another source. I challenge you to undertake this one time; chances are, you will continue to do it yearly.
Know your Bible. What is the theme of the Bible? What are the different Bible periods? How are the testaments divided with respect to subject matter? What is the United Kingdom? What is the Divided Kingdom? How long did the period of the judges last? How did God unveil His scheme of redemption throughout the different Bible dispensations? Do you know the major events that occurred during each of the three major Bible dispensations? Where would you look to identify the duties of the priests under the Mosaic system? When did the Law of Christ come into effect? Explain the fulfilling of God's three promises to Abraham and how they supply the framework for the entire Bible story. The Divine record discusses many different subjects, and only if we know its wonderful story can we teach it to others.
Prepare your Bible-study lessons. How much time, if any, do you spend in preparation for your Sunday-morning and Wednesday-evening Bible-study lessons? Do you read over the lessons a number of times to familiarize yourself with the text to be covered in class? Do you complete the homework assignments given by the teachers in these classes? Do you even attend the Bible classes? Bible classes are designed to increase our understanding of what God's word teaches. How can we increase our knowledge if we make little or no effort to prepare for the classes?
Follow along during the preaching. Do you really listen and follow along in the Bible when the preacher gives lessons from God's word? Do you take advantages of handouts, CDs, or other materials that can help you take notes for future reference? Do you ever listen to the sermon CDs for things you might have missed? Are you taking advantage of the knowledge to be gained from the preparation of the one preaching or teaching?
We all need to be diligent about increasing our Bible knowledge. How much is good Bible knowledge worth to you? It depends on how valuable or invaluable you consider it to be.