"With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes!" {Psalm 119:10-12}

When I was in school, I knew if I was to learn and retain any knowledge, I needed to put my nose in the book. Only through a continual effort of reading, looking at personal notes, and rereading was I able to commit things to memory so I could recall them at a later time. This helped train me in developing good study habits. For all my life, I've used these habits to help me expand my knowledge of God's word. Sorry, there are no shortcuts for acquiring Bible knowledge. The only successful formula for developing a good knowledge of God's word is old-fashioned study.

Walking Bibles. Older Christians tell me that in the 1940s and 50s, members of the Lord's church were often called walking Bibles. Can the same be said about us today? Sadly, I doubt it. How did I arrive at this conclusion? Below are some examples of so-called Biblical teachings being offered by some of our brethren in other places.

Women elders. "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach." {1 Timothy 3:1,2} What do these verses reveal concerning the office of a elder? For one thing, an elder MUST BE the HUSBAND of one wife; therefore, he must be a man! Some say that God is conveying a different message today. Others explain that each person should use his or her God-given ability to glorify God. How do we glorify God while ignoring His word? Since there has not been a Divinely inspired revelation since the end of the first century, God is not speaking to these people. (1 Corinthians 2:9-13; John 16:13)

Contemporary Worship. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." {John 4:24} Drive around in your community and look at the church signs. Modern churches offer two types of services-traditional and contemporary. What does this mean? Simply put, traditional worship has a more conservative approach. Contemporary is more upbeat and modern to meet the worshippers' needs in the 21st century. By the way, I'm unaware of choices being offered in the worship pattern contained in God's word. Here is a novel idea-why not worship according to His pattern-it's in His word.

I could offer many other examples to prove my point. There are members of the Lord's church who do not know what the Bible teaches about salvation, worship, the church's work, the church's organization, or living godly lives. Could we be spending too much time in other books and not enough in GOD'S BOOK? In 2010, let's dedicate ourselves to returning to being walking Bibles.