A friend of mine named Jarrod Jacobs used an illustration regarding Bible study in his bulletin that I love to make use of myself. He likened Bible study to plowing a field. Every time a farmer runs his plow over a field it goes in a little deeper. The same thing should be true with our study of the Bible. Every time we study a passage of Scripture, we should be digging a little deeper and gleaning a little more from the text.

Sadly, this is not always the case.

I remember when I was a younger preacher working at another congregation it was common for some of the members to bring three books with them to Bible class: their Bible, their workbook, and a commentary. It was often Johnson's Notes or Zerr's Commentary. These brethren did not come to Bible class to dig any deeper and advance in their knowledge of God's word. They came to make sure what I said about the text agreed with Johnson, Zerr, or whatever their preferred scholar had to say about the text. Bible class was not about learning what God had to say to them, but about making sure I was "towing the line."

It was refreshing to move to another work a few years later where a dear sister in Christ came to Bible class with two books: her Bible and her Young's Concordance. This seasoned student of the Scriptures came to DIG! And she challenged many of us to do likewise!

How much time do you spend preparing for our Bible classes each week? Do you view each class period as an opportunity to dig a little deeper and learn more about God's marvelous word? Or do you come to class to make sure that the same old points are made from these tired texts (you know, the points that you wrote in the margin of your Bible years ago)? Don't be lazy in your Bible study. Dare to dig a little deeper and learn a little more about God and His will for your life.