Since my early days as a follower of Jesus, I have often been dumbstruck by the lack of knowledge people who claim to be Christians have of the Scriptures. I have met elders in churches and people who have sat in the pews for decades that have little true understanding of what the Scriptures teach. And having worked with students for several decades, I think I understand why.
When my wife met Jesus and decided to follow Him, she says one of the transformations that occurred in her life was her desire to read God’s Word. She wanted to read it every day, and she still does. But in my work with students, that desire is rare. For many it is a chore and, if they would be honest, they don’t feel they get much from it. For others, there is a fear of it—either from the sin in their lives to which they would rather not be called to account, or from not being able to understand what they’re reading. And still others think they know enough to get by and may read more when they get to a point in life when they’re not so busy.
This all adds up to developing a habit of not reading the Word, which often remains long into their adult lives. If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, then this is a habit that has to be avoided or, if established, must be broken. As would be the case for a husband or wife with the habit of not listening to what his/her spouse has to say, a relationship with God is not sustainable if we are not listening to what He says. And the main way He speaks to us is through His Word.
What each of us need, if we do not have it, is a hunger similar to that of my wife to read the Word of God. And knowing her, the answer to getting it is simple: opening up our lives to Jesus. Because we were created by Him and for Him, the more we open ourselves to Him, the more we will hunger for Him. What gets in the way often is our openness to other things besides Jesus. My wife was wholeheartedly pursuing them when she met Him. What changed was she let Him take control and those other things took a back seat or were completely removed.
Today, do you find yourself hungering for God’s Word? If not, then perhaps it’s time to take a look at why that is, because anyone claiming to follow Jesus should be longing to read and understand His Word. So ask the Lord to reveal what is going on with you that is blocking this desire. And, do one more thing as well. Say to the Lord something like this: “Lord, give me a desire for your Word.” Not only will He answer your prayer, but the Word of God will come alive for you and, as with David, will give you the understanding to help you to live a righteous life.
© Jim Musser 2017
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