“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

Everyday we have the privilege to spend some time reading, studying, thinking, and applying the Scriptures. In the life of a believer in Jesus Christ, time in God’s Word is critical for growth, encouragement, strength, hope, and so much more. Paul would tell his student, Timothy, who had been taught the Scriptures from childhood, to keep studying the Scripture because they will “make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15b) This wisdom comes to develop and equip the believer to be usable in God’s hands. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

There is a problem today. According to Lifeway research only 32% of those attending church services spend time every day in God’s Word. With 12% of attenders never reading the Bible in a year. Another note, only 20% have read the Scripture all the way through. This should be a matter of prayer for all of us.

God gave us His Scripture to equip us, but also so that we could know Him. The Holy Spirit used men to write the Scripture as He moved in their lives and taught them. “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21) Jesus confronted the Pharisees because they were learning the Scripture for their own gain, without knowing God. “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)

After Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his message was about the Jesus he met and the foundation of that message in God’s Word. “As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “’This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,’ he said.” (Acts 17:2-3) When he entered Berea, he found people who wanted to know the truth in Scripture. They were people who would learn daily from Scripture.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” (Acts 17:11-12)

When we come to know Jesus Christ, we need to grow in our knowledge of Him as we mature in our faith in Him. This comes as we daily spend time with Him and in His Word. As we do, we also need to encourage each other to spend more time with Him, learning of Him through our growing knowledge of His Word. This is the aim of Walking with the Word. My prayer is that you will come to know Jesus Christ, if you do not already have a relationship with Him, and that as you know Him, you will continue to grow in your relationship with Him. Let us search the Scriptures every day, knowing that He is “the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block