Instant Gratification Bible Study!!

Now that I have your attention it s time to get serious.  I apologize for intentionally deceiving you but I knew that the title would be a catch.  The truth is that there is NO such thing as a "genuine" instant gratification Bible study.  Now, yes, there are Bible studies out there that boast of such claims but they are lying.  It is impossible to come to the Bible with a few minutes (sometimes seconds) of your time and think that you are going to glean from the Word what God intends for you.  

Today, while I was driving I began to think about studying the Bible and to what I could liken this discipline.  Some would say it is like searching around in the dark for something hidden.  To that I would say that to those who do not know Christ they are correct.  The unbeliever is wandering around in the dark when reading the Word because they do not have the Spirit of God enlightening them to help them to understand the truths of the Bible.  It is only through the light of the Spirit given to us through Christ that any of us are able to glean any truth from the Word. (1 Corinthians 1&2)   Others would use the ouija board method of thumbing through the Bible and wherever their finger lands is what God wants to say to them.  Besides the ridiculousness of this idea of Bible study, it is not what God intended.  Neither God nor the Bible is a magic eight ball, rather the Word of God is God's communication(revelation) to His people, revealing who He is, what He has done, what He is doing and what He is going to do.  In light of that, "How are we to study God's Word?"

The best illustration (as of right this morning) that I found to mirror the process of Bible study is the work of mining for gold.  We live in a culture, society, and time consumed with instant gratification.  We want what we want when we want it.  Fast food, microwaves, constant media interaction, credit cards, consumerism, next day shipping, and the like are all evidences of this overwhelming truth.  Unfortunately, Christians have allowed this mindset to infiltrate the church and their spiritual life.  We want shorter sermons and less singing in church, and in our spiritual lives we want instant growth and instant understanding/wisdom.  I see the problems in the church as a result of the impatience of Christians in their spiritual life.  Spiritual maturity/growth and biblical understanding do not come in a instant nor does it come over night.  It is something we are to strive after/work for.  When we do, we will reap the benefits God has for us.  2 Timothy 2:15 commands, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." To tie this to he illustration:  a gold miner does not simply walk into the mine and pick up the gold and his job is done nor does he expect this to be so.  He must first extract the ore in large chunks and break them down into smaller pieces.  Once this is done the miner must pan through (as shown in the picture) the pieces to separate the gold from waste.  Needless to say, the process is exhaustive and only by following this process will the the miner yield the desired results.  Similarly a Christian that comes to the Bible to study is seeking after gold/treasure and can be found only through diligent and disciplined work.  We must labor for the truth, not because it is so hard to find but because it is incredibly valuable and worthy of effort.  We are seeking after the very thoughts and words of God.  If He is worth our very life is not His Word deserving of all our effort and attention?  Though  it is tempting to follow after the world and seek the easy (supposedly but it is a lie) way out, resist because the fruit of your labor will be beyond compare.  Spend the time, use the resources, seek the guidance of the Spirit but more than anything be patient.  Wait on the Lord, let Him transform you through every word studied and fall more and more in love with the Savior of your soul everyday.