Skip to main content

Seven Bible Disciplines: Studying the Word by Pastor Charlie Handren

By Anonymous

     Psalm 111 begins with a call to and declaration of praise. “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation” (111:1). But the question is this: why is the Psalmist so eager to give thanks to the Lord that he promises to do so in the midst of a worship gathering and also calls on others to join him? The answer is found in verse 2. “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (111:2). The reason the Psalmist is so jubilant is because the Lord is so great, and he has revealed his greatness through his works. From this we learn that the works of the Lord make the greatness of the Lord visible, but because his primary works are contained in his Word, we must study his Word to delight in his works. 
     The Hebrew word for “study” means “to frequently return to a place” so that one becomes intimately familiar with it. So, to study the Word of God is to regularly return to a particular place until we gain insight into the works of God and grow in love for God himself. Indeed, delighting in the Lord begins with hearing and reading his Word, but it deepens and grows as we repeatedly go to his Word and seek to understand what he has done.
     As the Psalmist delighted in the works of the Lord, he came to see five ways in which they reveal his greatness. First, the works of the Lord are full of the glory of the Lord, displaying his righteousness, faithfulness, and mercy. “Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful” (111:3-4). Second, the works of the Lord reveal the compassionate provision of the Lord for his people, and his enduring commitment to them. “He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever” (111:5).     
     Third, the works of the Lord reveal the more ultimate purposes of the Lord. “He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations” (111:6). Fourth, one of the works of the Lord is the granting of his words which are to be understood and obeyed. “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness” (111:7-8). Finally, the works of the Lord reveal the gospel. “He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!” (111:9) 
     The Psalmist achieved these insights by carefully studying the Word, and we can achieve similar insights by doing the same thing each day. As the Psalmist concludes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (111:10) So, let us delight in the works of the Lord by studying his Word.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord, by George Muller

By Anonymous
To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord By George Muller “It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord, but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. “I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God—not prayer, but the Word of God. And here again, not the simple reading of the Word of God so that it only passes through my mind just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what I read, pondering over it, and applying it to my heart. To meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed. And that thus,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Billy Graham, Holiness, and Leadership

By
A few years ago, I was listening to a radio program on which Marshall Shelley was being interviewed about his new book, The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham (Zondervan, 2005). They were giving away a few copies of the book to those who called in, and something inside me felt compelled to call. But I didn’t have a good question to ask, so I prayed to the Lord and said, “If you want me to have a copy of this book, please give me a good question to ask and I’ll call.” I’m not sure if the Lord gave me this question or if it just popped into my head, but one way or the other, I thought to ask about the connection in Billy’s life between his private pursuit of holiness and integrity, and his public effectiveness and longevity. So, I made the call and was given the last copy of the book they had to give. A couple of years earlier, I had breakfast with some friends and the subject of Billy Graham’s life and ministry came up. We talked mostly about his commitment to integrity in the area...
Post a Comment
Read more

Catechisms: Building a Heritage of Sound Faith - By Pastor Kevin Feder

By
This is an article I (Pastor Kevin) wrote in 2005 and updated in 2017. It is featured in a new resource available through Children’s Desiring God called Discipleship through Doctrinal Teaching and Catechism by Sally Michael.  It is our desire to encourage parents to use a children’s catechism as a tool in building and strengthening faith in children. A simple definition of a catechism is “organized teaching.” Catechisms are not the only things that can or should be used to instruct the next generation, yet they have useful purposes. Listed here are ten specific benefits a catechism can uniquely offer. Hopefully these ten points will help parents understand how a catechism can be effectively used in their families. 1.  A catechism is a very clear and complete gospel message. A catechism is, among other things, a very clear and concise gospel message to children. Everything a child needs to know for salvation is embodied within a catechism. The gospel is truly ama...
Post a Comment
Read more