In considering the three main questions about spending time reading God’s Word and praying—Why? Where? and How?—I took time in yesterday’s post to look at why people do not study the Bible. (That was a lengthy post, and I appreciate your sticking with me on this! The rest of the posts will not be as lengthy.) Today, let’s look at why we should spend time in Bible Study.

Please remember that we do not devote consistent time with the Lord just so that we can fulfill a task on our “Good Christian To-Do List.” That would be a pretty weak why.There are much better reasons than that, and there are many more than I will take time to list! (After all, I did say this wouldn’t be as lengthy as yesterday’s, didn’t I?) So, let’s quickly look at two primary reasons to spend time in God’s Word on a consistent basis.

1. To know God. 

I recently told you about my “Praise Walks.” If you have a minute, just click on this link, scroll down to the bottom of that post, and look at the twenty-six names, qualities, attributes, or actions of God that I listed in just one evening. Those don’t even scratch the surface of all that He is! How do we learn those names, qualities, attributes, and actions? We find them in His Word! I want to know Him! I want to be like Him! I want to be reminded that He loves me! I want to read His promises so that I can claim His promises!

All of these things happen only when I go the source that holds His complete story: the Bible! Once is not enough. My dad tells my mom he loves her every day, and she tells him the same thing every day. I don’t want to trivialize it, but the comparison really is that simple. God wants to tell me of His love for me every day (through His recorded, written words to me), and I need to tell Him I love Him every day (in prayer and by a life that lives according to what He wrote for me to learn).

2. To allow the Bible to serve its intended purpose.

These eight truths are included within the pages of the Bible (II Timothy 3:16-17, NLT) to remind us of its origin and its purpose. I’ll divide the verses into eight lines (the eight truths), but I’ll keep the words as they appear in the New Living Translation. I don’t know about you, but those two primary reasons (and these eight sub-points) are why enough for me!