Good Thursday morning! Praise God for the aid pouring into Haiti now, and give Him a thank you for the new day. Just how much Bible study is enough? We have individual Bible study each day, group Bible studies during the week, and of course the devotionals that like to slip in a verse or two. Is all of this really necessary? Look at it this way: if you consider the Bible as the Word of God, how often do you want to hear your Lord's voice?
One day the Word will be written on our hearts, but for now we have to read or listen to the Word. Driving to the grocery store with a Bible in front of my face is considered at least rude, if not downright dangerous, for the other drivers and pedestrians. People you know want you to return their wave and pedestrians prefer to not be run down by vehicles. I could listen to an audio version of the Bible, but I find that I don't pay attention to driving as I should when too much talking is going on. So, if "all the time" isn't the answer for how much Bible study I need; what is?
That is between you and the Lord. Some have suggested daily as the standard for Bible study, but I won't try to set a standard for you. Bring it to God in prayer, and listen for what He says. You may find that three times a day is good for you, or you may hear God call you to devote your life to the study of the Word. We enjoy some wonderful resource works from those called to a lifetime of Bible study. Perhaps, every other day will be enough for you. That's between you and God. However, the other question remains: alone or in a group?
I would say "both" of course. Alone we can read and listen as the Holy Spirit brings out meaning and applications for our lives. In a group, I am often gratified by the different and similar views we have of a particular verse. Hardly a meeting goes by that I don't think, "I never thought of it in that way!" On the other hand, a meeting doesn't go by where another Christ-one doesn't have exactly the same answer as I do for what a particular verse or passage means to him or her. Jesus promised us that He would be there among when as few as two or three gathered together. Jesus also sent the Holy Spirit to speak in our hearts when we study the Word alone.
Another way to look at the "how much?" is to ask how often we want to read or hear God's Word. Before our rebirth in Christ, how much dust did your Bible gather on the shelf? I think the dust would fall off when I moved it from time to time, but otherwise my Bible tended toward the permanent coating category. Now, I enjoy several copies of God's Word in my home and some gather a little dust only because I have my favored version and others that I only look at to compare translations from time to time. The best answer to the question might be: study the Bible as much as you want to study the Bible! Don't be surprised if your wanting to read God's Word grows as your faith grows in Christ.
Have a wonderful new day in Christ!
Bucky
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