Studying The Bible (D)

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Expect God to speak to us.

To fulfil the declared intent of God we must not let
The book of Law departs from us, we must ponder on it and practice everything written in it. That is the only
way we can be assured of getting to the Finish of All things. The expectation of the just shall not be cut
short. Below are a couple of things we should be expecting when we meditate and study the Bible:

Deuteronomy 32:1-2 Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear you earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 We couldn’t be more sure of ourselves in this—that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation. We wouldn’t think of writing this kind of letter about ourselves. Only God can write such a letter. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn’t written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It’s written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!

I want to emphasize that we are not studying something on our tablets, phones, or books –

Faith comes by hearing- we should be expecting living communion with God in our study time.

Expect Transformation God is PRESENT during our meditation.

2 Corinthians 3: 16-18
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiselled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting
legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of His face. And so we are transfigured much like the
Messiah, our lives gradually become brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. James 1:22-24 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just
hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is
like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and
gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

Expect to be cleansed

John 15:3

You are already clean because of the word which I have
spoken to you. Ephesians 5:26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing
of water with the word,

Expect the disclosure of God’s nature-

We get to know God in His Word! Who He is, how He
tastes, His attributes, character and more. You will agree with me that when you know me
more it will be easier to partner in the accomplishment of God’s will. For example, The nature of the Holy Spirit as a Teacher and Advocate is revealed in the Word.

John 14:16

I will ask the Father, He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever.

John 16: 12-15
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at present. 13 But
when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on
His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14
He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the
Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you.

Joshua 3:13-15

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or our enemies?”14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now
come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?” 15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Expect to be formed and matured

Colossians 1:28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and
teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-14 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may
be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Therefore,
rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

1 Peter 2:1-3 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your
salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Psalm 1:1-3 What delight comes to
the one who follows God’s ways! He won’t walk in step with the wicked, nor share the sinner’s
way, nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat. His passion is to remain true to the Word of “I
AM, “meditating day and night on the true revelation of light. He will be standing firm like a
flourishing tree planted by God’s design, deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss, bearing fruit in every season of life. He is never dry, never fainting, ever blessed, ever prosperous.

Expect direction, instruction, correction

Expect to be filled with the knowledge of our Father’s
will. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Let us Pray :

Our Father we ask for an intense and deep love for You ! Here we are eager to learn from
You how to properly interpret, understand and apply the principles of Your Word in our lives. LORD Let
Your Spirit rest on us; the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the
Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— Cause our delight to be in fearing You. Open the
scriptures to us as You did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Open our eyes to recognize You ,
open our minds to understand the scriptures in the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.