Becoming Fruit Bearing Trees

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is a like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does he prospers.  Psalm 1:1-3

How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word.  Psalm 119:9

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  Psalm 119:11

Studying the Scriptures, God’s word, is essential to the life of every follower of Jesus.  The above mentioned psalms show us the benefit of taking the study of, meditation of, and delight of God’s word seriously.

However, often times, when we sit down to read our Bibles we struggle to find meaning.  We struggle to understand the text.  With this comes frustration and ultimately resignation of the fact that we will never get it.  We shut our Bibles and slowly over time find ourselves spending less and less time reading at all.

It does not have to be this way.

For 20 people, I hope that this has changed.  In October we had the privilege of hosting a workshop entitled “How to Study the Bible.”  It was a 3-hour, interactive time of understanding why we should study and how to do it effectively.

The teachers, Dave Young and Colleen O’Rourke, gave the attendees a practical and realistic method to use when they open up their Bibles each day.  This method will allow these people to mine the truths of God’s word and apply them to their lives so that they too can be like trees planted by streams of water bearing fruit.

If you struggle with knowing what to do when you sit down with your Bible, consider attending a future “How to Study the Bible” workshop at MBC Loudoun in early 2009.

You will not regret it.