Profitable knowledge

Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.  — Psalm 119:27

 The Bible is unlike any other book. It was given by God’s inspiration and is His revelation to man. On its pages we find everything we need to know to receive salvation and to live for the Lord. Paul declared that it “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Some people, however, devote more time to learning about the Bible than to discovering its message. For instance, two men spent months compiling an impressive array of statistics about the Scriptures. They counted the number of chapters, verses, words, and even letters.

These facts may be interesting, and many hours of labor may go into gathering them, but how do they build us up spiritually? What did the psalmist have in mind when he asked God to help him understand the way of His precepts? (Psalm 119:27). He desired — and we should strive for — an increased knowledge of God and His will.

Let’s not get sidetracked by interesting statistics and unusual facts. Instead, let’s prayerfully study the content of the Bible to discover what God is saying to us about Himself and His plan for our lives. That will make our Bible knowledge most profitable. — Richard De Haan

Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine,

And jewels rich and rare

Are hidden in its mighty depths

For every searcher there. — Hodder

READ: Psalm 119:25-32

The Bible tells us all we need to know so we can do all God wants us to do.

The Bible in one year:

• Zephaniah 1-3