“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” Romans 11:33 (NIV)

I didn’t grow up in church and wasn’t exposed to Bible stories as a child. I became a Christian at age 22 but felt like a toddler. Everything was new!

Not only was I learning how to walk with God but also how to read His Word. Everyone seemed to know so much; at least that’s what I thought. I found myself tempted to approach God’s Word out of duty — to gain more knowledge about Him to feel like I wasn’t behind. My relationship with God became about knowing more rather than enjoying and delighting in the One who saved me.

That is, until God showed me that the key to growing as a Christian is not to gain more and more knowledge and one day “arrive,” having learned all there is to know — instead, the key is always to remain a student of Jesus.

One day, I was teaching a Bible study, and during our discussion, one of my sisters in the Lord told us that when she was younger, she prayed to the Lord: Keep me teachable. She was nearly twice my age and yet was eager to learn from me and the Lord.

My friend didn’t know it at the time, but she was teaching me at that moment to cherish learning about the Lord for the rest of my life.

As I listened and watched her, I realized she so loved her Savior that she never wanted to “arrive,” as if she could not learn more about Him. Her desire for knowledge was commendable, but it wasn’t just so she could answer trivia questions. No, she longed to be in relationship with the Lord. She longed for the humility it would take to be a lifelong learner.

After all, it’s absurd for us to think that we can get to the end of learning about God. The depths of God’s Word and His character are inexhaustible, as Paul proclaims in our key verse: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33). We will be searching the depths for eternity!

If we desire knowing the Lord only to be able to say that we have knowledge, falsely thinking that one day we might “arrive,” we will miss out on two glorious benefits of the Christian life:

1. The wonderful joys of learning and being taught.

May we never be puffed up because of our knowledge. (1 Corinthians 8:1b) Instead, my prayer for you and me is that the Lord would keep us teachable all the days of our lives. The Lord opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) He will give us grace upon grace as we humbly seek to learn.

2. A relationship with Jesus.

It’s scary to think that we can know a lot about God and not really know Him at all. As we read Scripture, we are indeed gaining knowledge, but the purpose is to grow in our relationship with and love of our Lord. We cherish God’s Word because we cherish God.

I have had seasons of Spirit-filled, worshipful and consistent time in the Word and seasons when reading felt like a duty rather than a joy and delight. We all find ourselves struggling from time to time to read the Bible and interpret it correctly. And here’s the good news: That’s OK. Any time in the Word is time well spent. Time in the Word won’t always feel like a worship service, but every moment teaches you one more thing about your Lord and Savior. It’s not wasted!

When we change our focus away from merely gaining knowledge, we can watch our time with the Lord transform from duty to delight.

Like my friend, let’s long to be teachable, always eager to hear from the Lord through His Word.

Lord, we long to know You through Your Word. As we read, help us to enjoy our relationship with You. Help us to grow in our love for You, Lord. Take our temptation to read Your Word out of duty and turn it into delight. We love and worship You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

For help learning to delight in and enjoy God through His Word, grab a copy of Trillia Newbell’s book 52 Weeks in the Word: A Companion for Reading Through the Bible in a Year.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (ESV)

Psalm 119:33-34, “Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.” (ESV)

What motivates you to read God’s Word?

Motivated by the grace of God, what are things you can do now to help you become a lifelong learner of God’s Word?

© 2023 by Trillia Newbell. All rights reserved.

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