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Colossians 1:4-6 (NLT)-For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. 6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.
There is a remarkable power within the Holy Scriptures. As the NLT rendering of this passage teaches us, the truth of the Word of God “is bearing fruit by changing lives.”
A few years back, there was a study made by The Center Of Bible Engagement (led by Arnold Cole & Pamela Caudill Ovwigho). They wanted to investigate the effects of Bible study on the general population. Their study consisted of interviewing over 40, 000 people, ages 8 to 80, and then tallying and carefully analyzing the results. They revealed that when a person read the Bible once a week, there was a negligible effect on that person’s life. The same was true if people casually opened the Bible two or three times a week.
However, when the persons polled read their Bible at least four times a week, the results were astonishing.
“The data collected by CBE attest to many of these effects. For example, statistical analyses reveal that, controlling for other factors, such as age, gender, church attendance, and prayer, Christians who are engaged in scripture most days of the week have lower odds of participating in these behaviors: Getting drunk=57% lower odds; Sex outside marriage=68% lower odds; Pornography=61% lower odds; Gambling=74% lower odds; Any of these habits=57% lower odds. The ‘power of 4’ is evident when we consider that for some of these behaviors (getting drunk and sex outside marriage) examined there is no statistical difference between Christians who read or listen to the Bible two or three days a week and those who not engage scripture at all or only once a week. For those behaviors where there is an effect for engaging scripture two to three days a week, the effect is much smaller than for four or more days a week. More scripture engagement also produces a Christian who is more involved in spreading the Good News. Controlling for other factors, those who read or listen to the Bible at least four days a week have higher odds of participating in these behaviors: Sharing faith others=228% higher odds; Discipling others=231% higher odds; Memorizing scripture=407% higher odds.” (Arnold Cole, Ed.D. & Pamela Caudill Ovwigho, Ph.D., Understanding The Bible Engagement Challenge: Scientific Evidence For The Power Of 4, 68-82 (Kindle Edition): Center For Bible Engagement; www.c4be.org)
Bottom Line: Bible study is good for individual Christians, it is good for the church, it is good for small groups, it is good for families, and it is good for non-Christians!
Let’s make it one of our goals as God’s people to study His Word frequently, prayerfully, and earnestly. There is power in God’s Word!
Psalm 119:18-Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.
Psalm 119:34-Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Psalm 119:73-Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
Psalm 119:125-I am Your servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies.
John 7:17-If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
Acts 17:11-These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
2 Timothy 2:7-Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
James 1:5-If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Reveal Yourself to us more fully, Lord. Help us to better understand the riches of Your Word and give us the wisdom that we need to apply those treasures to our lives. Amen.