Drink In God's Word
"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing oHebrewsf God." -- 6:7
As is often the case in the Bible, this passage of scripture isn't about farming. At least not the farming we see every day in this part of the country. No, this farming refers to people. To believers. To us.
The land is those of us who seek the Word of God. We study and learn from the rain (scripture) that falls on our ears. It can happen in church, in Bible studies, in private reading and contemplation. But merely showing up to hear isn't enough. After all, how can anyone know we've heard if nothing changes. It's like when the rain falls down on a crop. We know it rained because the plants become lush and green, producing spectacular crops. Drought will kill those same plants. Just like drought from God's Word will destroy our own foundation.
I am so thankful that a distant cousin pushed me into an in-depth Bible study. Maybe pushed isn't the right word. I wanted to attend the Beth Moore study. My heart cried out for it. But I was so aware of my own inadequacies. I would be surrounded by people who grew up attending church. People who could not only name all the books of the Bible but who could actually find them without checking the table of contents. Didn't you have to actually know the Bible to study it?
Actually, no. Because once I got there, I found that willingness to learn was all that God required. Beth is wonderful when she asks listeners to turn to a certain passage. She assumes no one knows how to get there and gives hints as to where it is. It was okay to fumble along. Now, years later, I know mostly where things are. But I still have to check the table of contents sometimes. And that's okay. Really. God doesn't test us on things like that. He only ever tests our hearts and I know when He sees mine, He sees love for Him.
I figure He'd rather have me stumbling along than to have me be one of those people who already knows it all. You know who I'm talking about. They're the ones who never do Bible studies because they've studied it all. They don't read the Bible regularly because they've read it before. They know it all. Just ask them. It is so sad. They are missing so much. The Bible lives and breathes. It's Words touch us where we are, while we are there. I am so amazed every time I read a passage I've read many times before and discover something new. I'm thankful too.
I want God's blessings to pour down on me. I want to learn and study, to absorb all He has to offer me. I want to be like the crop that received needed rain and produced in abundance. My arms are outstretched to receive His wisdom. His knowledge. His love.
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